I’ve been seeing alot of posts here & also people on twitter saying how frustrated they are by not being able to break through to WS. I have made it both months & thought I would share what I do in hopes it can help some of you. I consider myself a good player but nothing special & certainly not elite, So hopefully what I say will be relatable & helpful. Here goes…

1. I turn the two inner pci’s off & keep the outer one on with no fade away. I find it much easier to pickup & track the ball without all the graphics in the way. I also use regular old strike zone for the camera.

2. I start the pci high where the pitcher releases the ball & never move my eyes from his hand until he releases the ball. I then track the pitch & try to get it in the middle of my enlarged pci.

3. Take alot of pitches - Especially early. People do not want to throw strikes - Make them. Early in the game see at least 4 pitches, Do not swing even with 2 strikes during those first 4 pitches. It is ok to strike out. At this point you are just training your opponent to pitch to you.

4. Use players with high contact attributes. This is very important when you are playing on legend & that pci shrinks.

5. Have a balanced lineup of speed & power. Some games it’s a pitcher’s duel & you need one or two speedy guys like Lofton or Jackie so if they get on you can swipe a bag or two so you can bring them in with 1 hit or even a ground out. But you also need power hitters for those high scoring games…Balance is key.

6. Turn off auto shift…You’re not pitching to the real Griffey Jr who has pull tendencies, You’re pitching to a total stranger who you have no clue if they swing early, late, ect…You can live with giving up a single up the middle. But a double or triple down the line against the shift - That could cost you the game.

7. If you get frustrated when you lose a game - Go play a completely different video game until you cool off. Something that is chill & no stress. For me it’s the Star Wars Battlefront games & COD….Ranked Seasons is the most mentally stressing game mode in the world in my opinion. You need to be cool & focused and unemotional. If you are mad - Do not jump into another game. Some people cool off after an hour, Some after a day…Whatever your cool down time is - Take it. You’re only going to dig a deeper hole if you don’t.

I hope my tips help get some of you over the hump. I know it can be frustrating, Just keep grinding guys. You got this!

I see it on 1/2 the team names I play. I see it in 1/2 the posts on here. I see it all the time on twitter...Yes, You are NMS...It’s just not that big of a deal on this game. SDS provides TONS of easy grinds to build a very good & competitive team. In Madden & NBA2K it is impressive to get a 99 overall team doing NMS. It’s ALOT of hard work & grinding. In this game - Show 21 - It’s almost impossible to not have a great team if you put any time at all in. You literally can earn any WS or BR card just by stacking wins. All cards needed for the Player of the month card are free. TA is free...It’s just not an impressive feat anymore guys & NOBODY cares . I know people are gonna come at me here...And that’s fine, But someone has to break the news. It’s just not impressive & nobody cares. Have a nice day.

After every game I send a “GG” to my opponent - win or lose. I have done this since I started playing online sports games 15 years ago. It used to be most people were good sports & sent the GG without hesitation. I probably only get a GG back in 1 out of 10 games nowadays. The rest of the time it is just nasty scathing comments - Even from guys that won…I play straight up, No shenanigans (bunt dancing, time winding, ect). I just think it’s sad that the world has become this bad that people can’t exchange pleasantries or a show of respect after a game.

@buddyhightower_xbl said in Played against someone's credit card last night.:

lol, you all took the post the wrong way.. I feel like I played great. I don't give a [censored] about a loss in a video game. If he wants to pitch at lighting speed, cool, when it's my turn I'll take as much time as I want. I had a great time and learned something, and no, i'll never accept a resign offer...

This isn’t Madden where a team of golds would never beat a God squad. In The Show you can absolutely beat a God squad with an 82 overall team. And when he sent you the offer he wasn’t asking you to take a loss, He was offering you a friendly quit so you wouldn’t take a loss because he saw how much of a mismatch it was - He was being generous & you repaid him by intentionally slowing down the game. If you’re not going to try to play legit then just stop now & go back to Fortnite.

