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Anthony Rizzo shows us how to dominate new retro mode in 'MLB The Show 17'

Mike Oz

Chicago Cubs star first baseman Anthony Rizzo gave us a hands-on demo of how much fun it is to lay a beatdown on some sucker in “MLB The Show 17″ using the new retro mode.

And that beat down sucker? It’s me.

First some backstory: Rizzo and I first met last year to play a game of “MLB The Show 16.” It was, of course, the biggest video-game conquest of my life. And for him, it was a way to pass a few minutes before he’d win a World Series a few months later. I triumphed that day. I won 1-0 and held my head high for an entire year. Rizzo eventually got a World Series ring and that helped him work through the video-game loss that he almost certainly forgot about five minutes after we stopped playing.

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So recently, we met again. This time, we tangled in the retro mode on “MLB The Show 17’s”, one of the cool new features in the game, which is out Tuesday. Retro mode is a great throwback for people like myself who the love the super simple baseball video games of the ’80s. One button pretty much does it all in The Show’s retro mode. It’s so easy a sucker like me can play it. Of course, the game is far more complex than that if you want it to be, but retro mode is a nice alternative if you just want a play quick game with a friend. Or Anthony Rizzo.

Anthony Rizzo shows us that you can even summon Ernie Banks from the bench in MLB The Show 17. (Yahoo Sports)
Anthony Rizzo shows us that you can even summon Ernie Banks from the bench in MLB The Show 17. (Yahoo Sports)

Our rematch started out wonderfully for me, as you can see in the video above. A Buster Posey two-run homer put me ahead right away. But as the real-life Cubs do, Rizzo and his band of virtual buddies quickly rallied and showed me what a Wrigley Field beatdown looks like. Here’s a tip, kids: Hit dingers. And bring Ernie Banks in off the bench, if you want. There are other legends waiting to come off the bench for other teams too.

I didn’t ask Rizzo whether getting video-game revenge against me was his sweetest win of the past year. I’d like to think it was, but we all know that’s completely and totally false.

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Mike Oz is the editor of Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at mikeozstew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!