Home Run

The Home Run pinball machine, manufactured by the Chicago Coin Machine Manufacturing Company and dated December 9, 1941 (model 96), is a single-player, electro-mechanical (EM) baseball-themed game from the early 1940s. It was produced in a confirmed run of 1,464 units.

As an EM title from 1941, Home Run predates flippers entirely -- flippers were not introduced to pinball until 1947 -- so gameplay would have relied on the plunger, electromagnets, and the layout of scoring holes and lanes rather than any flipper-based shot control. Players aimed to rack up baseball-themed scores by getting the ball into the machine's scoring positions.

Detailed information about Home Run's specific playfield artwork, designer, or notable mechanical features has not survived in the historical record. Its baseball theme and EM-era construction make it a notable early example of sports-themed pinball, though claims that it was among the very first such games cannot be confirmed.