989 Sports® Completes Triple Crown by Signing Three of Major League Baseball's Top Sluggers to Promote MLB™ Franchise
Los Angeles Dodger Shawn Green Will Grace Cover of MLB™2004 For the PlayStation®2
PRNewswire
FOSTER CITY, Calif.
12/03/2002
Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. and 989 Sports® announced today that it has signed three of the best players in Major League Baseball to assist in promoting MLB™ for the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system. Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder, Shawn Green, Anaheim Angels third baseman, Troy Glaus, and Cincinnati Reds outfielder, Adam Dunn, each signed three-year deals with 989 Sports. Green will be the cover athlete for MLB™ 2004, while Glaus and Dunn will be working with the company as contributors, consultants, and spokespeople. Each player will appear on the cover of the esteemed baseball game at some point during his three-year deal.
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20000510/SFW104-a )
Finishing his 10th season in the major leagues, Green has become one of the most feared left-handed sluggers in the game. The right-fielder finished the 2002 season with 42 home runs and 114 RBIs, making it the fourth time he has eclipsed the 40 home run mark and 100 RBI barrier in his career. In addition, the Des Plaines, Ill. native added his name to the record books on May 23, 2002 with four home runs in one game tying the Major League record. Starting his career with the Toronto Blue Jays, Green was traded to the Dodgers before the 2000 season. One year later, he broke a Dodger record with 49 home runs. Combined with 125 RBIs, Green's 2001 campaign was one of the most prolific in the more than 100-year history of the Dodger franchise.
Glaus joins the 989 Sports team after capturing the 2002 World Series Championship and 2002 World Series MVP, completing one of the most dominant individual performances in postseason history. Glaus notched a .344 playoff batting average and tied the postseason record with seven home runs. In just his fourth full professional season, the six-foot, five-inch third baseman has become one of the top young sluggers in the League, twice reaching the 40 home run plateau, helping him become the fastest player in Angels history to reach 100 career home runs. In addition, this three-time All-Star has knocked in more than 100 RBIs and scored at least 99 runs each of the past three seasons on his way to winning two Silver Slugger Awards.
One of the best, and biggest, young players in the League, the six-foot, six-inch, 240-pound Dunn is one of the highest-touted players to ever play for the Cincinnati Reds. The 22-year old outfielder burst onto the scene in 2001 piling up 19 home runs in only 66 games. In August of that season, the Houston, Texas native was named National League Rookie-of-the-Month setting a National League rookie record with 12 home runs in one month. Dunn continued his home run barrage this season hitting 26 home runs and driving in 71 runs on his way to his first All-Star selection.
"Signing three players of this caliber is an incredible opportunity for both the MLB franchise and 989 Sports," said Ami Blaire, director, product marketing, Sony Computer Entertainment America. "Not only are we aligning ourselves with three of the best players in baseball, but also we working with three young players who promise to put up outstanding numbers for many years to come. Their enthusiasm and knowledge of the sport will be a great asset to both our development team and our marketing efforts."
Set for a Spring 2003 release, MLB 2004 promises to deliver true baseball simulation for PlayStation 2. Combining incredible ballpark recreations, lifelike player models, and Total Control™ Pitching and Batting, MLB 2004 is the game baseball and sports enthusiasts have always wanted. Ballpark renditions include authentic sponsor signage, animated umpires and crowds, and real-time JumboTrons and scoreboards. Personalized player animations with faces taken directly from head scans from every Major League player make this game as close to the real thing as possible. Total Control Pitching lets gamers select pitch type, location, and velocity and Total Control Batting lets players guess pitch type and location. Other features include Hot and Cold Streaks affecting hitters' performances throughout the game, an option to charge the mound after being on the receiving end of a bean ball, and key managerial decisions such as double switches, pitching changes, and pitch outs. Twelve modes of gameplay including Career Mode, Franchise Mode, Season Mode, and General Manager Mode make this game the deepest baseball videogame ever produced.
The independent Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) rates MLB 2004 "RP" for Rating Pending. For more information about the ESRB visit www.esrb.org.
About 989 Sports
989 Sports® is the sports software brand of Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. Known for its top-selling sports franchise titles such as NFL GameDay™, MLB™, NBA ShootOut, NHL FaceOff™, NCAA® Final Four® and NCAA® GameBreaker™, 989 Sports is committed to developing authentic and innovative sports games to appeal to both the professional athlete and hard-core sports videogame fan.
About Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc.
Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. continues to redefine the entertainment lifestyle with its PlayStation® and PS one™ game console, and the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system. The PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system is set to revolutionize the home entertainment market, offering the most compelling interactive content and the capability to be used as a network terminal in the coming broadband era.
Recognized as the undisputed industry leader, Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. markets the PlayStation family of products and develops, publishes, markets and distributes software for the PSOne game console and the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system for the North American market. Based in Foster City, Calif. Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. serves as headquarters for all North American operations and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
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SOURCE: Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc.
CONTACT: Ron Eagle, +1-858-824-5585, or ron_eagle@playstation.sony.com,
or Ben Schechter, +1-858-824-5689, or ben_schechter@playstation.sony.com, or
Rick Heineman, +1-310-274-7800, or rheineman@bncpr.com, all for Sony Computer
Entertainment America, Inc.
Web site: http://www.esrb.org/
Web site: http://www.playstation.com/