Draft:Backyard Baseball (1997 video game)

Backyard Baseball is a children's baseball video game developed and published by Humongous Entertainment. It is the first video game released for the Backyard Sports series (originally known as the Junior Sports series) and the long-running Backyard Baseball series. It was released on a hybrid Windows and Macintosh CD-ROM on October 10, 1997.

The game is the only one in the series to not include Major League Baseball teams and a MLBPA license; Backyard Baseball 2001 was the first such video game to include them.

Gameplay
Backyard Baseball is a baseball sports video game designed and aimed for children. There are three main modes: Pick-Up Play, League Play and Batting Practice. A spectator mode exists which pits two randomly chosen computer-controlled teams together. Before playing a pick up game or starting a season, the user can change the set difficulty, toggle tee-ball, switch from 6- or 9-inning games, and toggle errors. In both games, a player can create their own team by customizing their team's name and color, and drafting 9 players from a pool of thirty characters.

In the pick-up play mode, the player can choose a field from 7 different fields of varying size and field material: for example, the field Tin Can Alley, due to its hard surfacing and difficulty to score a usual home run, makes it unique. After creating their own team, the player takes turns drafting their players against a computer.

In league play, the player signs a coach in the Backyard Baseball League. The player guides their chosen team through a 14 game season against their other league's teams. At the end of the season, once the team wins enough games to place first or second in their league, their team plays against the other qualified team to win the league pennant in the best-of-3 All-City BBL Playoffs. Once the team wins the pennant, the team is invited to play in the postseason tournament, starting with the best-of-3 Super Entire Nation Tournament, and then the Ultra Grand Championship of the Universe (analogous to the real-life World Series).

Characters
The game features thirty fictional children, 15 boys and 15 girls, which are notable for having a wide range of diversity and skills. One notable character is Pablo Sanchez, a small, Spanish-speaking boy whose amazing skill in batting and running makes him an iconic character in the future overarching series. Other characters include Kenny Kawaguchi, a wheelchaired boy who can make a great pitcher.