SlugFest (First Model)

SlugFest, released by Williams Electronics in March 1991 (model 60001), is a baseball-themed solid-state pinball machine notable for a genuinely unusual feature: a built-in trading card dispenser. Designed by Mark Ritchie, with art by Pat McMahon and Linda Deal and software by Bill Pfutzenreuter, SlugFest ran on Williams' WPC dot-matrix platform.

Gameplay centers on a magnet beneath the playfield that alters the path of pitched balls, adding an unpredictable, baseball-appropriate challenge to shots. This first-model version displays instructions on a red banner beneath the playfield glass rather than on the playfield itself, and its upper playfield "Double" inserts are blue rather than the orange used on the later Model 60021 ("SlugFest 2"). The card dispenser mechanism was eventually reworked after prototypes were built, adding an under-cabinet hopper so cards wouldn't spill onto the floor; production units shipped with either the card dispenser or a standard ticket dispenser.

The game's bold, baseball-themed artwork and playfield — complete with a diamond marked out in white on the lower playfield — captures the energy of America's pastime. Two related follow-up models, "SlugFest 2" and "SlugFest92," later reused most of the same hardware and parts. While the trading card dispenser gimmick did not become a common feature in later pinball, SlugFest remains a distinctive and collectible entry in Williams' early-1990s lineup.