Batter Up

Batter Up, manufactured by Genco Manufacturing Company of Chicago in April 1937, is a flipperless electro-mechanical (EM) pinball machine from pinball's pre-war era. Baseball was already a favorite subject for game makers by 1937, and Genco - one of the most prolific Chicago manufacturers of the decade - returned to the theme here after its own 1935 game Base Hit.

The gameplay is characteristic of late-1930s EM pinball, built around ten spring bumpers that score the ball as it bounces down the playfield. With flippers still a decade away, success depended on the player's launch and a well-timed nudge, giving the game the blend of chance and subtle skill that defined the era.

No designer is credited for Batter Up, and little else is documented about it, but as a snapshot of Genco's busy pre-war output it remains an appealing find for collectors of early electro-mechanical games.