Baseball

The 1936 Baseball pinball machine by Bally Manufacturing Corporation is a single-player electro-mechanical (EM) machine (Model 86) from the company's early years. As its name suggests, it likely carried a baseball theme typical of sports-themed novelty machines of the era. It predates the invention of flippers by more than a decade -- flippers were not introduced until 1947 -- so play would have involved a plunger-launched ball interacting with bumpers and obstacles, with an electromechanical system of relays, switches, and contacts controlling scoring.

Specific rules for Baseball are not well documented, but its limited feature set is consistent with other early Bally EM machines of the mid-1930s.

While little is known about the specific design or art of this machine, its age alone makes it a fascinating artifact for pinball enthusiasts. It is likely one of only a handful of surviving examples from Bally's early years, offering a rare glimpse into the company's pre-flipper era.