All-Star Catcher Set to Knock One Out of the Park for Latest Installment of Best-Selling Baseball Game Franchise
Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. (SCEA) announced today the North American release of the #1 selling and rated baseball video game this generation, MLB® 10 The Show. Gracing the cover for The Show is a ballplayer who needs no introduction–2-time Gold Glove winner, 3-time Silver Slugger, 3-time American League (AL) batting champion, and newly crowned 2009 American League Most Valuable Player (MVP), Joe Mauer of the Minnesota Twins will be the cover athlete for the latest installment of the best-selling Major League Baseball® (MLB®) franchise.
Available for PlayStation®3 (PS3(TM)), PSP® (PlayStation®Portable), PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) go, and PlayStation®2 systems, MLB 10 The Show is due to arrive in stores in March 2010, just in time for Spring Training. The Show has been the highest ranked officially licensed baseball title of this console generation (according to Metacritic), delivering true-to-life gameplay, authentic franchise and season modes, and incredible detail not found in any other game.
“I’m truly humbled to be chosen for the cover of MLB 10 The Show, a honor that has only added to a special year for me,” said Joe Mauer, catcher, Minnesota Twins. “It’s a dream of every sports fan to be on the cover a video game, so to have the chance to work with a leading franchise like The Show is really a thrill.”
“Over the past four years we’ve seen the greatest offensive output from a catcher in the history of baseball. Joe is already in truly rarefied air with his three batting titles, an unprecedented feat for a catcher. With both The Sporting News and Sports Illustrated naming Mauer to their ‘All-Decade Team,’ he is destined to be an all-time great, and he’s only 26,” said Scott A. Steinberg, Vice President, Product Marketing, SCEA. “Similarly, The Show has become the highest rated, best selling baseball video game franchise of all time. So, as we look to add upon the richest and most immersive baseball experience, we could not ask for a more perfect ambassador to represent MLB 10 The Show.”
In his breakout 2006 season, Mauer became the first catcher in Major League history to lead both leagues in batting average and the first American League catcher to win the batting title, finishing with a .347 average. In 2008, he showed off his versatility by winning his first Gold Glove Award, but still impressed at the plate becoming the first American League catcher to win the batting title twice, leading the AL with an average of .328.
In 2009, Mauer became the first catcher to lead the Major Leagues in batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage in a single year–his .365 average was the all-time highest mark among catchers in MLB history. Mauer also won his second consecutive Gold Glove in 2009, followed by a near-unanimous win (27 out of 28 first place votes) for the American League MVP crown, only the second catcher in 33 years to win the AL MVP.
SOURCE Sony Computer Entertainment America
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