Yesterday The Ringer ran a hell of a piece on the cult classic computer game Backyard Baseball and its incredible legacy. I highly recommend checking it out, as it brought back all the fond nostalgia I have for the Backyard sports series.

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Almost everyone I know (aside from Will deFries apparently) shares that fond nostalgia for the cartoon sports games about extremely likable multi-cultural little leaguers giving it their go at every major sport you can think of. While Backyard Football also took up a ton of my time in my youth, Backyard Baseball is what kept me in front of a bright heavy glass screen for multi-hour marathons of gaming.

I could likely rattle off at least 80% of the fictional characters from memory, but putting them in the perfect lineup, aside from a few obvious choices, was a little more difficult.

1. Pete Wheeler – CF

This. Boy. Can. Fly. A sprinter with an awkward-yet-powerful left-handed stroke, Pete Wheeler is the obvious choice to leadoff your Backyard batting order. He’s just as likely to go deep as he is to squib a single and steal his way to third two pitches later. The kid can absolutely go get it out in center as well. You could play two overweight clunkers at the corners and Pete’s raw speed would more than make up for the lost ground in the gaps.

The only real downside here is Pete does have some swing and miss in his game, as being a free-swinger with an obvious learning disability doesn’t often lead to consistent contact. Still, there’s no better choice at the top of the order.

2. Pablo Sanchez – SS

What else is there to say about this guy? Greatest video game athlete of all time and it’s not even close. In Backyard Football, he was Johnny Manziel before Johnny Manziel, but his prowess on the diamond somehow exceeds his greatness on the gridiron. Guy is a triple crown threat at the dish plus he could just as easily lead the league in steals if he wasn’t so preoccupied hitting dingers. Conventional wisdom says hit this guy in the 3-hole, but I want Pablo up to the dish as much as possible, preferably with Petey Wheels sitting on 2nd.

In a backyard league with a few capable shortstops, Pablo is head and shoulders above the rest in everything but actual height, as he’s about 3.5 feet tall. Smooth actions and a rocket attached to his right shoulder, the only reason you should take him off short is to throw gas to close out the game.

3. Kiesha Phillips – RF

Hands down the most underrated player in the Backyard universe. While she’s out-shined by Wheeler’s speed and Pablo’s all-around greatness, Kiesha Phillips is a bonafide five-tool talent who’s a solid power/speed combo in the 3-hole. It may surprise you if you get to the end of the year with Phillips topping Sanchez in both bombs and steals, but it really shouldn’t.

Putting Kiesha and Wheeler in the same OF should be a felony. Much like a frustrated 13-year-old me over a decade ago, in that outfield balls just ain’t dropping.

4. Mikey Thomas – C

Sniffly and morose Mikey Thomas can’t run for shit. But, when you hit 400ft home runs with easy left handed power, it really doesn’t matter if it takes you 15 seconds to get to first base. He’s also got the perfect arm and frame for behind the dish, and it’s not like you care about all that time catching wearing out his already slow legs. He’s the perfect cleanup hitter with three speedsters in front of him, and when Mikey Thomas gets a hold of one, people stop and watch it.

5. Jocinda Smith – 3B

Just an absolute damn professional out there. Jocinda is going to hit .350+, take her walks, hit the occasional dinger, and give you the best left side of the infield since the ’04 Yankees. Somewhat of a double-play risk batting her and Thomas back-to-back, but frankly the shots in the gap are definitely going to outnumber the occasional 6-4-3.

Smith is clearly a born winner out there and a steady presence you need in the clubhouse just as much as on the field. There’s little doubt that being an athlete like this would have Geno Auriemma recruiting her before she got to high school.

6. Achmed Khan – LF

This guy has raw power to spare out there. He’s going to swing as hard as he can and when he barrels up, that ball goessss. The tools are there, and the only things keeping him batting as low as he is are the impressive attributes of his peers and the fact that you never know what he’s blaring under those headphones. Yeah, it seems like pump-up rock, but if homie gets his heart broken on the playground and spends all day listening to that new Sam Smith song, you might be staring at 0-5 with 5 K’s.

