MLB The Show 20
MLB The Show 20: Signature Series Jon Lester Added to 7th Inning Program
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Signature Series Jon Lester is the newest player added to the 7th Inning Program. He is a 95 overall, and he will add +40 points to your program if you collect him and win one game online with him.
He has his usual five-pitch mix that revolves around using three different forms of a fastball to go with the changeup and sweeping curve. Much like someone like Cole Hamels or Cliff Lee, he’s an acquired taste. Some struggle to pitch with guys like Lester while others excel.
Signature Series Jon Lester
Moments
- Walk-Off Slam
- Difficulty: Veteran
- Hit 1 HR
- Postseason Masher – 3 games
- Difficulty: Veteran
- Tally 6 hits
- Tally 2 XBH
- Cruz Cranks Homer
- Tally 2 XBH
- The Boomstick
- Difficulty: Veteran
- Tally 6 TB
- 400th Career Home Run
- Difficulty: Veteran
- Hit 1 HR
7th Inning Program Points
- Collect Jon Lester (+20 stars)
- Tally 1 win online with Lester (+20)
All this info has also been added to our 7th Inning Program guide.
-The CPU either fouled off everything or took extremely close pitches. You'll get your strikeouts over time obviously but these were tough for some reason. The Sweeping Curve isn't as effective as a Slider usually is against the CPU. Normally you can just go up and in or up and away in the zone with fastballs and peel sliders off the plate and get easy chases. But it just doesn't work with his curve. Even the cutter doesn't work with this sequencing. I had more luck with the changeup, which runs counter to most experiences with changeups in the game.
-For me, Lester was way easier to control out of the stretch. If you get into spots where you can actually walk someone to speed up and possibly control him better, maybe try walking someone and try it that way. Intentionally, of course. I'm not joking when I say the CPU is making contact with everything.
-I had a couple groundballs hit to me where Lester's throw meter was AWFUL. He's notoriously a terrible thrower to 1st, so I'm sure this is the stats shining through (which is great and realistic) but be mindful of that. I'm actually surprised I nailed green throws because it caught me off guard the couple times it happened.
-The general sequencing I used was: 4S up and away, 4S up and in, changeup WAY low and away out of the zone to RH and changeup WAY low and in to LH. This was the most successful sequence even though the CPU definitely slapped stuff around. I had ZERO success with the curve and the cutter didn't do much either. The Sinker is good low in the zone almost as an offspeed pitch but they weren't chasing it at all. I couldn't even get double plays with the sinker or cutter.
-The CPU either fouled off everything or took extremely close pitches. You'll get your strikeouts over time obviously but these were tough for some reason. The Sweeping Curve isn't as effective as a Slider usually is against the CPU. Normally you can just go up and in or up and away in the zone with fastballs and peel sliders off the plate and get easy chases. But it just doesn't work with his curve. Even the cutter doesn't work with this sequencing. I had more luck with the changeup, which runs counter to most experiences with changeups in the game.
-For me, Lester was way easier to control out of the stretch. If you get into spots where you can actually walk someone to speed up and possibly control him better, maybe try walking someone and try it that way. Intentionally, of course. I'm not joking when I say the CPU is making contact with everything.
-I had a couple groundballs hit to me where Lester's throw meter was AWFUL. He's notoriously a terrible thrower to 1st, so I'm sure this is the stats shining through (which is great and realistic) but be mindful of that. I'm actually surprised I nailed green throws because it caught me off guard the couple times it happened.
-The general sequencing I used was: 4S up and away, 4S up and in, changeup WAY low and away out of the zone to RH and changeup WAY low and in to LH. This was the most successful sequence even though the CPU definitely slapped stuff around. I had ZERO success with the curve and the cutter didn't do much either. The Sinker is good low in the zone almost as an offspeed pitch but they weren't chasing it at all. I couldn't even get double plays with the sinker or cutter.
No joke I had to do Rockies moment about 8 times.
If only you could sell the player program players, if only.