Summer is officially heating up in Diamond Dynasty, and SDS just dropped a massive surprise to close out the month. The June Countdown Program is live in MLB The Show 26, but you need to act fast. This is a true "blitz" style event that went live on June 26, 2026, and it completely vanishes on June 30, 2026, at 11:59 PM PT.
With huge Stubs chunks and top-tier Diamond players on the line, you cannot afford to waste any time. Here is a complete breakdown of how the program works, what rewards are waiting for you, and the most efficient path to clearing it before the clock runs out.
The Catch: How the Program Mechanics Work
Before you jump into Diamond Dynasty and start blindly grinding, you need to understand how this program handles progression. Unlike traditional programs where you can chip away at multiple missions simultaneously, the June Countdown is strictly gated by tiers.
You are locked into three stages: Easy, Medium, and Hard. You cannot work on Medium tasks ahead of time while clearing the Easy stage. Your progress does not stack across tiers, meaning any extra stats you accumulate during a tier are effectively lost once you cross the threshold. You must fully clear the Easy missions to unlock Medium, and finish Medium to finally unlock Hard.
What’s Up for Grabs (The Rewards)
Because the window to finish this program is so tight, SDS made the rewards incredibly lucrative. If you manage to clear the entire path, you will walk away with massive currency boosts and two top-tier additions to your squad:

• Easy Stage Reward: 95 OVR Standout Series Zack Britton (CP, Baltimore Orioles). A dominant lefty bullpen arm to secure your late innings.
• Medium Stage Reward: 96 OVR Awards Series Ronald Acuña Jr. (CF, Atlanta Braves). A five-tool outfielder with elite speed and power.
• Hard Stage Reward / Full Clearance: Up to 86,000 Total Stubs (75,000 of which drop in a massive lump sum when you finish the final Hard tier).

Full Mission List by Tier
To help you map out your grind, here are the exact objectives you need to clear for each phase of the program.
1. Easy Missions (Unlocks 95 OVR Zack Britton)

• Win 1 game (any mode)
• Tally 5+ hits
• Tally 2+ stolen bases (Multiplayer only)
• Tally 3+ strikeouts (Multiplayer only)
• Get 1 plate appearance with Spotlight Nasim Nuñez

2. Medium Missions (Unlocks 96 OVR Ronald Acuña Jr.)

• Tally 10+ strikeouts (Multiplayer only)
• Earn 1,500 PXP with supercharged players
• Win 2 Ranked Seasons games
• Earn 2,500 PXP in a single game
• Hit 10+ home runs (Multiplayer only)

3. Hard Missions (Unlocks 75,000 Stubs)

• Win 5 Battle Royale games
• Tally 10+ hits (Multiplayer only)
• Score 15 runs in Ranked Seasons
• Tally 24+ strikeouts (any mode)
• Earn 1,000 PXP with Awards Series Nick Castellanos

Smart Double-Dipping: Concurrent June 26 Content Drops
The June Countdown didn't arrive in a vacuum. It launched alongside a massive wave of fresh summer content, and knowing how to combine these programs will save you hours of unnecessary grinding.

• Moonshot II Event & Program: This is your golden ticket for the multiplayer missions. The event features quick, three-inning online games where hitters are maxed out and pitchers are common. You can unlock the new 96 OVR Awards Series Nick Castellanos here. Once you get him, you can immediately use him in your lineup to knock out his specific 1,000 PXP requirement in the Hard tier of the Countdown program.
• June Spotlight Drop 3: This drops the 96 OVR Spotlight Series Nasim Nuñez. Grab him early to easily check off the plate appearance requirement in the Easy tier.
• Gauntlet Mini Seasons: A fresh offline challenge that rewards an Awards Series Joe Mauer.
• Chase Pack 16: If you are feeling lucky or have extra Stubs to burn, the new Chase Pack officially introduces a massive 98 OVR Cycle Milestone Series Bryce Harper.

Quick Strategy Tips for an Easy Grind
Because you only have until June 30, optimizing your time is everything. Here are two strategies to help you breeze through the toughest requirements.
How to Cheese the 24 Strikeout Mission (Hard Tier)Don't stress about trying to get 24 strikeouts against sweaty opponents online. Take this requirement offline into the WBC Mini Seasons. When setting up your season, replace Team Canada so you can ensure you play as the away team against a weaker, lower-tier roster. Fire up the game on Rookie difficulty, plug in your highest-velocity pitcher, and rack up Ks.
To maximize your efficiency and get all 24 strikeouts in a single game, deliberately extend the game into extra innings. When you are on offense, intentionally bunt into outs or strike out on purpose to keep the score tied. This allows you to just keep pitching and accumulating strikeouts against a helpless Rookie CPU until the mission is completely finished.
Abuse the Moonshot II OverlapTaking your fresh cards into Ranked Seasons right away can be stressful if you care about your rating. Instead, take all your multiplayer requirements—like the stolen bases in Easy, the 10 home runs in Medium, and the multiplayer hits in Hard—straight into the Moonshot II event. Because the games are short, matchmaking is fast, and the stadium dimensions/pitcher ratings favor the batter, you will clear your offensive counting stats at triple the speed without risking your Ranked record.