7. Stephanie Morgan – 2B

Give me nine Stephanie Morgan’s and you win a World Series every single time. She’s got that passion and it-factor that every ballplayer needs, and you’d be stupid not to have her in your lineup. A natural shortstop, she fits perfectly into the keystone after getting bumped from short buy the greatest of all time. Reminiscent of Pedroia both with the quick actions on a double play ball and surprising pop at the dish, being able to slot Morgan into the seven hole is an absolute luxury.

8. Ernie Steele – 1B

Sweet Jesus can this man pick a baseball over at first. Considering you’ve got absolute howitzers coming from Sanchez & Smith on the left side, the smartest play is to stick the best damn first baseman money can buy over there. It helps that he’s the tallest kid in the league by at least four inches. Ernie probably isn’t going to ever wow you at the dish and sure as hell won’t win you any games on the bases, but he’s not going to lose them there either, and that’s what matters.

9. Kenny Kawaguchi – P

You’ll see some that might prefer to give the ball to Angela Delvechio, but she’s such a liability in the field and on the bases that it practically nullifies her ability to carve like a female pre-pubescent Greg Maddux.

Kenny does enough with the stick to let his literal wheels do the work on the bases, and provides a good segue to Wheeler at the top of the lineup. On the bump, Kenny is going to hurl gem after gem with his patented wheelchair 360 motion. IF you’ve got Kenny to deal for five innings then the raw fastball of Pablo Sanchez for the 6th, you’re going to win often. .

Image via YouTube

Kyle Bandujo

The artist formerly known as Crash Davis. My kid doesn't think I'm funny.

Backyard Baseball is a series of baseballvideo games for children which was developed by Humongous Entertainment and published by Atari. It was first released in October 1997 for Macintosh and Microsoft Windows. Later games were featured on Game Boy Advance, PlayStation 2, GameCube, Wii, and iOS. It is part of the Backyard Sports series. There have been eleven different versions of the game since 1997. Some of the game titles that were created include Backyard Baseball, Backyard Baseball 2001-2010, and Backyard Sports: Sandlot Sluggers.

The original game consisted of 30 neighborhood kids from which the gamer could choose to play.^[1] Over the years, the idea of 'Pro players as kids' became popular, and the original statistics and looks of the players changed. Some of the professional players that were available included Chipper Jones, Frank Thomas, Alex Rodriguez, Alfonso Soriano, Ichiro Suzuki, Sammy Sosa, Jim Thome, Albert Pujols, Nomar Garciaparra, Ken Griffey Jr., and Barry Bonds. As the game progresses, there are some professionals that become available or 'unlockable' including Randy Johnson, Derek Jeter, and Mike Piazza.

In Backyard Baseball, players take a managerial role by creating a team of different players to compete against opponents. In the different installments, a player could play an exhibition game or a 14, 16 or 32 game season (different versions vary) followed by the 'Backyard Baseball League' playoffs, which contains the American League and National League divisional series, the AL and NL championship series and finally the 'Backyard Baseball World Series'. Series games will vary per game.

This game has various playable modes, they include: Single Game, Batting Practice, Spectator, and Season Game.

In 2013, The Evergreen Group acquired the intellectual property from Atari.

Legacy[edit]

Pablo Sanchez, one of the playable characters in the game, has been regarded as one of the strongest characters in video game history.^[2][3][4]

The game has also been noted for its diversity (gender, race) of characters, both in ratio of white to non-white and male to female, as well as skill level and the distribution of the best characters.^[5]

Power-Ups[edit]

Sometimes accompanying the four standard batting modes (Power, Line Drive, Grounder and Bunt), some beneficial power-ups appear. In the original Backyard Baseball, these batting power-ups appeared when the player got a hit when the computer used a 'crazy pitch' (see below). Starting from Backyard Baseball 2001, the power ups were awarded after a hit off a 'crazy pitch' and when the player turned a double play or triple play on defense. In addition to these batting power-ups, pitching power-ups, or 'crazy pitches,' also progressively appear, though they are much more frequent and in number, occurring whenever the player strikes an opponent out. These pitches consume much more energy and causes the strike zone to expand, so most of the pitches given are never used consecutively. In addition to the 'crazy pitches,' a strikeout may also award the player 'More Juice,' a full energy recharge for the pitcher that can be used when the player sees fit to use it.

