For a lot of kids who grew up in the late nineties or early two-thousands, Backyard Baseball was our introduction to sports and gaming. The Backyard games weren’t nearly as complicated as some of the console games, and it was incredibly cool to get to play with some of the pros as kids.
I hadn’t thought about the Backyard Sports games in years up until this morning, when I saw someone playing the original Backyard Baseball like on TikTok. I stayed and watched, mesmerized for a solid 10 minutes. The sights and sounds immediately took be back 20 years.
The sounds! I had completely forgotten about the music. Each player in the game has their own unique theme song, and those tunes would get stuck in my elementary-school-head all the time.
So, searching for a little serotonin and nostalgia, I headed to YouTube to hear some of my favorite player themes. Low-and-behold, a playlist exists with EVERY notable song from the Backyard Sports games.
As I went through the playlist, I came to a startling but hilarious realization.
It’s incredibly likely that my current music taste as an adult can be directly traced back to these player intros from Backyard Baseball.
You see, I don’t really have a specific genre that I love or hate more than others. I focus way more on the music itself – chord progressions, melodic movement, etc. It doesn’t matter if it’s rock, pop, hip hop, house, or even classical. If a song has unique, cool-sounding elements, I’m into it.
This is exactly what the Backyard Sports soundtrack sounded like to me back in the day. There wasn’t a specific pattern or genre to it. I just grooved with it. I still do.
There are several bangers here that I directly connected to sounds or songs that I like as an adult. This was fun and incredibly nostalgic for me, so I hope you enjoy the crazy musical musings I’m making.
The Khan Brothers
In the original Backyard Baseball, Achmed and Amir Khan have the same theme song with slightly different instrumentation.
I have a pretty strong affinity for late-1900s classic rock and pop. It might have come directly from this song. The synth intro is a little Michael Jackson-ish, but the rock chorus that follows is immense. I hear hints of Queen, Aerosmith, and maybe a little Jimi? Those are all some of my favorite artists. After hearing this, I no longer think that’s a coincidence.
In a later version of Backyard Baseball, the Khans actually received separate intros. Achmed’s is a certified rock banger.
There’s a lot in there to like. Guitar runs like this one are some of my favorite rock features. Free Bird, anyone? There’s also a taste of elements common in Avenged Sevenfold or Black Tide songs. “Warriors of Time” is still one of my all-time favorite songs, ironically discovered from another video game soundtrack.
Ernie Steele
An under-appreciated player in the games, Ernie was an icon on his day. His theme song in the original Backyard Baseball was super groovy and featured a classic progression.
The organ plays a chord progression made famous by songs like Pink Floyd’s “Great Gig in the Sky.” Some of my most-listened to tracks feature a similar progression. Could it sub-consciously be from Ernie Steele’s theme song? Wouldn’t shock me.
Reese Worthington
The little blonde kid that could. I don’t even think Reese was one of the best players in Backyard Baseball, but he was always on my team because of this theme song.
Notice a hint of that same progression from Ernie’s theme in the bass line? To me, the general gist of this song is similar to what you’d hear behind an older rap track. Nas, Tribe Called Quest, or something like that. That could be a complete stretch but I hear it in there. Great to have the classic PC game vibraphone join us here as well.
Interestingly, Backyard Sports switched up on Reese dramatically in the 2005 game, making his theme some sort of upbeat power ballad. I don’t know why, but I love it just as much as the original.
Carlos Delgado
Yes, the real Carlos Delgado was featured in Backyard Baseball 2005. The game featured several real players with unique themes, but there isn’t any rhyme or reason to them. Alfonso Soriano has a salsa-ish theme while other Latino players like Sammy Sosa and Delgado have driving rock anthems. It’s weird, but I’m here for it nonetheless.
A little ZZ Top in there? “Detroit Rock City?” More like Delgado Rock City!
Greg Maddux
I don’t know what Maddux did to deserve such a banging theme song, but it’s fantastic.
It’s like The Doobie Brothers’ “Long Train Runnin’” got mashed up with some Bee Gees, Steely Dan, and… Black Keys? It’s weird, but I like it a lot. There’s a reason I like all those groups individually. Thanks, Greg.
Menu Music
Just seared into my head all day long when I was younger. Backyard Baseball 2005 got all its menu music right, but I swear they just took this off the back of any Steely Dan or Boston track and added a jazzy flair. So fun.
Also, I just wanted to give a quick shoutout to Backyard Hockey which also had some fantastic rock-centric menu music to jam to.
Other hits seared into my brain and, in turn, my taste in music
Kenny Kawaguchi, the Wheelchair Wonder, had the GOAT theme song in the original games.
Jocinda Smith was a criminally underrated player in the Backyard games and had two really solid theme songs during her career.
And of course, how could I write this entire blog and not even mention the GOAT, the one and only, Pablo Sanchez. So iconic that they didn’t even bother changing it between game generations. This version just has better production quality.
Opposing pitchers still shutter at the sound. Pablo Sanchez dinger incoming.