Today we got our first look at Fox's new TV series Pitch. The show stars Kylie Bunbury as Ginny Baker, starting pitcher for the Padres... and the first woman in the big leagues. The three minute trailer gives us a pretty good idea of what to expect from the pilot episode.
It opens with the media circus and press conference. This conference room and the clubhouse we see later in the trailer look just like the real deal at Petco Park. I'd guess they were actually shot on location. Also, does anybody else see that jersey and miss former Friar John Baker?
We get some flashbacks to Ginny's childhood with her overbearing baseball dad, who has a secret weapon to get her into the pros. After all, an 80 mph fastball won't turn any heads.
Well, it is certainly a rarity in MLB right now. Anaheim's Hector Santiago was the only pitcher to throw one last season, and it accounted for just 0.2% of his pitches in 180 innings. There's also a widespread belief that heavy use of the pitch causes serious arm injuries. But let's suspend disbelief for a moment and say that Ginny has an indestructible elbow.
Not everyone believes in her, of course. Like this guy she apparently displaced, who looks like an Evil Wil Myers. Maybe he came from the same Star Trek mirror universe as Evil Spock? Maybe she can shut him up for good in her debut.
The stands are packed! And there's surprisingly not a Dodger fan to be seen. Go get 'em, Ginny!
Or... or I guess you can get your Nuke LaLoosh on. That'll bring some drama.
And now there's fighting in the clubhouse! At least this team doesn't have a fake Papelbon to choke anybody out.
Her manager doesn't think she's got what it takes, either. And Dan Lauria looks a lot more like Pat Murphy than Andy Green.
Mark Paul Gosselar plays catcher Mike Lawson, but that's only because copyright law keeps them from calling him Crash Davis. That beard, on the other hand, is reminding me of dreamboat catcher Austin Hedges. Anyway, he's got a pep talk for Ginny. It's no "make some f---ing pitches," but it could still do the trick.
More like Ginny BaKer, am I right?
That tagline is more than a little optimistic, but I'd love for it to be accurate.
Pitch will debut in 2017, so you'll have something to get you through the later parts of the offseason.