Atari 2600 - Home Run

Game:  Home Run
Company:  Atari
Game System:  Atari 2600
Model No.:  CX2623
Year: 1978

Notes:  I guess you can call this "baseball" but it is a poor representation of the game and a great representation of the Atari 2600's limited capabilities in the late 1970s.  This game was received as a gift and was played about 10 times before returning to a steady diet of Circus Atari, Space Invaders and Asteroids.

The text version was the first one sold and it came packaged with the smaller black instruction guide.  The picture label version came next, now packaged with a larger, white instruction guide.

Later, the game was sold in a black and white box with black and white instructions as the company cut back on color printing to save money as the market for the Atari 2600 dried up.

I'm convinced that the pitcher in the middle of the cover art was modeled after Jim Palmer.

Box front

Box back

Gray box

Gray box back

Text label version

All gold text label (L) and more common text version (R)

Picture label version

The 1987 Atari Corp. version of this game is now "Homerun" spelled as one word.

First generation instructions

Second generation instructions

Gray box instructions

Screenshot - credit: www.atariage.com

Atari - Super Baseball

Game:  Super Baseball
Company:  Atari
Game System:  Atari 2600
Model No.:  CX26152
Year:  1988

Notes:  This game appears to be a modified RealSports Baseball.  While it is certainly an improvement over Home Run, this game was not much of an improvement over the RealSports edition.

Box front

Box back

Game

Instructions

Sears - Baseball

Game:  Baseball
Company:  Sears
Game System:  Atari 2600
Model Nos.: 6-99819, 49-75108 and 49-75125
Year:  1978

Notes:  This is Atari's baseball game "Home Run" simply renamed and repacked for sale by Sears.  This game was released by Sears under several model numbers and with text and picture label variations.

Box front

Box back

Text label cartridge - 6-99819

Text cartridge - 49-75125

Text label cartridge - 49-75108

Picture label cartridge

Instructions

Instructions

Atari 2600 - RealSports Baseball

Game:  RealSports Baseball
Company:  Atari
Game System:  Atari 2600
Model No.:  CX2640
Year:  1982

Notes:  A dramatic improvement over Atari's first baseball game "Home Run."

Box front

Box back

Multi Language Instructions

Late Release Gray Instructions

Atari 2600 - Pete Rose Baseball

Game:  Pete Rose Baseball
Company:  Absolute Entertainment
Game System:  Atari 2600
Model No.:  AK-045

Notes:  Pete Rose Baseball was the first baseball game for the Atari 2600 to feature a perspective of looking past the pitcher to the batter, large articulated players and cut screens.

Box front

Box back

M-Network - Super Challenge Baseball

Game:  Super Challenge Baseball
Game System:  Atari 2600
Company:  M-Network (Mattel)

Notes:  This game was issued in three different versions, the first featured a black end label with blue writing, the second is a white label and the third is a silver label.

Box front

Box back

Cartridge label variations

Instructions (color)

Instructions (black & white)