Backyard Baseball ’97

Backyard Baseball '97 is a classic baseball game faithfully recreating the gameplay of the original. It features simplified controls, a hybrid Pro/Little League ruleset (allowing stolen bases, bunts, sacrifice flies, and no injuries), a T-ball mode for a smooth and accessible experience, and is optimized specifically for mobile. Players can assemble a team from a roster of 30 distinctive characters and experience a variety of gameplay modes, including quick random matches, single-game tryouts, a full season mode, and batting practice. Unleash abilities like super powers and fireball pitching to achieve victory. Download and experience it now!

Game Modes:

Random Pick-up: A quick way to jump right in! The computer chooses a random team for you and itself, and the game starts immediately.

Single Game: You take turns with the computer to choose players from a random pool of characters.

Season: You create a team and manage it through a 14 game series. The opposing teams are computer generated. At the end of the season the best two teams advance to the BBL playoffs (best of 3). The winner advances to the championship series which consists of the Super Entire Nation Tournament (best of 3) and then the Ultra Grand Championship of the Universe Series (best of 5)!

Batting Practice: Choose a batter and face Mr. Clanky for some batting practice. This is where you’ll learn just when to click to make your chosen batter hit that ball!

T-ball: Select T-ball mode for more accessible game play. Simply click to hit, run, and field!

Features:

A Classic Remake and Modern Adaptation

Perfectly recreates the core gameplay and cast of the original 1997 "Backyard Baseball," while optimizing it for mobile devices for smooth operation and high-definition graphics.

Featured Characters and Abilities

Retain 30 original characters (including the popular Pablo Sanchez), each with unique dialogue and unlockable special abilities like super powers and fireballs.

Simplified Controls Combined with Professional Rules

Intuitive point-and-click controls blend professional and Little League rules: Stealing, bunting, and sacrifice flies are permitted. Leaving bases and injuries are prohibited. Both entertainment and strategy are emphasized.

Commitment to Continuous Development

Although only English is currently supported, the development team has stated that they will add multilingual support in the future based on player feedback, demonstrating their commitment to long-term game updates.

Officially Licensed and Digital Preservation

Distributed through legal channels, this provides a digital preservation solution for classic IPs, allowing both new and veteran players to experience the original charm.

Global Leaderboard:

Compete globally! Steam’s Leaderboard system lets you compete with friends and players around the world. Track your home runs, strike-outs, grand slams, season wins and more in real-time. See how you stack up and strive to reach the top!

At our core, we are fans first–not just of video games but of the Backyard Sports franchise. Fans have asked for accessible and legal ways to play their original Backyard titles for years, and we are excited to deliver.

Without having access to the source code, there are hard limitations on the experience we can create. As an example, we can’t support gamepads, nor the Steam deck, in these original titles. We can’t use the original 32bit code to support modern macOS, as even with an incredibly clever wrapper, macOS can’t execute the binaries.

We can make the game run buttery smooth, stack it with Steam achievements to test your mettle and give you a chance to batter up to compete in the Steam Global Leaderboards for Home Runs. Baseball 1997 runs well, looks better than ever, and creates a new installation for digital preservation within the Backyard Sports catalog that allows the next generation of fans to fall in love with the title that started it all.

Conclusion:

Backyard Baseball ’97 invites players to relive the excitement of the classic game with a roster of 30 unique characters, each bringing their own charm and humor. Engage in various game modes, including random pick-up games, single matches, and a full season, while utilizing fun power-ups and special abilities. Experience accessible gameplay with intuitive controls, including T-ball for beginners. The game adheres to a blend of Pro and Little League rules, ensuring a balanced playing field. Designed for iOS, this version aims to preserve the beloved Backyard Sports legacy for new generations of fans.