SPORTS ILLUSTRATED PENNANT RACE BASEBALL
Sports Illustrated Pennant Race Baseball was first issued by Avalon Hill in 1981. The game was discontinued in 1984 and team rosters were only produced for 3 baseball seasons 1981 to 1983.
The game Pennant Race is unique in the sense that it is very different from that of traditional baseball games. That is, instead of a game system that involves going through the batting order one at a time over nine innings, the games are resolved with just a few rolls of the dice. Games are generally resolved in under one minute and as a result, an actual 162-game schedule for all the major league teams can be completed in a short period of time. Pennant Race would be considered a macro level management games where you play the manager and general manager of a team through an entire 162-game season. The game involves selecting your pitching rotation, trading and calling up rookies from the minor rather than setting a batting order and calling the hit and run, steal or sacrifice. The emphasis of the game is on the front office and not the dugout. Players are rated numerically for batting, batting with power, speed, defense, pitching, the bullpen and endurance that are simply factored into a team figure which enables games to be resolved by three six-sided dice.
The game system is fast, enjoyable and is admirably suited to solitaire play. However, playing the game with a large number of people is also fun as it introduces the dynamics of negotiating trades between the teams. As previously mentioned, the game was discontinued in 1984. However, for those of you interested in the game, you can occasionally find a copy for sale on eBay for about $10 to $20.
PENNANT RACE ROSTERS
A PDF copy of the 1983 Pennant Race roster is available from the link below.
- 1983 Pennant Race Rosters - 1.3MB
PENNANT RACE BASEBALL GAME LINKS
- Pennant Race Begins! - Free 2006 World Series Rosters