[eerie music]
(male narrator) YOU ARE ABOUT TO ENTER ANOTHER DIMENSION
A DIMENSION NOT ONLY OF SIGHT AND SOUND, BUT OF M IND
A JOURNEY INTO A WONDROUS LAND OF IMAGINATION.
NEXT STOP, THE TWILIGHT ZONE.
WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT IS A GHOST
ONCE ALIVE, BUT NOW DECEASED.
ONCE UPON A TIME, IT WAS A BASEBALL STADIUM
THAT HOUSED A MAJOR LEAGUE BALL CLUB
KNOWN AS THE HOBOKEN ZEPHYRS.
NOW IT HOUSES NOTHING BUT MEMORIES
AND A WIND THAT STIRS IN THE HIGH GRASS
OF WHAT WAS ONCE AN OUTFIELD.
A WIND THAT SOMETIMES BEARS A FAINT GHOSTLY RESEMBLANCE
TO THE ROAR OF A CROWD THAT ONCE SAT HERE.
WE'RE BACK IN TIME NOW
WHEN THE HOBOKEN ZEPHYRS
WERE STILL A PART OF THE NATIONAL LEAGUE
AND THIS MAUSOLEUM OF MEMORIES
WAS AN HONEST-TO-PETE STADIUM.
BUT SINCE THIS IS STRICTLY A STORY OF MAKE-BELIEVE
IT HAS TO START THIS WAY.
ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOBOKEN, NEW JERSEY,
IT WAS TRYOUT DAY.
AND THOUGH HE'S NOT YET ON THE FIELD
YOU'RE ABOUT TO MEET A MOST UNUSUAL FELLOW.
A LEFT-HANDED PITCHER
NAMED CASEY.
G RAN D-LOOKING BU NCH OF BOYS, HUH?
WERE YOU EXPECTING THE ALL-STARS?
YOU HAVE TRYOUTS FOR A LAST-DIVIS ION CLU B
3 1 GAM ES OUT OF FIRST
THIS IS THE MATERIAL YOUROU N D UP.
THIS IS THE MATERIAL YOU USUALLY ROU N D UP.
YOU'RE GEN ERAL MANAG ER.
WHY DON'T YOU GET ME BALLPLAYERS?
YOU'D KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH THEM?
20 GAM ES OUT OF FOU RTH PLACE
AND THE ONLY BIG AVERAG E WE GOT
IS A MANAG ER WITH THE WI DEST MOUTH INEITHER LEAG U E.
MAYBE YOU BETTER GET REMINDED
WHEN THE HOBOKEN ZEPHYRS WIN ONE GAM E
WE GOT TO CALL IT A STREAK.
OH, BUDDY BOY, WH EN CONTRACT TIME COMES AROUND
YOU DON'T HAVE TO.
HOW'S FLETCHER DOING?
ARE YOU KI DDING?
HE P ITCH ED ONE IN NING LAST WEEK
AND ONLY ALLOWED SIX RUNS.
HE'S THE MOST VALUABLE PLAYER OF THE MONTH.
[phone ringing]
DUGOUT.
YEAH.
WHO?
WANT TO LOOK AT A P ITCH ER?
AT THIS PO I NT, I'LL EVEN LOOK AT YOU.
SEND HIM OVER.
HE'S A LEFTY.
LEFTY, SCH MEFTY. WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?
IF HE'S GOT MORE THAN ONE ARM
AND LESS THAN FOU R, HE'S FOR US.
HEY, MON K!
YEAH?
FLETCHER CAN QU IT. I GOT A NEW BOY COMING DOWN.
CATCH HIM FOR A WHILE.
CHECK.
YOU GOT THE LIN EU P FOR TONIGHT?
I'M WORKING ON IT.
WHO'S P ITCHING?
I JUST FEEL THEM ON E-BY-ON E.
WHOEVER'S WARM GOES TO THE MOU N D.
ALL RIGHT, CHAVEZ.
