OBJECTIVE: Roll dice to get runs and have the highest score at the end of the 9th inning
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 2 players
TYPE OF GAME: Dice
AUDIENCE: Family, Kids
INTRODUCTION
Home Baseball is a modern publication of a vintage classic dice baseball game. First published in 1900 by the McLoughlin Brothers, this classic dice board game is quite simple. Players will complete nine innings by taking turns being the batter. As the batter, that player rolls two dice. The roll’s outcome determines whether they have taken a base or two, walked, struck out, or a variety of other results. Whoever has scored the most runs by the end of the final inning wins the game.
Home Baseball is not like other board games. It’s an old fashioned game that’ll be a fun game for any dice games or baseball games lover’s as well as baseball fans in general! It may have a modern makeover but it’s the same game that has lasted in popularity through the centuries.
WHAT’S IN THE BOX
The Vintage Game Series edition featured in this article includes two D6 dice, four dark pegs, four light pegs, a small pencil, and a wooden game board. All of these components are packaged in an old-school stylized tin.
SETUP
Roll the dice to decide who is the home team and who is the visiting team. The player who rolls highest is home, and they get the last at-bats. Place the pegs on the bench on either side of the diamond. The visiting player bats first. Use the non-batting player’s pegs to track runs and outs.
Use the small yellow pencil to keep track of the score during the game. Markings made with the pencil can be erased with a soft cloth or your finger.
Play Ball!
THE PLAY
In the Home Baseball Game the batter rolls the two dice. There are eleven possible outcomes for the roll. The outcomes are listed below along with their probability of occurring.
2 – wild pitch (runners advance 1 base) 2.8%
3 – triple 5.6%
4 – double 8.3%
5 – walk 11.1%
6 – fly out 13.9%
7 – ground out 16.7%
8 – single 13.9%
9 – strike out 11.1%
10 – foul ball (roll again) 8.3%
11 – double play (or roll again if bases are empty) 5.6%
12 – home run 2.8%
There are a few rolls that result in an extra result. If a player rolls a 2, all runners advance 1 base. When there are no runners on, simply roll again. If a 10 is rolled, nothing happens. The player simply rolls again. When an 11 is rolled, it counts for two outs only if there is at least one runner on base. If the bases are empty when an 11 is rolled, nothing happens. Just roll again.
Runners on base always advance the same number of bases as the batter. For example, there is a man on third, and the batter singles, the third base runner advances home.
The same player continues to roll until three outs occur. At that point, the opposite player becomes the batter.
WINNING
The Home Baseball game ends at the completion of the 9th inning (unless the home team has the lead at the bottom of the 9th). The player with the most runs wins this tabletop baseball game. If there is a tie, the game continues into extra innings. The player with the most runs at the completion of the 10th inning wins. If the game is still tied, play innings until there is a winner.
- TRIPLE SNAKES - February 15, 2021