The MLB and Fox have teamed up for the TV drama Pitch, the story of the first women to play professional baseball.
Pitch might not have been one of the most anticipated TV shows going into Fox's upfront presentation in NYC, but it certainly is high on the list following the release of its trailer — not to mention its well-received screening at the ATX Television Festival.
A joint TV project from Fox and the MLB, Pitch is the story of the first women to play professional baseball and it has a lot of buzz heading into premiere season. Here's everything we know so far about the new sports drama...
Pitch Latest News
What better place to premiere the first episode of a TV show about a baseball pitcher (that you just so happen to be co-producing with the MLB) than at a baseball stadium? According to Deadline, Fox is teaming up with Access Sports Media to hold a nation-wide event throughout the months of August and September called Pitch Night at the Ballpark.
The event will take place in 43 minor league baseball stadiums and 12 independent and college summer league ballparks across the country after regularly-scheduled baseball games when those in attendance will be invited onto the field for fun games and events. Following the fun, venues will screen the Pitch pilot on the centerfield scoreboard. Also, there will be free snacks. OK, Fox. You win.
Pitch Cast
Add this to the recent stream of Pitch casting news! B.J. Britt, perhaps best known for his role as Agent Triplett (aka Trip) on Agents of SHIELD (and also for a recent stint on season 2 of UnREAL) has been cast in a recurring role in Pitch.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Britt will play protagonist Ginny Baker's older brother, Will. The two are close and Will is very supportive of his sister, "doing his best to offer her good advice about her game and career." Another great addition to this cast!
Pitch has also recently cast JoAnna Garcia (Once Upon a Time, Privileged) in the recurring role of Rachel Patric, "a whipsmart, tenacious newscaster who also happens to be the ex-wife of Mike Lawson (Mark-Paul Gosselaar)."
According to Entertainment Weekly, Rachel "has moved past her relationship with Mike quickly, and is now engaged to someone else, a fact that does not please Mike." In real life, Garcia is married to MLB player Nick Swisher, which makes this casting kind of perfect on multiple levels.
Returning for recurring roles from the episode's pilot include: Bob Balaban, Chasity Dotson, Ryan Dorsey, Jack McGee, and Michael Beach.
Pitch Premiere Date
Pitch will premiere on Fox on Thursday, September 22nd at 9 pm.
Pitch Trailer
Check it out...
Sure, the trailer gets a little cheesy in parts, but that's to be expected in most network drama pilots. The true test comes in the second and third episodes, when shows have to set their tone as a weekly production, and Pitch has a lot to work with. The series stars Kylie Bunbury as Ginny Baker, the young woman called up by the San Diego Padres. ABC Family/Freeform watchers may recognize her from the short-lived Twisted.
Bunbury has support from veteran TV performer Mark-Paul Gosselaar (Franklin & Bash, NYPD Blue), who plays Ginny's catcher, team captain, and love interest. (That's right, the pitcher and catcher fall in love.)
But what could really set Pitch apart is the MLB's involvement in the TV show. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the MLB has granted the Fox TV show access to Petco Park for filming, as well as granting use for various MLB marks, logos, licensed products, uniforms, teams, stadiums, locations, and game footage. That's not nothing. Pitch producer Dan Fogelman said of the unprecedented access:
I have done some sports stuff in the past where you have to create the fictional stuff, and it's hard and distancing. As a baseball fan, it's such a sport that is based in those uniforms and the feel of it and the iconic imagery of it that I don't think it would have felt right without it.
It's a somewhat unexpected, but still fascinating synergy of corporate powerhouses. I'm curious to see how this drama turns out — both narratively and in the ratings.