Backyard Baseball 2001

Batting Power-Ups

• Aluminum Power: This power-up is the most valued and can disappear after one or no tries when in use. Players use an aluminum bat to increase the chances to hit a home run.
• Screaming Line Drive: The power-up last about two uses and appears more frequently. Players hit a fast line drive to the wall and allows the batter to run more or all bases.
• Under Grounder: This move lasts at least two uses. Players hit a ground ball that goes into the ground, causing the ball to reappear in any random area of the outfield.
• Crazy Bunt: The move disappears after one or no tries when in use, but if the power-up is used sparingly, the move can last up to four uses. When the ball is hit, the ball rolls around the field erratically as fielders just barely miss catching it.

Pitching Power-Ups

Backyard Baseball Backstop

• Big Freeze: The ball is thrown like normal but suddenly stops just before it enters the strike zone, often faking the hitter into swinging at the pitch.
• Elevator: The ball is thrown low along the ground and then the ball suddenly jumps into the air at the last moment.
• Crazyball: the ball 'laughs' when thrown, and it moves in random directions in the air. Easier to hit if swingspot is enabled
• Corkskrew: The ball makes a spiral motion through the air. Easier to hit if swingspot is enabled
• Zigzag: The ball makes a zig-zag motion through the air. Easier to hit if swingspot is enabled
• Slomo: The ball travels very slowly through the air, requiring precise timing to be hit.
• Spitball: The ball is covered with saliva and jerks in the air.
• Fireball: One of the most powerful pitches, the ball blazes past the batter in a ball of fire at an incredibly high speed. When used by a player, this pitch is the most draining of the pitcher's stamina.

Backyard Baseball 2005

Batting Power-Ups

• Sonic Boom: The player knocks down opposing fielders with a super-powerful shockwave.
• Rubber Bat: The batter bounce a grounder really high into the air — the player will have a chance to reach base before any fielder catches the ball.
• Butter Fingers: The player will splatter the opposing fielders with butter. They'll have a slippery time trying to field your hit.
• Jumping Bean Bunt: This tricky power-up makes the ball jump all over the place!
• Lightning Bat: Produce tremendous power when you connect with the ball.
• Geyser Hit: The batter makes the ball burrow deep underground before it suddenly surfaces somewhere in the outfield.
• Piñata Bat: The batter drives fielders crazy when the ball is hit, the ball multiplies into dozens of bouncing baseballs.
• Orbiter: Knock the stuffing out of the ball.

Pitching Power-Ups

• The Fang: The Fang looks like a normal curve-ball, but it bites hard at the last second and goes straight into the dirt.
• Freezer: The Freezer stops just before reaching the strike zone, pauses briefly, and then continues.
• Slo MO: This ball starts moving at ultra-slow speed just before reaching the strike zone.
• Juice Box: The Juice Box will refill your pitcher's Pitch Juice Box.
• Rainbow Pop-up: When it's hit, the ball goes straight into the air for an easy out.
• Crazy Pitch: The Crazy Pitch is so wild that even the pitcher doesn't know where it will go.
• Splitball: This pitch splits into two separate curve-balls, one of which is a fake, unhittable baseball.
• Fireball: The Fireball is so fast it can burn a hole in your catcher's glove.

Installments[edit]

Backyard Baseball Bases For Sale

References[edit]

1. ^https://www.theringer.com/features/2017/10/10/16451300/backyard-baseball-20-year-anniversary
2. ^http://www.wbur.org/onlyagame/2017/06/23/backyard-baseball-computer-game-history
3. ^http://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2013/03/the-25-best-virtual-athletes-in-video-games/pablo-sanchez
4. ^http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1990299-most-terrifying-video-game-athletes-to-play-against
5. ^Delayo, Mike. 'The Inclusive Legacy of Backyard Baseball'. Fangraphs.

External links[edit]

Backyard Baseball Bash