STOP ALREADY WITH THE CALISTHEN ICS.
THAT GUY ON THE EN D'S TURNING BLU E.
(man) MR. MCGARRY?
ALL RIGHT, WHAT'S THE GAG?
DID THIS M UTTON H EAD PUT YOU UP TO IT?
YOU'RE THE P ITCH ER, HUH?
B IG JOKE. YU K-YU K-YU K!
B IG JOKE!
OH, NO, I'M NOT THE P ITCH ER.
I'M DR. STILLMAN.
I HAVE THROWN BASEBALLS IN MY TIME.
THAT WAS BEFORE THE WAR.
YEAH? WHICH WAR?
[chuckling]
(Stillman) AH, HERE COMES CASEY NOW.
HE'S THE PITCHER.
CASEY, THIS IS M R. MCGARRY, THE MANAG ER OF THE ZEPHYRS.
NO, NO, YOUR RIGHT HAN D, CASEY, YOUR RIGHT HAN D.
[groaning]
OH H.
OH!
[groaning]
YOU CAN LET GO NOW, CASEY.
SEE THAT FELLOW OUT THERE WITH THE BIG M ITT?
HE'S WHAT IS KNOWN AS A CATCH ER.
HIS NAME IS MON K.
GO ON OUT AND THROW HIM A FEW.
THANKS VERY MUCH, MR. MCGARRY.
PUT YOUR CAP ON, CASEY.
GOOD LAD.
ALL RIGHT, I SEE YOU, I SEE YOU.
YOU HIS FATH ER?
HIS FATH ER? CASEY'S?
OH, NO, NO. HE HAS NO FATH ER.
I AM WHAT YOU MIGHT CALL, H IS--
WELL, KIND OF, U H, CREATOR.
HOW OLD IS H E?
THAT'S A LITTLE DI FF ICU LT TO SAY.
WELL, GU ESS.
WHAT I MEAN IS
IT'S HARD TO BE CH RONOLOG ICAL
WHEN DISCUSSING CASEY'S AG E
BECAUSE HE'S ONLY BEEN IN EXISTENCE THREE WEEKS.
WHAT I MEAN IS THAT HE HAS THE PHYS IQU E
AND THE MIND OF A BOY OF 22.
BUT IN TERMS OF HOW LONG HE'S BEEN HERE
THE ANSWER TO THAT WOULD BE, UH, THREE WEEKS.
YOU WANT TO GO OVER THAT AGAIN?
IT'S NOT TOO DI FF ICU LT, REALLY.
YOU SEE, I MADE CASEY.
I BU I LT HIM. HE'S A ROBOT.
THESE ARE THE BLU EPRI NTS I WORKED FROM.
WHY DO YOU HAVE TO PICK ON ME
ALL THE TIME, HUH?
[loud thud]
[whoosh]
THAT'S H IS FAST BALL.
[loopy]
THAT'S HIS CU RVE.
[long slow whistle]
THAT'S H IS SLOW BALL.
HE'S A BIT LATE.
[soft thud]
WELL, LOOK, I'LL, UH-- YOU, UH--U H-- [cIears throat]
WHY DON'T YOU WAIT RIGHT HERE, HUH?
U H-HUH.
ALL RIGHT, LET ME SEE THAT FAST BALL.
[whoosh]
ALL RIGHT, THE SLOW BALL.
[slow loop]
DID YOU SEE THAT KI D?
THE BEST P ITCH ER I EVER CAUG HT.
YEAH, MON K, I SAW IT.
H E... H E...
I SAW IT, I SAW IT!
TAKE A SHOWER.
HE'S GOT A FAST BALL...
GO TAKE A SHOWER.
TAKE A SHOWER!
HE P ITCH ES LIKE NOTHING HUMAN.
WELL, H E'S...
HE'S ROUG H, DOC, HE'S PLENTY ROUG H
BUT I THINK WE CAN GIVE HIM A TRY.
