About the Game
REVIEWS
"The game’s nostalgic and cozy charm is what makes this game the same success as it was back in ’97. 9/10. Rectify Gaming
"The game holds up. Whether you're a millennial looking to relive the glory days or hand the iconic video game franchise to the next generation, Backyard Baseball '97 is worth your time." Sports Illustrated
"Solid baseball gameplay mechanics aid the memorable people and places of the game." Gamespot
THE AWARD-WINNING CLASSIC IS NOW AVAILABLE ON STEAM!
Relive the game that started it all! The original Backyard Baseball '97, now enhanced to run on Steam. Whether you're picking your dream team, hitting home runs, or just here for the witty banter, step back into the backyard and experience the game that made baseball fun for everyone!
Play pick-up games, practice batting, keep track of stats, compete in single games or a whole season - you can even set the rules! Backyard Baseball ‘97 features all of the realism and statistics of adult baseball games but with simple, intuitive controls that anyone can master.
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, choosing players from a random pool of characters.
Season: You create a team and manage the team 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 playoffs 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)!
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!BATTER UP, PLAYGROUND STYLE
PLAY WITH THE GOAT HIMSELF, PABLO SANCHEZ
For many fans, this is the game that debuted one of the most iconic video game characters of the 90s or any era—the legend himself, Pablo Sanchez. Build a roster from a cast of 30 hilarious child athletes who made Backyard Baseball a cult classic.
BACKYARD BASEBALL RULES
The rules for Backyard Baseball are a hybrid of Pro and Little League rules:
No leading off
No Injuries
Bunting is allowed
Tagging up is allowed
You can also practice batting
To get into the swing of things, 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!
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 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.
LET'S TALK ABOUT BACKYARD BASEBALL '97
Screenshots
10 images
Version Information
Steam Patch Notes
Official update history
Here’s how it works:
Through Crowd Control, fans can donate to trigger special effects during live streams, keeping the game exciting with each play. Streamers can now experience hilarious and challenging twists courtesy of their audience!
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Here are some of the effects viewers can apply:
- Arm Injury
- Trade away the pitcher for a randomly chosen backyard kid - Crazy Throw
- The next time the ball is thrown, it will have the "Crazy Bunt" effect, making it hard for fielders to catch it. - Crosshairless
- Hide the Strike Zone indicator for the rest of the at-bat - Force Blunt
- The batter is forced to bunt for the rest of the at-bat - Force Walk
- The pitcher is forced to pitch intentional walks for the rest of the at-bat - Framerate
- Make the game run at a crazy fast speed - Max Power
- Make the fielders throw the ball at ludicrous speed for one play. - Pinch Hitter
- Trade away the batter for a randomly chosen backyard kid. - Pitches Be Crazy
- Give the pitcher a random POWERUP pitch! - Puny FIelders
- Make all fielders tiny and weak. - Randomize Fielders
- Make the fielders start at random positions in the field. - Restless Batter Syndrome
- Rapidly causes the batter to alternate their batting stance! - Second-String Hitter
- Trade away the batter for a randomly chosen generic kid. - Second-String Pitcher
- Trade away the pitcher for a randomly chosen generic kid. - Sloppy Fielder
- Increases occurrences of errors for the current fielders. - Snow Globe
- Disables home runs by preventing the ball from going above the walls. - Sonic Boom
- Causes all fielder to fall over. - Substitute Bleacher
- Swap out the entire team for 9 copies of the same kid - Swing King
- Give the batter a random POWERUP swing!
With Crowd Control, your favorite streamers can now rely on their communities to throw curveballs into every match, making each game of Backyard Baseball ’97 a unique experience.
Get ready to experience baseball like never before – bring on the chaos and cheer on your favorite streamers!
This integration brings fans closer to the action, making Backyard Baseball ’97 even more interactive and fun to watch.
Hi-ho! We’ve rolled out yet another patch to further improve your experience:
⚾Patch 1.0.3: An additional fix for the glitchy cursor issue that continued to persist for certain DPI settings after the previous patch.
To make sure you’re playing the latest version, follow these steps to download the Steam update:
- Open the Steam application.
- Click Library at the top.
- Right-click on Backyard Baseball ’97.
- Select Properties from the drop-down menu.
- Head to the Updates tab.
- Choose how you’d like to update the game.
- Steam will begin updating the game.
⚠️ Note: While this patch continues to address some current issues, please remember that certain bugs from the original game may still exist. Without access to the original source code, some legacy problems remain beyond our control. But rest assured, we’re doing our best to make your experience as smooth as possible!
If you encounter any problems, we’d love to hear from you!
👉 Report a bug here
💬 Join our community on Discord
Thanks for your continued support, and let’s keep the fun going! 🙌⚾
Hi-ho! We’ve rolled out two new patches already to improve your experience:
⚾ Patch 1.0.1: Fixed window scaling issues on high DPI displays.
⚾ Patch 1.0.2: Fixed a game launch issue with DEP enabled and resolved the glitchy cursor on high DPI displays.
To make sure you’re playing the latest version, follow these steps to download the Steam update:
- Open the Steam application.
- Click Library at the top.
- Right-click on Backyard Baseball ’97.
- Select Properties from the drop-down menu.
- Head to the Updates tab.
- Choose how you’d like to update the game.
- Steam will begin updating the game.
⚠️ Note: While these patches address some current issues, please remember that certain bugs from the original game may still exist. Without access to the original source code, some legacy problems remain beyond our control. But rest assured, we’re doing our best to make your experience as smooth as possible!
If you encounter any problems, we’d love to hear from you!
👉 Report a bug here
💬 Join our community on Discord
Thanks for your continued support, and let’s keep the fun going! 🙌⚾
1.0.1 (if you need this): fix window scaling on high dpi displays
1.0.2: fix game not launching with DEP enabled, fix glitchy cursor on high dpi displays
Current Release
Build 16317702
Uploaded Jul 07, 2026
System Requirements
How to Install
BASEBALL.exe to play
Troubleshooting tips
• Run Redist/_CommonRedist installers if game won't start
• Add folder to Windows Defender exclusions
• Run as administrator
Download
Direct link available
160 MB
16317702
376AECF1
d2674635543ebc42fe61ed8512b0985f4a3f859abab72b221059a3c5fd7749d8
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Download Backyard Baseball '97 for PC with a direct link or via torrent. Get the full version of Backyard Baseball '97 for free. Backyard Baseball '97 is a Casual released by Mega Cat Studios.