Sports Talk Baseball

n/a

Sports Talk Baseball
System(s): Sega Mega Drive
Publisher: Sega of America
Developer: Sega CS2
Supporting companies: Western Technologies (sounds)
Licensor: Major League Baseball Players Association
Sound driver: Sega Music Development System
Genre: Sports (baseball)
Number of players: 1-5
Release Date RRP Code US 1992-05 $64.9564.95 1211

Sports Talk Baseball is a 1992 baseball game by Sega for the Sega Mega Drive released exclusively in the US. It takes Pro Yakyuu Super League '91 and replaces the music with a running commentary in the style of Joe Montana II Sports Talk Football (done by various Western Technologies employees).

Sports Talk Baseball is licensed by the Major League Baseball Players Association, so it includes real players. It does not, however, have a full Major League Baseball license, so teams are referred to solely by their cities or states.

Gameplay

The game follows the rules of MLB baseball. Players can choose from any of the 26 teams, with rosters accurate for the 1991 MLB season. Unlike real professional baseball, there is a "mercy" rule that ends the game when one team is leading by 10 or more runs.

Before each game, each team can choose a starting pitcher, order the batting line-up, change each player's position, and substitute players. Players can choose from three venues: the White Sky Dome (standard-sized field in a dome), the Blue Moon Stadium (largest field, nighttime game), or the Red Sun Stadium (smallest field, daytime game). In single-player games, the player can additionally choose whether to bat or field first, to disable auto-fielding (where the computer automatically positions outfielders), and to make changes to the computer player's roster.

	Defense
	When pitching, and position the pitcher on the mound and throws the ball. While throwing, use and for a breaking ball, to throw a change-up (slow pitch), or to throw a fastball. Faster pitches are harder for the batter to hit but more likely to travel farther or potentially result in a home run. The batter is eliminated when three strikes are thrown; the batter gets a free base if the pitcher throws four balls or a "beanball" (hitting the batter with the pitch). Pitchers have a stamina gauge. Fastballs and curve balls wear out pitchers faster. When a pitcher is low on stamina, the ball becomes harder to control. The player can substitute a relief pitcher by pausing the game with  START  and pressing . Pitchers have their strengths summarized by a graph showing change-ups and fastballs on the y-axis and breaking balls on the x-axis. While pitching, the player can change the position of the fielders with : Forward is more effective at catching ground balls and bunts, Back is more effective at catching fly balls from hard hitters, and Normal is the most flexible balance between the two. The player can also switch to a fielding view with , which can be used to catch players trying to steal bases. When fielding, the D-Pad controls the fielder closest to the ball. The player can have the nearest fielder jump by pressing or dive by pressing while holding a direction. Once the ball is in possession, it can be thrown to base by pressing while holding a direction corresponding to the base ( for first, for second, for third, or for home) or press by itself to throw to first base.
	Offense
	When hitting, the D-Pad positions the batter in the batter's box. The batter swings with or bunts with . The player can lead-off or attempt to steal a base by pressing while holding a direction corresponding to a base ( for first, for second, for third, or for home). Runners can slide into base by pressing while holding a direction corresponding to the base. The player can substitute a pinch hitter by pausing the game with  START  and pressing . Players have their strengths summarized by a graph with throwing (north), fielding (south), power (west), and speed (east).

Modes

There are three modes:

• Pennant Race: A single-player mode where the player plays a season of 15, 30, 81, or a full 162 games.
• Exhibition Game: A single match against the computer or a five-game series against another player. Up to five players can participate in a round robin tournament format.
• All Pro Game: A single match against the computer or another player, pitting the American League All Pro Team against the National League All Pro Team (similar to the Major League Baseball All-Star Game). Players can substitute players from any team in either league to create a custom team.

Teams

League	Division	Team	Based on
American	Western	California	California Angels
		Kansas City	Kansas City Royals
		Chicago	Chicago White Sox
		Seattle	Seattle Mariners
		Oakland	Oakland Athletics
		Texas	Texas Rangers
		Minnesota	Minnesota Twins
	Eastern	Baltimore	Baltimore Orioles
		Cleveland	Cleveland Indians
		Boston	Boston Red Sox
		New York	New York Yankees
		Milwaukee	Milwaukee Brewers
		Toronto	Toronto Blue Jays
		Detroit	Detroit Tigers
National	Western	Atlanta	Atlanta Braves
		San Diego	San Diego Padres
		Los Angeles	Los Angeles Dodgers
		Houston	Houston Astros
		Cincinnati	Cincinnati Reds
		San Francisco	San Francisco Giants
	Eastern	Chicago	Chicago Cubs
		Pittsburgh	Pittsburgh Pirates
		Philadelphia	Philadelphia Phillies
		New York	New York Mets
		Montreal	Montreal Expos
		St. Louis	St. Louis Cardinals

Production credits

• Main Programmer: Mizoran
• Assistant Programmer: 武
• Graphic Designer: Sadachan, Vaon, 7LY Big King, Thomas ♥ Yuuda, Rice
• Game Designer: Vanta
• Voice and Sound by: Western Technologies
  • Allen Maynard
  • Jeff Fort
  • Ray Frericks
  • E.S.S.
• Translations by: Takeshi Sumida, James Gros
• Special Thanks: Ohsan, The Fort, Silver Chariots, Mudamudamudamudamuda, Kongotomo Yoroshiku, Sushi-X Modoki, Dio Sama, Team Clutch Hitter, Pochi

© 1992 MLBPA

© 1992 SEGA

• Presented by: Sega

Magazine articles

Main article: Sports Talk Baseball/Magazine articles.

Promotional material

File:SportsTalkBaseball MD US TVAdvert.mp4

US TV advert

File:SportsTalkBaseball MD US TVAdvert.mp4

Print advert in GamePro (US) #34: "May 1992" (1992-xx-xx)

Physical scans

Sega Retro Average
Publication Score Source

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Based on 0 review

Sega Retro Average
Publication Version Score 1700 igr dlya Sega (RU) 30 Game Power (IT) 78 GamePro (US) NTSC-U 83 Mega (UK) NTSC-U 74 Mega Action (UK) 78 Sega Pro (UK) NTSC-U 84 Sega Pro (UK) PAL 84 Supergame (BR) NTSC-U 94 Tricks 16 bit (RU) 65 Zero (UK) 90

	76
Based on 10 reviews

Sports Talk Baseball

Mega Drive, US
Cover
Cart Manual Poster PCB

Technical information

Main article: Sports Talk Baseball/Technical information.