Mets' Justin Garza Credits 'MLB The Show' Video Game for Teaching Him 'How to Pitch'

New York Mets pitcher Justin Garza is proof that video games aren't a waste of time, as he credited MLB The Show with saving his career.

Speaking to Mitch Fink of the New York Post, Garza explained that playing MLB The Show helped teach him "how to pitch" when he was struggling as a minor leaguer in 2020.

"MLB The Show actually was a big part about me learning how to pitch and figuring out how to pitch,” said Garza. "It’s so realistic at times, just playing that video game."

Garza specifically cited the different camera angles in Diamond Dynasty mode as helping him experiment with how to use his arsenal. He opted for the catcher's view and got the idea for how to tinker with his pitch mix to keep hitters off balance.

"It was kind of unintentional, but once I started to play more and more, it was like, ‘OK, well, I actually have a cutter, I have this four-seam, I have this changeup, and maybe my stuff can play like this," Garza explained.

An eighth-round pick by the Cleveland Guardians in the 2015 draft, Garza didn't have a stellar run in the minors. He only had one season with an ERA under 4.99 in his first four full years (3.36 in 2018).

After the 2020 minor league season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Garza returned to the mound the next year following his experience with MLB The Show looking like a different pitcher.

The right-hander had 1.52 ERA with 32 strikeouts in 23.2 innings over 15 appearances in the minors to earn his first call-up to the big leagues with Cleveland in June 2021.

Garza made 21 appearances for the Guardians, posting a 4.71 ERA. He spent all of 2022 in the minors before leaving Cleveland as a free agent to join the Los Angeles Angels.

The Angels designated Garza for assignment early in 2023 when he was in the minors and he was claimed by the Boston Red Sox. He had a 7.36 ERA in 17 appearances for the Red Sox at the MLB level.

Garza was recently acquired by the Mets on June 7 after spending two seasons in the minors with the San Francisco Giants. The 31-year-old made his first big league appearance in 2025 on Tuesday, striking out both hitters he faced in a 5-4 extra-inning win over the Washington Nationals.

There is a very important lesson that the next time someone tries to tell you playing video games is ruining your brain, just respond by telling them that one of these games helped a struggling pitcher achieve his dream of pitching in Major League Baseball.