‘MLB The Show’ Video Game Introduces Women Players

 The Major League Baseball video game "MLB The Show" is introducing female players in its 2024 edition, even though professional women's baseball no longer exists.

For the first time, gamers will be able to create and play a game with a female baseball player in the "Road to the Show: Women Pave Their Way" game mode. The "Road to the Show" game mode, which has been a staple of "The Show" for years, allows users to customize a player and play through an MLB career.

Molly Braley, narrative designer for "MLB The Show," told PlayStation.Blog that the game's new feature allowing people to play as women "was inspired by stories of women in baseball."

“Throughout history, women have been leading the charge in sports,” Braley said. “These include legends like Toni Stone, who was one of the first women to play professional baseball, and she has a new storyline in MLB The Show 24. Our team wanted to create something where dreams become reality, and we wanted to add Felt like this was the perfect opportunity for Road to the Show which gave our players the option to experience it.

According to The New York Times, Stone played baseball for the Negro League team, the Indianapolis Clowns, in 1953, and became the first woman to play for a professional baseball team. The women's baseball player joined three other teams in the Negro leagues before retiring from the game after just one year.

While women play for the USA Baseball national team, which competes in the world tournament in the summer, there is no professional or collegiate women's baseball team. Women also play fastpitch softball at the college and professional levels, but professional softball is also significantly different from Major League Baseball in many ways, from the size of the ball to the distance between the bases. "MLB The Show"'s move to add women to the game comes after other sports in recent years, such as NBA 2K and video games like FIFA, have allowed gamers to play with female teams.

Kelsey Whitmore, who plays on the Women's USA Baseball National Team, said, "This new gameplay experience is a unique pivot into the baseball world that will inspire, motivate and inspire individuals to pursue their dreams."

“For me, this project is a great opportunity to inform the world about women who play baseball and what it is possible to take their skills to the next level. My hope for this project is to educate others that women/girls play baseball and that they are capable of competing at every level in this sport,” said Whitmore.

"MLB The Show 24" will be released to the public on March 19.