Episode 3 of Fox's "Pitch" gave viewers an emotionally charged storyline that focused on a game of beanball with Ginny Baker (Kylie Bunbury) at the helm.
As the plot thickens, we find that romance is on the horizon for Baker (not Mike Lawson!); an international player from Korea is introduced, whose interpreter has gone missing; and Padres manager Al Luongo (Dan Lauria), team owner Frank Reid (Bob Balaban) and Reid's ex-wife do a bit of "political maneuvering." Also, it's disclosed that Baker's agent, Amelia Slater (Ali Larter), and Mike (Mark-Paul Gosselaar) have had intimate relations in the past. Oh, and the team's general manager Oscar Arguella (Mark Consuelos) is getting a divorce. So, yes, a lot happened.
But the most important happenstance and shift in development is that Baker was finally given some agency.
Over the course of the first two episodes, Baker has leaned on other people to approve her decisions and inspire her. For instance, in the pilot episode, Lawson gave Baker a rousing pregame pep talk to get her head in the game. It happened again in Episode 2 when her brother, Will, instructed her to hire Amelia and when Lawson affirmed her decision to appear on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" telling her to use her platform for good.
Ultimately Baker made her own decisions, but they were helped along by the (well-meaning) men in her life. The scenes were moving, but from a feminist perspective, it's a little disconcerting to see a character who is arguably a paragon for feminism having to constantly be validated by men.
The episode is wrapped up in good ol' beanball, a term used in baseball for when a pitcher intentionally throws at or near a batter. The Padres are taking on the St. Louis Cardinals for the first time since a Cardinals pitcher threw at Tommy Miller (Ryan Dorsey) and broke his hand.
Miller is the pitcher who Baker had replaced on the roster and the same person who had been giving her hell since she started with the team. No doubt she saw an opportunity to prove her loyalty to the club by getting back at the Cardinals.
Oscar and the team owners were nervous about the game because playing beanball with a female pitcher on the mound sounded a lot worse than an average baseball brawl (which ended up happening anyway). Everyone told Baker not to throw at the opposing pitcher, but she went with her own decision and hit him. That sparked a conflict and led to the fight.
When the Cardinals subbed in their reliever nicknamed "The Mountain," it appeared as if Baker was going to get creamed by a 100 mph fastball. The Mountain, however, walked her on four straight pitches, apparently at the behest of the catcher who (and this is unbelievable) used to date Baker when they were back in the minors.
Oh, the drama!
From the moment Baker threw at the Cardinals' pitcher, viewers saw a different side of her. This version of Baker was defiant, strong and quick-witted. It was a glimpse of the fire that allowed her to persevere through the taunts of her teammates and the difficulty of breaking a barely cracked glass ceiling.
Underneath Baker's character development, however, is the meat of this show. It's asking viewers to really grapple with what a female pitcher in MLB could look like and what sort of mundane, regular happenings and traditions suddenly become much more complex and nuanced.
That's the beauty of "Pitch." After what some surely think is a gimmick, there are real issues to be considered and explored. The show has done that for the past three weeks. It will be interesting to see whether that approach has staying power.