For years I’ve used normal swing until I have 2 strikes then I switch to contact swing. And I have ALWAYS been able to hit homeruns with contact swing if I square up the ball, This is nothing new guys...I think because streamers just discovered this it’s getting overblown. It’s always been this way, Nothing to change.

Let me put it another way...Ichiro Suzuki was a contact hitter, Definitely never swung for the fences - Yet he still hit 117 homers in his career. It happens, Call off the nerf police, Sheesh!

@thegreatwilliss_xbl said in Opponent had Swastika as logo:

The swastika symbol, 卐 (right-facing or clockwise) or 卍 (left-facing, counterclockwise, or sauwastika), is an ancient religious icon in the cultures of Eurasia. It is used as a symbol of divinity and spirituality in Indian religions, including Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism.

Only because the Nazis used it for hate is the reason its deemed an evil symbol, But its still to this day used as a symbol of peace is certain religions.

Well if I run into a team named the Eurasian Ballboys with a swatstika I will remember this nugget and not report them. Thank you for your contribution to community awareness.

I’ve been playing DD since Show 15 and I just now finally did it! I feel like a weight has been lifted off my back & now I can just enjoy the game. I am so f’ing happy!!!!

It depends what your opponent was ranked...Whoever is the higher rank - That’s the difficulty you played on. So anything under 700 is All Star, 700-899 is Hall of Fame & Anything above 900 is on Legend.

@drewshbag420_psn said in Opponent had Swastika as logo:

@icards1_psn said in Opponent had Swastika as logo:

I played this gem in ranked, I hope they follow through and ban this scumbag. Trash Human Logo Here

I played some loser yesterday whose logo was the a racist epitaph....he raged quit after I hit 3 HRs off of him. I reported him and hope he gets banned. He was of couse an Xbox player since the Xbox just attracts all the racists

Right….It has nothing to do with Halo or Gears or the other Xbox exclusives like gamepass. When I was deciding which one to get it was my love of racism that made me choose Xbox. You’re extremely intelligent & intuitive.

Just had it happen yet again for like the 5th time this year. You know the drill - The opponent swings at everything & can’t hit for 8 innings but then magically in the bottom of the 9th the same pitches are in gaps or homers or my personal favorite the errors. I know some people don’t think it’s a thing but it definitely is & this is on sds for never changing it from year to year. It’s ridiculous.

I can’t hit with short players. If I see someone is under 5’11 I just move on. That’s just me personally…REALLY struggle with short dudes.

You spelled Nicholas Castellanos wrong.

I love him. Just superfractor’d him over the weekend.

@hoboadam_psn said in Ban question:

@yankeefan412_xbl said in Ban question:

So when you say console ban are you prevented from playing ALL games for a year or just The Show?

Really dude? LOL.

Imagine being unable to play Fortnite because he designed a bad stadium...

They can't brick a console for a game specific violation.

Wouldn’t being forced to play Fortnite be more of a punishment than not being allowed to play anything?

So when you say console ban are you prevented from playing ALL games for a year or just The Show?

SDS does this every year : Kershaw/Ryan, Newhauser/Kluber, DeGrom/Cabrera…..I’ve suggested before that they need to come out with a new system where you’re not seeing the same 2 pitchers EVERY SINGLE GAME…Because that’s all you ever see now. I don’t know how you do it but something has to change.

They look pretty comparable…Who do you like better & why?

I played on the PS4 from 2015-2020 & switched to the Series X….Have not noticed any difference between the two. They play the same - For me anyways.

It surprises me reading through this thread just how many people actually spend their time watching other men play video games. I just don’t get it.

Averages had to have dipped significantly then while it was nerfed…People want to hit, They’re not gonna leave it if everyone is batting .150 & they shouldn’t. It’s supposed to be an exciting game not deadball era 1-0 games.