HE'S A ROBOT, YOU KNOW.
DON'T EVER SAY THAT.
THAT'S ONE WE'LL JUST KEEP IN THE FAM I LY HERE.
DON'T EVER SAY THE WORD R-O-B-B-O-T-T.
U H, CASEY.
BABY...
WANT TO COME HERE?
WELL, IT LOOKS LIKE YOU GOT
A LITTLE POTENTIAL THERE, CASEY.
I WAS TELLING THE DOC YOU'RE A LITTLE ROUG H
BUT WE'LL WORK THAT OUT.
I THINK WE'LL GIVE YOU A CHANCE.
I LIKE TO H ELP YOU NG BALL PLAYERS.
[hoIIow pIunk]
WHY DON'T YOU GO DOWN NOW
AND CHANG E YOUR CLOTH ES, HUH?
HE DOES WEAR CLOTH ES, DOESN'T H E?
OH, YES, YES.
GO DOWN AND TAKE A SHOWER
AND THEN THE THREE OF US
WILL DISCUSS A CONTRACT, HUH?
GO WITH HIM AND CHECK HIS BLU EPRI NTS.
I THINK THAT LAST SLOW BALL SHOOK HIM UP.
VERY WELL. COME ON, CASEY.
G EN ERAL MANAG ER'S OFF ICE.
BEASLEY? DRAW THE CONTRACT.
THE ONLY THING BETWEEN US AND THE PEN NANT
IS IF THIS GUY'S BATTERY GOES DEAD OR HE RUSTS IN THE RAI N.
N EVER MIND WHAT I MEAN. YOU DRAW THE CONTRACT.
THEN, UH, COME ON DOWN HERE.
I WANT YOU TO SHAKE HAN DS WITH YOUR N EW ACE P ITCH ER.
[crowd cheering]
YOU, UH, YOU GOT
THE SIGNALS DOWN ALL RIGHT, KI D?
YES.
KI D, DON'T BE N ERVOUS.
N ERVOUS?
I LL AT EASE, CASEY, AS I F
YOUR ELECTRODES WERE MALFU NCTIONING.
YOU KNOW, N ERVOUS.
LIKE THERE'S TWO OUT IN THE N I NTH.
YOU'RE ONE UP, AND JOE DI MAGG IO
COMES TO THE PLATE LOOKING I NTENT.
WELL, THAT WOULDN'T MAKE ME N ERVOUS.
I DON'T KNOW ANYONE NAM ED JOE DI MAGG IO.
OH, YEAH.
I FORGOT ABOUT THAT.
WELL, YOU JUST GET IN THERE.
GO AHEAD.
MR. MCGARRY,
WHAT TEAM IS CASEY P ITCHING AGAINST?
THE NEW YORK GIANTS.
OH, I'D LOVE TO BEAT THOSE GIANTS.
BUT FOR THAT MATTER, I'D LOVE TO BEAT CI NCIN NATI
OR PH I LADELPH IA, OR THE BRAVES.
OR EVEN THE H ICKSVI LLE BU LLETS.
THEY BEAT US 1 1 -0 IN SPRING TRAINING.
OH, I THINK CASEY WILL COME TH ROUG H FOR YOU, MR. MCGARRY.
YEAH? WHAT'S IN THIS FOR YOU, DOC?
OH, YOU MEAN WITH CASEY?
OH, JUST SCI ENTIF IC, THAT'S ALL.
PU RELY EXPERI MENTAL.
YOU KNOW, I THINK CASEY'S SOME SORT OF A SU PERMAN.
I'D LIKE TO HAVE THAT PROVEN.
ONCE, I BU I LT A HOME ECONOM IST
AND MARVELOUS COOK.
I GAIN ED 46 POU N DS
BEFORE I HAD TO DISMANTLE H ER.
NOW WITH CASEY'S SKI LLS
I CONSIDER THAT WITH HIS STRENGTH AND ACCU RACY
H E'D BE A BASEBALL P ITCH ER.
