Grand Slam (Model 689)

Grand Slam was a baseball-themed solid-state pinball machine released by D. Gottlieb & Co. during the early 1980s, capitalizing on the enduring popularity of America's pastime in arcade entertainment. The machine exemplified the era's transition toward more sophisticated solid-state electronics while maintaining the classic appeal of sports-themed pinball games.

The playfield design incorporated baseball stadium elements, including ramps representing base paths, targets styled as fielders, and various scoring features tied to baseball achievements like singles, doubles, triples, and home runs. The game's ruleset was crafted to simulate actual baseball gameplay, with players trying to advance runners and score points through strategic shot combinations.

As a solid-state machine from this period, Grand Slam featured electronic sounds and scoring, moving beyond the mechanical chimes of earlier eras to include more realistic baseball-themed audio effects. The backglass artwork typically displayed a dramatic baseball scene, following the bold artistic style characteristic of early 1980s pinball art.

While not among Gottlieb's most celebrated titles, Grand Slam represented an important entry in the company's sports-themed lineup and helped maintain pinball's relevance during a period when video games were beginning to dominate the arcade landscape. The machine demonstrated how traditional sports themes could be adapted to the evolving technology of solid-state pinball design.