Ball Five Baseball 1980-1989

The 1980s: Rickey, Fernandomania and the ball through Buckner’s legs.

George Brett chases .400 and finishes at .390. Fernando Valenzuela takes over Los Angeles. Rickey Henderson steals 130 bases. The 1984 Tigers start 35-5 and never look back. Pete Rose passes Ty Cobb. The 1986 Mets come back against Boston in Game 6. Orel Hershiser throws 59 straight scoreless innings, and a hobbling Kirk Gibson’s pinch-hit homer wins Game 1 of the 1988 World Series. Then the Bash Brothers A’s take over.

Now you manage them, every team and every season from 1980 to 1989, played at-bat by at-bat.

What’s in the game

• Player cards built from each player’s real season stats, with lefty/righty splits on every hitter and pitcher
• Cards that flip like the ones you got in the mail, with real stats on the back
• Fielding checks based on each fielder’s range and errors
• Pitcher warm-up tosses set his form for the day, and fatigue colors tell you when he’s tiring
• Momentum: a pitcher can get in a groove or get rattled
• Steals, pickoffs, hit-and-runs, bunts, intentional walks and pitchouts. You make the calls.
• “At the wall” plays: robbed home runs, balls off the wall, and wind-blown homers
• Real schedules, standings, season stats, box scores and play-by-play

Microsoft Excel only, not a board game. Works in Windows or Mac Excel. Download right after checkout, set up and ready to play.

Bonus: comes with the 1985–86 English First Division season of 5 Minute Soccer, free.