Okay, so I wanted to get better at stealing bases in MLB The Show 24, especially in Road to the Show (RTTS). I’ve always been a bit hesitant to try, worried about getting thrown out, but I figured it was time to figure this out.
First, I jumped into a game. My player’s pretty fast, but his stealing stats aren’t amazing. I waited for a good count, usually when the pitcher was behind. I figured that meant a fastball was coming, which would give me a slightly better chance.
I started experimenting with the lead-off. I tried the basic lead, and then the bigger one, but the bigger lead just made the pitcher throw over to first more often. Made it really tough. I felt that. So mostly, I stuck with the regular lead-off.
Then came the actual steal attempt. I pre-loaded my steal by holding down L2. That makes the running get a small jump, and the timing, which felt a little bit tricky, I pushed the left stick towards second base right as the pitcher started his motion towards home plate. That first time I was way too early. Got thrown out by a mile.
- Lead off: I just press and hold L2 and press R2 button one time.
- Stolen base timing: Wait for pitcher throwing to the home plate.
I kept practicing, trying to get the timing down. Sometimes I’d go too late, and the catcher would have all day to throw me out. Other times, I’d get a decent jump, but my player just wasn’t fast enough. It was pretty frustrating, to be honest. There’s definetly a sweet spot that I’m still trying to nail consistently.
I started paying more attention to the pitcher’s tendencies. Some guys are just way quicker to the plate than others. If I saw a pitcher with a slow delivery, I’d be way more aggressive. If he was quick, I’d usually stay put unless I had a huge lead and a really good count.
After a few games, I started to get a better feel for it. I was still getting thrown out sometimes, but I was also swiping some bags. It’s definitely something that takes practice, and I can see how having a player with better stealing attributes would make a huge difference. I think I will prictise more to improve steal skill.
My biggest takeaway? Don’t be afraid to fail. You’re going to get thrown out a lot when you’re learning. Just keep experimenting with the timing and pay attention to the pitcher, and you’ll start to see some improvement. I do!