NOW IN ORDER TO HAVE THAT PROVED
I HAD TO HAVE HIM P ITCH IN COM PETITION
AND AS AN ACI D TEST,
TO P ITCH ON ABSOLUTELY
THE WORST BALL TEAM I COULD F IN D.
THANKS A LOT, DOC.
YOU GOT A LOT OF CLASS.
PLAY BALL!
[whoosh]
STEE-RI KE!
[crack of bat]
[hollow plunk]
[crowd gasping]
NO FRACTU RE, NO CONCUSS ION, REFLEXES SEEM NORMAL.
I THINK YOU'RE GOING TO BE ALL RIGHT, MR. CASEY.
OH, BOY. I CAN BREATHE AGAIN.
ALL I KEPT THINKING ABOUT
WAS, "THERE GOES CASEY.
"THERE GOES THE PEN NANT.
THERE GOES THE SERI ES."
THERE GOES YOUR CAREER.
(doctor) YES, SIR, MR. CASEY.
I THINK YOU'RE IN GOOD SHAPE HERE.
ALTHOUGH WH EN I HEARD
HOW HARD THAT BALL H IT YOU,
I WON DERED TO MYSELF HOW A--
HOW A--
COUG H, MR. CASEY.
[mechanical click]
WHAT'S WRONG?
WELL, THERE'S NOTHING WRONG.
THEN WHAT ARE YOU PRYING FOR?
WELL, THERE'S NOT A THING WRONG.
EVERYTHING IS JUST F IN E.
IT'S JUST THAT--
JUST THAT WHAT?
WELL, THIS, UH--
THIS MAN DOESN'T HAVE ANY PU LSE.
NO HEARTBEAT.
TH IS, UH...
THIS MAN ISN'T ALIVE.
IT WILL HAVE TO COME OUT NOW.
WHAT'S THIS ALL ABOUT, MOUTH?
WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO PULL OFF?
YOU'RE NOT GON NA LIKE THIS BUT--
U H, DOCTOR, I THINK YOU SHOU LD KNOW THIS
BEFORE YOU GO ANY FU RTH ER.
THIS MAN HASN'T A PU LSE OR A HEARTBEAT
BECAUSE HE DOESN'T HAVE A HEART.
HE'S A ROBOT.
(doctor) A WHAT?
(Stillman) A ROBOT.
YOU'RE SURE?
BY ALL MEANS. I BU I LT HIM.
AND HE'S BEEN P ITCHING FOR THE HOBOKEN ZEPHYRS.
U N DER THE CI RCU MSTANCES, AS TEAM PHYS ICIAN
I'M AFRAI D IMUST NOTI FY THE BASEBALL COM MISS ION ER.
CASEY, MOVE OVER.
ARTICLE SIX, SECTION TWO, THE BASEBALL CODE.
I QUOTE--
"A TEAM SHALL CONSIST OF NINE MEN."
END OF QUOTE.
"MEN," UNDERSTAND?
NOT ROBOTS.
HE'S SUSPENDED.
THAT'S MY FINAL DECISION.
COM MISS ION ER, TO ALL I NTENTS AND PU RPOSES
HE IS HUMAN!
CASEY...
TALK TO HIM.
TELL HIM ABOUT YOURSELF.
WHAT SHOU LD I SAY?
SEE? HE TALKS BETTER THAN ME
AND HE'S A LOT SMARTER
THAN MOST OF THOSE M UTTON H EADS.
HE IS NOT HUMAN!
HOW HUMAN DO YOU WANT HIM?
HE'S GOT ARMS AND LEGS AND A FACE AND HE TALKS.
AND NO HEART.
HE DOESN'T EVEN OWN A HEART.
HOW COULD HE BE HUMAN WITHOUT A HEART?
BEASLEY HASN'T GOT A HEART EITHER.
HE OWNS 40% OF THE CLU B.
