I'm not convinced that there's a better baseball video game out there than "Major League Baseball Featuring Ken Griffey Jr." for Nintendo 64. Sure, the "MVP Baseball" series — specifically the 2005 iteration, in my opinion — was ahead of its time given the variety of game modes, and everything from the soundtrack to the announcing to the gameplay was incredible. And if I didn't acknowledge my current addiction to "MLB: The Show," I'd be doing a disservice to the baseball video game industry. It's incredibly fun, incredibly frustrating and gives you just the right amount of false hope that you can actually become good to keep you coming back for more.
But nothing in those two gems, along with any other MLB games, holds the same sentimental value to me — and, I'm sure, thousands of other baseball fans — as tossing a 106-mph super fastball, or hearing Griffey's commentary after a no-doubter home run, or entering the code that allows you to explode the current batter. Though new games and systems may be more alluring, there are times where my brother, cousin and I prefer nothing more than the arcade-style ridiculousness only found in a game of "Major League Baseball Featuring Ken Griffey Jr."
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As bad as a rain delay is, then — one that ultimately postponed the game — it's made a little easier with one of the best video games ever is there to entertain fans. And while fans in attendance couldn't play it themselves, watching a simulated Brewers-Mets game on the scoreboard must have made nearly everyone in attendance feel nostalgic.
We can't tell who the strikeout victim in the video was, but we do know that Al Leiter was on the hill for the Mets while Jeff D'Amico took the mound for the Brewers, thanks to MLB.com's Anthony DiComo.
According to Mets digital host Mike Janela, the crowd went "moderately wild" after the virtual Mets took a 1-0 lead over the virtual Brewers, a lead that one fan said expanded to 6-0 during the "most fun rainout I've been to."
It might come as a surprise that they opted to use Griffey's game when there was also "Mike Piazza's Strike Zone," released for the same console in the same year, but one look at the reviews tells you all you need to know (check page 96 in that link). The reception for Griffey's game, however, was largely positive.
One day of some throwback video game simulation is probably enough, however, and the Mets and Brewers are set to play a pair of games on Wednesday, including the pitcher's duel between Jacob deGrom (7-2, 0.95 ERA) and Corbin Burnes (4-4, 2.41 ERA). Game 1 will be played at 2:10 p.m. ET, and Game 2 is slated for 7:10 p.m. ET.
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