Alright, so I got this idea in my head the other day. I wanted to play some Backyard Baseball, specifically with Ichiro Suzuki on my team. Man, what a player he was. Probably the best guy to ever come over from Japan, you know? That insane hit record in 2004? 262 hits! Just nuts.
So, first thing was digging out the game. I remembered he was in one of the early 2000s versions. Pretty sure it was Backyard Baseball 2003. Found my old CD somewhere in a box. Had to mess around a bit to get it running on my newer computer, compatibility modes and stuff, you know how it is with old games. Took a bit of fiddling, but finally got that familiar intro screen.
Okay, game’s running. Time to start a season. The big moment was the draft. You got all the Backyard kids and a bunch of the pros. My main goal: get Ichiro. I scanned the list, waiting for his name to pop up. There he was. Didn’t even hesitate, first-round pick, bam. Had to grab him before the computer did.
Building the Team Around Ichiro
Getting Ichiro felt like a big win already. Now I had to build the rest of the team. Grabbed Pablo Sanchez, obviously. Can’t have a Backyard team without Pablo. Filled out the roster with a few other favorites, trying to get a good mix of hitting, pitching, and fielding.
Then it was time to actually play. Put Ichiro right at the top of the batting order. Lead-off spot, just like in real life. Wanted to see that speed in action right away.
Game Time: Ichiro Steps Up
First game started. Ichiro walks up to the plate. The little pixelated version of him looked pretty cool, gotta say. First pitch… crack! Lined one into the outfield. Seeing him sprint to first base was awesome. He was definitely one of the fastest characters in the game, just like the real deal. It was super satisfying.
- His batting stance was pretty accurate, or at least how I remembered it.
- He hit line drives mostly. Not a ton of power, but always seemed to find a gap.
- Fielding was great too. Put him in the outfield, and he covered a ton of ground. Fast and reliable.
Played a few games just enjoying having him on the squad. It wasn’t just about winning, it was more about the fun of having this legendary player, this guy who’s gonna be in the Hall of Fame soon, playing alongside Pete Wheeler and Achmed Khan. It brought back good memories.
So yeah, that was my little project. Got the old game running, drafted Ichiro, and played some ball. It was simple, straightforward fun. Totally worth the effort of getting that old software to work. Ichiro in Backyard Baseball? Still as cool as I remembered.
