Pitch – Beanball

By: Jessica Wolff

Replacement team manager Buck Garland (Jack McGee) struggles in his first game against the St. Louis Cardinals and sends Ginny Baker (Kylie Bunbury) out to bat. Seven hours earlier, Mike Lawson (Mark-Paul Gosselaar) and Amelia Slater (Ali Larter) hook up and promise to keep it a secret from everyone else. A car pulls up to Garland in the parking lot and owner Frank Reid (Bob Balaban) rolls down his window and asks how he is handling his new position. In the locker room, Lawson and Blip Sanders (Mo McRae) give Ginny a gift from Drake and tell her that she’s been invited to Drake’s party. Tommy Miller (Ryan Dorsey) asks why she’ll date Drake and not ball players and Ginny replies that she’s not interested in Drake or anyone on the team. Tommy tells her that he might come off the disabled list soon and that someone will be demoted to the minor leagues.

Ginny talks to Lawson about the upcoming game and asks whether she should do something about the pitcher that broke Tommy’s hand the last time he played. He tells her that she doesn’t need to worry about it and she gets a text from a Trevor asking her for a drink. In a flashback from Ginny’s time in the minors, Trevor Davis (Shamier Anderson) sends her a beer at the bar while she’s hanging out with Blip and Evelyn Sanders (Meagan Holder) and comes over to introduce himself. Tommy throws in the bullpen, as Garland and Al Luongo (Dan Lauria) discuss the possibility of Luongo being fired and Garland taking his job. Oscar Arguella (Mark Consuelos) comes over and they make the decision to send a Korean pitcher back down to the minor leagues who doesn’t speak English.

Oscar struggles to find a translator and his daughter, Daniella Arguella (Isabella Day), runs to him excited to watch Ginny pitch. Before the game, Luongo gets into an argument with the umpire and is tossed from the game. Ginny takes the mound and finds that the rosin bag has “Just One Drink” written on it and Trevor waves at her from the opposite dugout. In a flashback, Ginny goes on a date with Trevor and talks about the challenges of being a woman in professional baseball and Trevor talks how he would consider giving up baseball for her. They hook up outside the restaurant and Ginny requests that they keep their relationship a secret. In the present, Ginny begins pitching and Luongo storms into the locker room.

Oscar brings Daniella to the club box where they meet Amelia and a corporate sponsor who has come to watch Ginny. Oscar is still struggling to find a translator for the soon to be demoted pitcher and his assistant, Rhonda (Kelly Jenrette), asks if he’s talked to his daughter yet. A fancy dinner is set up in the locker room for Luongo and he watches the game inside. The pitcher throws a pitch at Blip and Ginny asks Lawson if she should retaliate. Lawson tells her not to and Ginny tells him that she doesn’t need to be protected. Lawson steps up the plate and hits a three-run home run. Luongo is joined by owner Maxine Armstrong (Wendie Malick) as they watch Ginny take the mound against the opposing pitcher. She throws directly at the pitcher, despite Lawson’s disapproval.

In the club box, Eliot (Tim Jo) tries to assure Daniella that Ginny didn’t hit the pitcher on purpose, but Daniella understands that it is intentional and that she’s daring the pitcher to throw at her during her next at-bat. Amelia hears this and freaks out. Oscar asks Eliot if he knows Korean, but he only knows three words: Hello, Goodbye and Eggplant. In the locker room, Maxine tells Luongo that despite his wining and dining her, she cannot save her job. Oscar overhears this and runs into Reid. He tries to convince him to keep Luongo, but he refuses to listen. Luongo tells Maxine that if he is fired, it will appear that Ginny had him fired which would create even more tension in the locker room and damage Ginny’s perception in the media. He offers that if he stays the manager, he will retire at the end of the season and offers Garland as a replacement.

Garland tells Ginny to come out of the game, but Ginny stays firm and says that she’s not a little girl. She admits that this isn’t her first beanball war and prepares for her at-bat as a relief pitcher comes into the game. A flashback shows Ginny at a golf range with Trevor. He asks her to go public with their relationship, but Ginny refuses. She goes to his game and cheers him on, but is bothered by the attention. Ginny goes up to bat, and Amelia is too late to stop her. The first pitch is aimed at Ginny, but the pitcher starts intentionally walking her. Ginny asks Trevor, the catcher, if he is afraid of hurting her, but he tells her to drop it.

In a flashback, Trevor tells Ginny that he’s been traded to the Cardinals. She confronts him about him claiming that he was going to drop baseball for her and breaks up with him. Back in the present, Ginny approaches the pitcher but is stopped by Trevor. She shoves him and soon the benches clear as the teams brawl. Ginny is ejected from the game, but she earns the respect of Tommy and the rest of her teammates. Maxine meets with Reid and pleads Luongo’s case. When he refuses to go along with Maxine, she threatens to fire him as part owner of the Padres.

Oscar and Reid tell Luongo that he’s keeping his job. Oscar is shocked when Luongo speaks perfect Korean to the player as he tells him he’s being demoted to the minor leagues. Garland gives an interview, but Luongo comes in and the media focuses on him. He gives Garland a bottle of champagne to celebrate his first win. Oscar brings Daniella to meet Ginny and they take a picture together. After Ginny leaves, he tells Daniella that he and her mother are getting a divorce which upsets her. Amelia and Lawson talk about Ginny and they flirt before Ginny comes over and they pretend that they are not involved.

Ginny finds Trevor waiting for her and a flashback shows her getting harassed in the locker room for her relationship with Trevor. In the present, Trevor tells Ginny that his phone was hacked and that several old pictures of Ginny were on it. Ginny is worried and Trevor warns her about the pressure of the media attention. Rejecting his offer of friendship, she walks away and runs into Lawson. He asks Ginny about Trevor and she says that he was just an old friend. She criticizes him for telling her not to retaliate against the pitcher like he would any male pitcher. Lawson admits that he was wrong and compliments her strength and toughness. Tommy comes over and invites Lawson to hang out. When he refuses, he asks Ginny to go with them instead.