Editing Backyard Baseball (section)

{{short description|Video game series}}
{{more citations needed|date=July 2017}}
{{Infobox video game series
| title = Backyard Baseball
| image = Backyard Baseball '97 logo.png
| caption = The logo of ''Backyard Baseball '97'' (2024), a remaster of the original ''Backyard Baseball'' (1997)
| genre = [[Sports]]
| developer = [[Humongous Entertainment]] <br/ > [[Mega Cat Studios]]
| publisher = Humongous Entertainment <br/ > [[Atari, Inc. (1993–present)|Infogrames/Atari]] <br/> [[The Evergreen Group]] <br/> Playground Productions
| platforms = [[Nintendo DS]], [[PlayStation 2]], [[Wii]], [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]], [[iOS (Apple)|iOS]], [[Xbox 360]], [[Game Boy Advance]], [[GameCube]], [[Mac (computer)|Macintosh]]
| first release version = ''[[Backyard Baseball (video game)|Backyard Baseball]]''
| first release date = October 10, 1997
| latest release version = ''Backyard Baseball '97''
| latest release date = October 10, 2024
}}

'''''Backyard Baseball''''' is a series of [[baseball]] [[video game]]s for children which was originally developed by [[Humongous Entertainment]]. It was first released in October 1997 for [[Mac (computer)|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, of which this series serves as its first sub-series. 

The original game consisted of 30 neighborhood kids from which the player must build a team.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Kram|first=Zach|date=2017-10-10|title=How 'Backyard Baseball' Became a Cult Classic|url=https://www.theringer.com/features/2017/10/10/16451300/backyard-baseball-20-year-anniversary|access-date=2020-11-12|website=The Ringer|language=en}}</ref> Over the years, the idea of "Pro players as kids" became popular, and the original statistics and looks of the players changed. 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, one could choose to play a one-off exhibition game or a seasonal league, followed by the "Backyard Baseball League" playoffs, which contains the [[American League]] and [[National League (baseball)|National League]] [[division series]],{{efn|Known in the pre MLB-licensed game as the ''All-City BBL Playoffs''.}} the AL and NL [[League Championship Series|championship series]]{{efn|Known in the pre MLB-licensed game as the ''Super Entire Nation Tournament''.}} and finally the "Backyard Baseball [[World Series]]".{{efn|Known in the pre MLB-licensed game as the ''Ultra Grand Championship of the Universe''.}} Series games will vary per game.

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

A remastered version of the first ''[[Backyard Baseball (1997 video game)|Backyard Baseball]]'' title was released on October 10, 2024,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Silberling |first=Amanda |date=2024-09-25 |title=Backyard Baseball '97 is back, with a re-release coming soon on Steam |url=https://techcrunch.com/2024/09/25/backyard-baseball-97-is-back-with-a-re-release-coming-soon-on-steam/ |access-date=2024-09-25 |website=TechCrunch |language=en-US}}</ref> with a remastered version of ''[[Backyard Baseball 2001]]'' planned to release on a later date.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Moore |first=Logan |date=2024-10-10 |title=Backyard Football, Basketball, and Soccer Remasters "Coming Soon" to PC |url=https://comicbook.com/gaming/news/backyard-sports-baseball-football-basketball-soccer-pc-steam/ |access-date=2024-10-12 |website=ComicBook.com |language=en-US}}</ref>