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'MLB The Show 23' adds Negro League legends including Buck O'Neil, Rube Foster, Satchel Paige

Liz Roscher
Staff writer
·2 min read
9

For the first time, Negro League players are coming to "MLB The Show."

Sony announced Monday that eight Negro League legends will be included in a new game mode called Storylines, which will "expose new generations of baseball fans to these historic figures and their stories of triumph over adversity."

Here's the new trailer:

The eight Negro League players available in Storyline mode will be Buck O'Neil, Hank Thompson, Hilton Smith, Jackie Robinson, John Donaldson, Satchel Paige, Rube Foster and Martín Dihigo. Gamers will be able to choose one of those players and embark on a narrative journey through his life, including short informational videos. At the end, players can play as one of the Negro League legends during some of the most important moments of their careers. Those players will also be available in other game modes.

According to the official PlayStation blog, Sony has wanted to incorporate Negro League players into "MLB The Show" for several years.

"The Negro Leagues are an important part of baseball and American history, whose iconic figures are not nearly as well known as other baseball players of the era," Sony product development communications and brand strategist Ramone Russell said via the PlayStation Blog. "We’ve thought about introducing the Negro Leagues into MLB The Show for years, but we needed to figure out how to do it the right way for an interactive medium."

The inclusion of these players and their Negro League team is made possible through partnership amog Sony, the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and NLBM president Bob Kendrick, who narrated the players' informational videos.

"MLB The Show 23" will be released March 28.

Buck O'Neil waves to fans during the Kansas City Royals home opener in this April 3, 2006 file photo. O'Neil died October 6, 2006 at age 94. He was star of the Negro Leagues, American professional baseball leagues comprising predominantly black teams starting in the early 1900's, and was the first black major league coach. REUTERS/Dave Kaup/Files (UNITED STATES)
Buck O'Neil, a Negro League legend and one of the great statesmen of baseball, is one of eight Negro League stars who will be included in a new "MLB The Show 23" game mode. (REUTERS/Dave Kaup/Files)