The new Justin Verlander Milestone Program in MLB The Show celebrates the future Hall of Famer's 3,500 career strikeouts. It's a rather straightforward grind and here's the work:
100-stars to complete
Moments (40 Stars)
- 10 Moments worth 4 stars each.
Awards Verlander Missions (45 Stars)
Earned as you hit 20 stars in the program:
- Nine total missions worth 5 stars each.
- Stat tracking includes:
- Wins: 1, 3, and 5 total.
- Strikeouts: 10, 20, and 35 total.
- PXP: 350, 700, and 1,000 PXP.
- Each "total" is its own separate mission worth 5 stars.
PXP and Stat Missions (50 Stars)
10 Stars each:
- Wins: 5 total with Tigers, Astros, Mets, and/or Giants (all current or former Verlander teams) pitchers.
- Innings Pitched: 35 IP with Verlander teams.
- Strikeouts: 35 Ks with Verlander teams.
5 Stars each:
- PXP with specific teams:
- Tigers pitchers: 2,373 XP
- Astros pitchers: 962 PXP
- Mets pitchers: 81 PXP
- Giants pitchers: 84 PXP
Final Showdown (20 Stars)
- Complete the Justin Verlander Milestone Showdown to secure a massive star boost and lock in your progress.
Milestone SP Justin Verlander (San Francisco Giants) - #1 SP True Overall/#2 Meta Overall
Milestone Verlander debuts as the top SP according to True Overall and #2 according to Meta Overall. Throughout my years playing Diamond Dynasty, Justin Verlander has always been one of my favorite pitchers to use. This version nearly has what I consider to be a perfect pitch mix for online play, and attributes that are good enough to keep him in any rotation the rest of the year.
The Outlier 4-Seamer paired with a Slider, Circle Change, Sinker mix is supplemented by his trademark 12-6 Curveball, though it probably remains a rarely used pitch. Even with 99 Break and 92 Control, Curveballs are tough pitches to really get away with online - especially on the All-Star difficulty level. Some previous iterations of Verlander came with a Cutter, which prevents this card from being truly elite.
Still, it's Verlander and it's a free card. The top-ratings in both True and Meta Overall certainly make the grind worth it, and whether you're able to sequence well with the pitch mix or not, the Outlier should come in handy to help you keep most hitters off-balance.
These types of Milestone celebration programs are one of my favorite aspects of Diamond Dynasty. Especially with veterans like Verlander when we never know the end date of their career. This could very well be his final year, so getting a celebratory card like this could be the final time we see him for several years.
Will Milestone Verlander make your rotation? Let us know in the comments!
Cory Wayne Dell
Cory has been writing about all things baseball and gaming since 2022 and has been featured at Operation Sports as well as cited by Forbes. Cory is also a multi-instrumentalist and founder of the band Cargocastle. Cargocastle's latest single, "Truth and Reconciliation," is available on Spotify and all major streaming platforms. Cory is also the author of Shadow of a Monster, a personal memoir currently seeking publication.
