Machine Description

Lucky Inning was a baseball-themed electro-mechanical pinball machine released by Williams Electronics in 1967, during the golden age of baseball-themed mechanical pinball games. The machine captured America's enduring love affair with baseball during a period when the sport was truly the national pastime.

The playfield design incorporated classic baseball elements including bases, outfield positions, and scoring mechanisms that mimicked actual baseball scoring. Players could achieve singles, doubles, triples, and home runs through various shot combinations and target sequences. The backglass artwork typically featured dramatic baseball action scenes with players sliding into bases or making spectacular catches, following the artistic style common to that era.

As an electro-mechanical machine, Lucky Inning utilized relay switches, stepper units, and mechanical score reels rather than electronic displays. The game's scoring system was designed to mirror baseball scoring conventions, with runs and innings being tracked mechanically. This authentic approach to baseball scoring made it particularly appealing to sports fans and helped distinguish it from other themed pinball machines of the period.

While production numbers aren't definitively known, Lucky Inning represents an important chapter in both pinball and baseball history, demonstrating how mechanical gaming devices could successfully adapt America's favorite sport into an engaging arcade experience. The machine's release coincided with a period of significant growth in both professional baseball and the coin-operated amusement industry.