In case you haven’t heard yet, Pablo Sanchez and his crew are making their long-awaited return to the Backyard League.
Playground Productions made an official announcement on Tuesday that it plans to reboot the iconic backyard sports franchise “in the coming months,” reviving the video game series with a similar feel to the version enjoyed by millions of kids in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
The Backyard Sports series, which debuted in 1997 with the original Backyard Baseball game, has long been praised for its inclusivity and diversity, featuring 30 fictional kids. All 30 members of the “Backyard Kids” had different skills in different sports, fun backgrounds and unique personalities, giving the feel of a real neighborhood group of friends.
The original Backyard Sports cast is returning for these new games, and the official trailer from Playground Productions, released on Tuesday, featured many of them, including Stephanie Morgan, Ahmed Khan, Pete Wheeler and Pablo Sanchez.
Backyard Returns: The beloved “Backyard Sports” video game series is officially back
So without further ado, let’s head over to Tin Can Alley and name our 10 favorite members of the lovable “Backyard Kids” gang.
Petrovic seemed more suited to analyzing analytics in a cubicle in a team’s front office than playing the game on the field, but if I remember correctly, he was a devastating presence on the field.
Delvecchio was Shohei Ohtani before Shohei Ohtani was Shohei Ohtani. A two-way genius, she’s the type of player the Los Angeles Angels need in 2024.
Johnson may not be able to stay in water if he falls out of the boat, but being a culture founder alone puts him in the top 10. He’s a coach’s dream, and every team needs a good locker room guy, even in a backyard league.
You can’t make a top 10 “backyard kid” list without including a player with the nickname “MVP,” right? Put Smith in the hot corner, let him bat cleanup, and watch the championship rings pile up.
Will Khan be wearing Airpods in the new game, or stick with Beats by Dre? Either way, “Axeman” is a great nickname.
If there was a backyard eating contest, Robinson would be the GOAT. He’d devour hot dogs like Joey Chestnut on the Fourth of July. And his athleticism isn’t bad either.
Morgan has always been a staple around which to build a franchise. Hitting in the bottom of the ninth? She handles that well. Speaking to the media after a tough loss? She takes charge. Charity events? She’s there, handing out free autographs.
The #NeverBunt baseball philosophy of the past doesn’t apply to Wheeler, who was born to fly around the bases. Don’t make him take the Wonderlic test.
Essentially a back-league Ellie de la Cruz, Phillips can run and hit better than anyone short of Pablo Sanchez. Speaking of which…
Though the backyard sports franchise has been gone for nearly two decades, Sanchez still reigns in the cultural mainstream, with Kansas City Royals rookie Bobby Witt Jr. hitting a home run just last weekend with a Pablo Sanchez-themed bat. After all, the “secret weapon” isn’t really a secret weapon.
