Electric Scoreboard

The Electric Scoreboard, manufactured by D. Gottlieb & Company in April 1937, is a flipperless, single-player EM pinball machine built around a baseball theme. Its lower playfield features likenesses of Mickey Cochrane and Charlie Grimm, the opposing managers of the 1935 World Series, tying the game directly to a real and recent sporting event -- though curiously, the backglass itself doesn't display the game's name, showing only the words 'Final Score.'

Gameplay is straightforward: players get five balls for five cents, navigating the ball past 12 spring bumpers scattered around the playfield. As a flipperless machine, success depended on careful plunger control and shot placement rather than flipper skill.

The Electric Scoreboard's baseball theme and its specific tie-in to a real World Series matchup make it a notable piece of 1930s sports-themed pinball, reflecting the era's fascination with America's pastime. Specific details about the designer are not documented, but the machine's connection to real historical figures gives it added interest for collectors and historians.