'Pitch' TV series debuts Thursday
SAN DIEGO - Remarkably, the lead actress and lead writer of ''Pitch'' have been asked by strangers whether the Fox TV series about the first woman in the major leagues is based on a true story.
It's not, of course, because there never has been one. Nor was it inspired by Mo'ne Davis, the first girl to earn a win and pitch a shutout in Little League World Series history.
At the very least, the premise of the show, which debuts Thursday night, can get people thinking and dreaming.
''It's already within the realm of possibility in people's minds, which is really interesting,'' said Kylie Bunbury, who plays Ginny Baker, a 23-year-old, screwball-throwing right-hander who is called up by the San Diego Padres to make her big league debut in a spot start.
''This is an everyone show,'' Bunbury said during a break in shooting at Petco Park, the home of the Padres. ''Baseball is the backdrop of the show. This is about relationships. It's about people and about representing all colors, creeds, genders, properly and well. It has a lot of heart and it makes you feel good. I think that's what we need right now, with everything going on in the world. It just makes you feel good.''
While the show will no doubt have its critics, the producers are trying to get the baseball part as right as possible. The show has MLB's blessing, and Petco Park appears just as it does during real games. Some scenes have been filmed at Dodger Stadium and some will be filmed at San Francisco's AT&T Park. Bunbury is being tutored by former big league reliever Gregg Olson, who also serves as a consultant.
''I'm sure there are going to be some naysayers, I'm sure there are going to be people picking us apart,'' Bunbury said. ''But that's not the point. It's still a show. People need to remember. This is just an imaginary circumstance. The heart is what's the most important and the most beautiful about this.''
The pilot explores who Baker is and how she got to the big leagues, including the strong influence of her father. It also begins to explore how a woman would mesh with the clubhouse culture, starting when catcher Mike Lawson, played by Mark-Paul Gosselaar, pats her on the backside in front of other players.