PITCH

Have you guys heard of the new TV show Pitch? It's about baseball. But don't tune out just yet. The premise: Ginny Baker is a talented pitcher who rises to fame when called up by the San Diego Padres to become the first woman in Major League Baseball. She quickly becomes the face of the team thanks to unwanted media attention. Ginny is the only sports story out there. A poster child for change and hope for girls and women athletes everywhere. She's a 23 year old with a huge burden on her shoulders. Half the world sees her as a superhero, the other expects and even wants her to fail.



Having grown up in Europe where baseball isn't a thing, it's safe to say I have no knowledge of the sport. I have no idea about the rules, positions or plays. But with this show, it doesn't matter. Baseball is a huge part of it, yes, but it's also only a setting. It helps immensely that Ginny is played by the incredibly beautiful Kylie Bunbury. Let's hope that shows with strong female leads are here to stay.

Pitch is well scripted. It possesses all qualities of a bing-worthy show (though only 5 episodes are out, episodes come out Thursdays on Fox). It's a fast-paced sports drama with multi-dimensional characters and great dialogues and a fair soundtrack. It puts the characters in uncomfortable situations, such as putting a woman into a male dominated territory, and gives it a chance to play out. Tough situations show what people are really made of, right?

So it's been established I'm not a baseball expert but it seems it may not be purely fictional for a woman to be in MLB (Major League Baseball, I speak to lingo now). If you love baseball or don't give a crap about baseball, it really doesn't matter with this show. It may not give 100% in closing the gender gap (Ginny's interest in baseball is attributed to men - her idol is her teammate Mike Lawson even though as the linked article above explains there were 3 black women in the 50s who joined professional male baseball teams and faced dual discrimination, with them being black and women).

In reality it doesn't matter if you love or don't give a crap about baseball. Pitch is a heartwarming drama about a woman breaking the glass ceiling with her screwball. Give it a try.

images: Fox