With the July 4th holiday pushing content up a day, it also moved the start date for Weekend Classic 4 up a day. While WC 4 begins earlier, it will run through the usual timeframe meaning there's one extra day to get into Ranked and grind through the Weekend Classic.
The overall structure remains largely the same, as divisions and overall structure are largely intact. As usual, the premium packs featured in the rewards will reflect the newer packs released.
Weekend Classic 4 Rewards
96 Prime CF Andrew McCutchen (Pittsburgh Pirates) - #4 CF True Overall
One of the new Weekend Classic rewards is Prime Andrew McCutchen. Cutch is a popular DD player, and this 96 Prime version acts as a greatest hits of sorts.
Elite Contact and Clutch with 125/110/108, Prime Cutch also features 92 Power against LHP and 81 Power against RHP to solidify a strong offensive CF on a 96 overall card. The Fielding is fine at 80 with 81 Reaction, though the Arm leaves a lot to be desired. To the point you might want to expect everyone to run on him every chance they get.
96 Prime CP Andrew Miller (New York Yankees) - #2 CP True Overall
The second reward is perhaps the best, with Andrew Miller debuting as the #2 CP in all of Diamond Dynasty. Miller has nasty attributes, with 115 H/9, 120 K/9, and 125 Clutch with a solid-for-a-closer 74 BB/9.
Featuring a primary Slider with 99 Break and Control, Miller will also sit in the mid-to-upper 9o's with his 4-Seamer and Sinker. He also features a Circle Change, though a 50/50 split on Control and Break will make that a risky pitch in key spots.
Miller also features one of the toughest-to-hit deliveries, at least for me, making his stuff play up even more. If Cutch is "fine" for a Weekend Classic reward, Miller is the top-tier card that genuinely feels like a top online reward.
It was also announced that there will be a bonus Weekend Classic in the month of July. July 16-21 will feature the bonus Weekend Classic, due to player feedback about the enjoyment of the mode. Whether this extends beyond July remains to be seen, but still, SDS being mobile with feedback is always a great sign.
Clayton Kershaw Program
SDS dropped the mic at the end of the livestream when they revealed a Clayton Kershaw program. Kershaw reached the legendary 3,000 Strikeout club and SDS is celebrating in-game with a free 99 Milestone Clayton Kershaw.
Free means grinding, of course, and you'll need to tackle a combination of Moments, missions, and potentially Showdown to get your free 99 Kershaw.
Moments will reward you up to 30 stars if you complete them all, while the cumulative stat missions pay out a total of 55 stars. You'll need 100 stars to earn Kershaw, so you'll either need to complete the Kershaw Showdown which features three Mini-Bosses and a final matchup against Kershaw himself; or collect the 3,000 Strikeout My Legacy icon if you've earned it.
Depending on where you're at in the icon progress, you could feasibly just grind against the CPU and focus on Strikeouts while working on other stuff versus doing the Showdown or some of the Moments. I'm personally behind on Spotlight content, and pretty much all other offline content, so slowly racking up the stats and then finishing the program with whatever I'm feeling will be my move.
99 Milestone SP Clayton Kershaw (Los Angeles Dodgers) - #1 SP True Overall
Debuting as the new #1 SP according to True Overall, Milestone Kershaw brings the goods in every way. With 100 H/9, 109 K/9, 96 BB/9, and 110 Clutch - Milestone Kershaw is every bit of the Hall of Fame Kershaw we know in DD.
Kershaw's four strongest pitches are his 4-Seamer, Slider, 12-6 Curveball, and Circle Change. He does feature a Sinker, but 67 Break might limit the viability. Kershaw will hit the upper 90's with pinpoint Fastball control, and should be able to locate the Slider and 12-6 with ease.
There have been years where Kershaw dominated Diamond Dynasty online, and this card is built to do the same halfway through the game cycle. Considering everyone can earn this 99 overall for free, the regularity that he'll be seen might alter his effectiveness but no one should pass up using a card like this.
These programs are where SDS has traditionally shone brightly. Highlighting in-season accomplishments and offering the cards as grindable rewards, versus always slapping them in premium packs. Again, big kudos to SDS as this could be Kershaw's last season in MLB The Show for a while and getting to rock a 99 with little effort is a huge win.
Chase Pack 17 Featuring Mickey Mantle
98 overall All-Star Mickey Mantle is the newest Chase card in Diamond Dynasty. Mantle debuts as the #2 CF in True Overall, and has no other defensive eligibilities.
What Mantle does have is elite Contact and Clutch, paired with 103 Power against RHP and 80 Power against LHP. You probably already know Mantle is a switch-hitter, and I personally love his swing so that's all working in his favor as well.
80 Fielding, 82 Reaction and 82 Speed will all play. Looking at the card, it does feel a bit underwhelming to me for a 98 overall but I'm also not the target demographic. I'm not one to rip bundles to try and find Chase packs, but for those that do, Mantle is arguably one of the biggest name legends in the game. If you're going to hunt down expensive cards, it being a Mickey Mantle at least makes sense.
Closing Thoughts
There's a free July 4th pack in the Show Shop for the next eight days. Featuring a handful of bats, bat skins and themed socks, grabbing these can help finish the equipment collections if you haven't already. Plus free stuff usually just rocks.
For the final big content drop of June, mixed with the new 5th Inning, SDS brought out the fireworks to celebrate July 4th with a genuine bang. Any content drop that features a combination of Mickey Mantle, Clayton Kershaw, Chipper Jones, Hank Aaron, Juan Soto is probably a banger; and there's a lot more that came today as well.
No matter how you're grinding or celebrating, have a safe and fun holiday weekend. Love is free and no one deserves it more than you.
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.
