The game was first released in Japan under the title 'Pro Yakyū Greatest Nine '97[a] which used the Nippon Professional Baseball license.

The Saturn version of World Series Baseball '98 received mostly positive reviews.

The series' transition to polygonal graphics was generally approved of, particularly since the game still runs as fast as its predecessors,[4][10] though multiple reviewers criticized that the bats are grossly out-of-proportion, saying they look like two-by-four lumber planks.

[9][10] Next Generation, in particular, argued that in conjunction with the deep fielding controls and management strategies, the quadrant system makes World Series Baseball '98 a genre-redefining game comparable to the likes of Doom and NFL GameDay 97.

[d][11] During the inaugural Interactive Achievement Awards, the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences nominated the Saturn version for "Console Sports Game of the Year",[12] which was ultimately awarded to International Superstar Soccer 64.