Description: League Leader, Keeney, 4/58, one player, ramp style baseball game where the ball is fed down a ramp using a pitch motor driving a cloth belt. Game size is 62" deep, 26.5" wide, 78.5" tall. Basically a much bigger version of Keeney Texas Leaguer (1940) baseball machine and the 1965 Irving Kaye Batting Practice, but instead of automatic pitching the ball, player presses left flipper button to pitch the ball. The right flipper button electrically bats the ball. This is unlike a lot of the ramp style baseballs where the bat is mechanically manipulated by the player (and the player determines the bat strength by squeezing the bat trigger harder or softer.) On this game there is no way to change the bat strength because the bat is electrically moved, like a pinball flipper.

Game also came in novelty and replay formats (replay has a credit unit, awarding replays at operator programmed run intervals.) If the player hits the Super Homer hole (quite a feat), there are four runs scored (assuming no players on base.) Also the Pennant light (just above the Out lights) on the backglass comes on (subtle feature.) And the Super H.R. relay stays engergize along with a buzzer relay... Until someone hits the hidden Reset switch next to the power switch. The game is halted until the Reset switch is pressed... but after the button is pushed, the Super HR relay releases and the buzzer stops, allowing the current game to resume. This certainly implies a gambling aspect to the game, as the bartender is called to the game for perhaps a payout to the player, and to press the hidden Reset button. Note Keeney largely made gambling type games (like flasher slot machines), so this aspect is no surprise on a Keeney baseball game.

The pitch motor's ball belt is often problematic on this game. The belt is 46" long by 1 1/16" wide with 11 brackets, 4" apart. Brackets are 9/16" wide, prongs measured to the belt 5/8". Game uses ten 9/16" steel balls.

If you have a Keeney League Leader baseball game for sale, please contact me at cfh@provide.net