Baseball Bros

Real baseball can spend three minutes on a single at-bat. Baseball Bros squeezes that same duel between pitcher and hitter into a few frantic seconds. Big-headed pixel players line up on a bright diamond in front of a packed crowd, the pitcher winds up, and the moment the ball leaves his hand you can still bend it left or right like a video game missile. The batter has one key and one job: time the swing. What follows is a quick, loud and very silly version of America's pastime, made by the same studio behind Basket Bros and Football Bros.

This page lets you play Baseball Bros unblocked against the computer or against a buddy who shares your keyboard. The whole game is only about 12 MB, so it is ready to play a few seconds after the page opens, and a complete game fits comfortably into a lunch break.

Picking a Team and Reading the Stat Bars

Every game starts on the Choose Your Team screen, a grid of thirty city clubs from Anaheim, Boston and the Bronx to Seattle, Toronto and Washington. Only a few logos are lit up at first; the dark squares are teams you have not earned yet, and the game keeps reminding you to win games and unlock more of them. Below the grid, each club shows three named bros and six bars: P Velocity, P Movement, Team Speed, Team Power, Defense and a Best Player callout. Those numbers actually matter. A power-heavy lineup sends routine fly balls over the fence, a fast team turns weak grounders into singles, and a club with high pitch movement makes every curveball bend like a banana.

Small icon tabs under the team list let you dress your squad: jersey, pants, shoes, glove and helmet colours can all be swapped, which is handy when two players pick teams that look alike on the same screen.

Pitching: Throw It, Then Steer It

Pitching is what makes this game different from every other baseball title. When you are on the mound, the prompt reads "Press: pitch ball, then move ball mid-air", and that is literally how it works. Tap the action key to release, then hold the movement keys to drag the ball around while it travels toward the plate. Behind the scenes the game mixes fastballs, curveballs, sliders, changeups and knuckleballs, and your team's movement rating decides how much extra bend you can add on top.

• Change direction late. A ball that drifts one way and snaps back the other just before the plate is the easiest way to get a whiff.
• Mix in straight pitches. If every throw curves, the CPU and human hitters alike start swinging early. A plain fastball down the middle can freeze them.
• Watch the count. The scoreboard at the top tracks balls, strikes and outs, so you always know when you can afford to waste a pitch.

Hitting, Running and Stealing Bases

At the plate the same action key swings the bat. Swing too soon or too late and you get a foul ball or an empty whiff; a perfectly timed hit with a strong lineup ends in fireworks and a HOME RUN! banner. Bases loaded turns that into a GRAND SLAM!, and the announcer gets just as excited about a three-run dinger.

Once the ball is in play the game switches to your runner. A Press to run label appears over the lead runner, and tapping the key again sends him to the next bag. Stay too long and the defense tags you out; go too early on a pop-up and you get doubled off. While a pitch is in the air you can also try a steal when the screen flashes Press to steal!, and when a throw races you to the base the prompt changes to Slide now! - nail the timing and you are safe by a hair. Force outs, fly outs, foul balls and extra innings all happen just like the real sport, only faster.

On defense your fielders run toward the ball automatically, but you can steer the closest one and use the Dive attack to lay out for line drives that would otherwise roll into the gap.

Franchise Mode: Run a Club Through a Season

Quick Play is a single game. Franchise Mode is where Baseball Bros turns into something you keep coming back to. You become the new owner of a club, play through a schedule week by week, check the Current Standings, and fight for a spot in the playoffs. After wins you are asked to choose an upgrade, which unlocks new perks and jersey logos for your team until the game finally tells you that you are maxed out. Go all the way and you are crowned Bro Series Champs.

Two warnings for new owners. The game asks whether you want to continue your current season every time you return, so you do not lose progress by accident. And quitting a game halfway is not free: walking away early counts as two losses, which can knock you out of the playoff race. Season stats such as batting average, at-bats, home runs, steals and pitcher strikeouts are tracked so you can see which bro is carrying the lineup.

Two Players on One Keyboard

Pick 2 Players Same PC on the title screen and both teams are controlled by people. One person plays with the WASD cluster, the other takes the arrow keys, and the on-screen prompts even switch to show which key each person needs. It is a great way to settle an argument with a sibling or a classmate, and the mid-air pitch steering makes every at-bat a little mind game: the hitter is staring at the ball, the pitcher is staring at the hitter.

Controls

• Arrow keys or WASD - move your bro, aim the bat and steer a pitch in the air.
• Space (also G, X or Ctrl) - pitch, swing, run to the next base, steal and slide.
• Two players: left team uses WASD + G, right team uses Arrow keys + L.
• Gamepads work too, and on a touch screen you swipe to play.

Tips From Our Own Games

• Start with a club that has a high Team Power bar. Learning to time the swing is much easier when half-decent contact still clears the fence.
• Do not swing at the first wobble. Pitches often curve back over the plate in the last few frames, so wait a beat longer than feels natural.
• Only steal with fast teams. With a slow lineup the catcher's throw usually beats you, even with a good slide.
• In Franchise Mode, play every game to the end. The two-loss penalty for quitting hurts far more than a close defeat.

More Bros Games and Other Ballparks

The whole Bros series shares the same chunky pixel style and simple controls, so jump to Soccer Bros, Wrestle Bros or Kart Bros when you want a different sport. For another take on the diamond, Google Doodle Baseball is a short, pure batting challenge, while Retro Bowl scratches the same team-management itch as Franchise Mode with American football instead.