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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.

Apr 11, 2016  Backyard Baseball 2009 features season & single game options, create-a-player, Home Run Derby mini-game, and unlockables. And now, for the first time on the Nintendo DS, Backyard Baseball includes wireless multi-player and let's you use the touch screen to hit, field, pitch, and run-all with strokes and taps of the stylus. Backyard Baseball is a fun and casual sports game aimed at kids, developed by Humongous Entertainment and released in 1997. The cute and colorful visuals invite youngsters (or wondrous adults) to partake in a classic game of baseball. You'll pick your team from a group of neighborhood kids, and enjoy a simplified and addictive match of the sport.

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

• 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]

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]

Cricket backyard baseball 2015 online featuring single-player and multi-player gameplay. An emphasis is on peaceful play.

Then suddenly you remember that you have that Backyard Baseball machine AKA the computer in the other room.

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However, what may be the most entertaining part of the game were the characters you could choose from when you drafted your team at the start of the season. Pablo Sanchez This is a no-brainer. The Babe Ruth of the game.

Somehow this sub 4-footinch prodigy routinely hit the ball over feet especially with the aluminum bat , then would berate the opposing pitcher with what I could only assume were Spanish slurs and insults while rounding the bases. Cockiness and skill that would make even Michael Jordan jealous.

A guaranteed first overall pick.

Keisha Phillips Keisha was truly a physical specimen. The size of an NFL left tackle, but somehow 8 years old, Keisha was usually the second player off the board.

Defying all logic, she was commonly known as the fastest player in the game, regardless of the fact that her upper body was eight times the size of her lower body.

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No matter what her appearance may have been, she absolutely dominated the competition on a daily basis. She also was one of the more confusing characters in the game, as she had an African-American accent in Backyard Baseball, while sporting a Spanish accent in other Backyard Sports games.

Subscribe to our Thank you for signing up! Check your inbox for the latest from Odyssey. This is not a valid email, please try again. No doubt about it. Not only was he a nerd, he routinely gave me the creeps. I mean, his nickname was 'Petri Dish. Really just a strange kid. It made no sense how he excelled in sports, especially since half the time he was in the field he was holding a pocket calculator in his throwing hand.

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Weird kid, but great ball player. Just an all-around badass.

The type of kid that puts baseball cards in his bicycle wheel spokes. He was also the oldest player on the field and one of the most notorious trash talkers in the league. Really just had it all.

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Not to mention his Jimmy Neutron hair that would make even Johnny Bravo jealous. This kid was always a sleeper No. Kenny Kawaguchi Honestly he should probably be ranked higher, just because of how impressive he was. I mean, the kid was in a wheelchair yet still had to face Randy Johnson throwing Undergrounders every other pitch.

Really just a hero. The only drawback was his sister Vicki, who would wear a pink tutu and dance instead of paying attention to the game. Kenny was the definition of a hustle player, and someone you had to have on your team. I can say with no remorse that I hate Pete Wheeler.

Just an unbridled hate for this make-believe eight-year-old. Not only did he run the bases like he just fell down a flight of stairs, but his voice made you want to punch a hole in the wall. I would actively avoid Pete during the draft, hoping for some reason he would disappear from the available players.

So long, Pete. Honorable mention: Vincent Vinnie the Gooch Now, I know I left some players out, but I chose to only include the most notable players in the game.

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However, I reserved this space for perhaps the most legendary character in the game, announcer Vincent Vinnie the Gooch. Where do I even start with this guy.

First of all, his name was literally Vinnie the Gooch. No last name, no middle name, nothing.

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Just 'The Gooch. Wearing sunglasses reserved for only Harry Caray himself, the Gooch would consistently refer to himself in third person and typically would eat a corn dog while announcing the game. Really just a champion of the Backyard Sports franchise and a sorely missed character. Good luck, and play ball!