Just before the 2026 All-Star Game content went live in MLB The Show 26 on July 9, a new title update went live in-game. There was a focus on themed content for that update. However, it also came with gameplay changes, as well.
MLB The Show 26 patch 1.014 notes
Here is what’s in the July 9 update for MLB The Show 26:
- New rule changes have been made to offline Homerun Derby:
- Timer and outs have been eliminated.
- Every swing counts toward a player’s allotted swings.
- Round 1:
- 20 total swings
- no bonus round
- no first round bracket format
- Tiebreaker: longest home run distance
- Round 2 and Final Round:
- 15 total swings
- Tiebreaker: three-swing swing-off
- Additionally, in any round, a player who homers on their final allotted swing earns additional swings until they fail to hit a homer.
- Updated All-Star Game rosters have been added.
Gameplay
- Bear Down Improvements:
- Each Bear Down pitch will now guarantee a top end speed output for each pitch.
- The PAR will now be even smaller when perfect input is achieved.
- For hitters: increased PCI size on same-handed breaking pitches down and away. These pitches remain the most difficult to square up and time but have been adjusted to be less punitive.
Diamond Dynasty
- Fixed a bug where team logos would show a default logo on the Standings screen.
Player Likeness Updates
New player scans for:
- Bryan Baker
- Hunter Barco
- Eric Becker
- Derek Curiel
- Hunter Dietz
- AJ Gracia
- Jared Grindlinger
- Bryce Harper
- Ryder Helfrick
- Zack Littell
- Zach McCambley
- Tim Mayza
- Colson Montgomery
- Mason Montgomery
- Liam Peterson
- Nick Pratto
- Logan Reddermann
- Zion Rose
- Javier Sanoja
- AJ Smith-Shawver
- Cade Townsend
- Jose Trevino
It’s rare to receive major title updates in back-to-back weeks. But that’s what happened on July 9.
The MLB The Show 26 amended Home Run Derby mode so that it follows the changes made for the 2026 event. Plus, significant in-cycle gameplay changes were made, something very rarely seen.
Bear Down, new to MLB The Show 26, was tweaked. Before the title update, it offered a small size reduction in PAR and didn’t guarantee that any velocity bump would occur when used. Now, it will automatically guarantee that a “high-end” velocity pitch on a pitcher will be hit whenever used. Additionally, the PAR size was reduced.
Shrinkage on same-side hitters for breaking balls was also slightly addressed, as it was tuned down.
The title update also saw face scans added for several 2026 MLB Draft prospects. Eric Becker, AJ Gracia, Cade Townsend, Hunter Dietz, Derek Curiel, Liam Peterson, and Ryder Helfrick were among the players listed.
This update went live for PlayStation & Xbox consoles at 7 AM ET on July 9. It will be available in the future for the Nintendo Switch.
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