Okay, so I’ve been putting some hours into MLB The Show 24, you know, trying to get my game right. One thing that kept bugging me was runners taking huge leads, basically daring me to do something. I knew pickoffs were a thing, but honestly, I kept forgetting how or messing it up.
My First Messy Tries
So, first couple of games, I’m on the mound, see a guy creeping off first. I panic. I think I just paused the game accidentally the first time. Then I tried just tapping buttons while pitching, which obviously did nothing useful. I probably threw a few wild pitches trying random stuff. It was kinda embarrassing, felt like I had no control over the runner.
Figuring Out the Buttons
After getting burned a few too many times, I decided to actually figure it out properly. I went into a practice mode, just me pitching. Here’s what I worked out:
- Holding the Trigger: The main thing I was missing was holding down the L2 button (I’m on PlayStation, so whatever the equivalent is for you). You gotta hold that before you start your pitching motion.
- Choosing the Base: Once you hold L2, you’ll see prompts pop up, usually showing the base buttons. For me, it was Circle for first base, Triangle for second, and Square for third.
- Making the Throw: While still holding L2, you just tap the button for the base you want to throw to. So, hold L2, then tap Circle – boom, throw to first.
Getting the Timing Down
Just knowing the buttons wasn’t enough though. My first few successful attempts (meaning I actually threw to the base) were super slow. The runner just scampered back easily. I realized there’s a bit of timing involved.
You can do a quick throw or a slower, more deceptive one. I think tapping the base button quickly after holding L2 does a faster throw. Holding it a bit, or maybe varying when you press it after holding L2, changes the look. Honestly, I mostly just stick to the quick throw right now. I found that if you see the runner take that extra shuffle off the bag, that’s the sweet spot. Hold L2, tap the base button real quick.
It took some practice reps. I’d let the CPU runner get a lead, then just practice the L2 + base button combo over and over. Sometimes I’d step off without throwing (I think that’s just tapping L1?), just to mix it up like they do in real games.
Finally Nailing It
It felt pretty awesome the first time I actually picked someone off in a real game online. Guy took a big lead off first, I did the quick L2 + Circle, and my first baseman slapped the tag on him just in time. It’s not something you can do every single time, ’cause good players are smart about their leads, but catching someone sleeping? Chef’s kiss.
So yeah, that’s my journey figuring out the pickoff move. Hold L2, pick your base button, and practice that timing. It adds a whole other layer to pitching when you can keep those runners honest.