THAT'S IT. HE DOESN'T HAVE A HEART
THAT MEANS HE ISN'T HUMAN.
THAT'S A CLEAR VIOLATION
OF THE BASEBALL CODE.
HE DOESN'T PLAY.
MR. COM MISS ION ER
SU PPOSE WE GAVE HIM A HEART.
IF THAT'S WHAT MAKES HIM DIFFERENT
I THINK I COULD OPERATE AND SU PPLY HIM WITH A HEART.
YOU CAN DO THAT ?
NO TROUBLE AT ALL.
DO YOU WANNA PLAY?
OF COURSE H E WANTS TO PLAY.
[Iaughs]
YOU'RE SURE?
I GUARANTEE IT.
IF HE WERE TO BE GIVEN A HEART
WOULD YOU CLASS I FY HIM AS A...
WELL, WHAT I MEAN IS, WOULD YOU CALL HIM A...
HE HAD ME FOOLED EVEN WITHOUT ON E.
ALL RIGHT, ALL RIGHT.
WITH A HEART, I'LL GIVE HIM A TEM PORARY OKAY
U NTI L THE LEAG U E M EETING IN OCTOBER.
THEN WE'LL HAVE TO TAKE IT UP.
THE OTHER CLU BS
ARE GONNA SCREAM BLOODY M U RDER.
I CAN JUST HEAR DU ROCHER NOW.
[chuckling]
WELL, THEN IT'S ALL SETTLED.
CASEY GETS A HEART
AND ACCREDITATION AS BEING A HUMAN
AND THE HOBOKEN ZEPHYRS...
TAKE IT, MOUTHY.
THE HOBOKEN ZEPHYRS WIN THE PEN NANT
FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 23 YEARS.
[jiggling] (Beasley) OPERATOR.
[jiggling] OPERATOR!
OPERATOR, YOU SURE YOU'RE RINGING THE RIGHT NUMBER?
YEAH, THAT'S IT.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
ANY N EWS?
THE OPERATOR CAN'T GET AN ANSWER.
THE DOCTOR'S STILL NOT AT HIS HOUSE.
MAYBE HE'S STILL IN THE M I DDLE OF THE OPERATION.
WHATSAMATTER? HE CAN'T USE ONE HAND TO P ICK U P A PHON E?
I CAN'T WAIT ANY LONG ER.
I GOTTA GIVE TH EM THE LIN EU P.
CARTER, YOU START.
FOLLOWED BY O'HARA, SM ITH AND JONES.
NOW LISTEN, YOU GUYS.
THAT'S THE EN EMY OUT THERE.
THAT'S THE N EW YORK GIANTS.
WHILE YOU'RE OUT THERE,
REMEMBER THERE'S A BIG FELLOW NAM ED CASEY
LYING ON A TABLE STRUGG LING FOR HIS LIFE.
AND I KNOW THAT THE LAST THING HE SAID
BEFORE THAT NIGHT WHEN HE HAD HIS CH EST,
[sniff]
HE SAID, "GO OUT THERE, ZEPHYRS,
AND WIN THIS ONE FOR THE BIG GUY."
PULL YOURSELF TOGETHER, MON K.
AND I'LL TELL YOU SOMETHING ELSE, YOU GUYS,
FROM NOW ON, THERE'S GONNA BE A GHOST IN THE DUGOUT,
NUMBER 7.
OLD NUMBER 7.
SO JUST BEFORE YOU GO TO BATTLE,
I WANT YOU TO LOOK OVER TO WHERE HE USED TO S IT,
'CAUSE HE'S GONNA BE THERE.
HE'S GONNA BE THERE IN SP I RIT.
AND HE'S GON NA BE YELLING FOR US,
AND ROOTI N' FOR US! AND SCREAM I N'...
"GO, ZEPHYRS! GO, GO, GO!"
HI, CASEY.
AND I'LL TELL YOU SOMETHING ELSE
ABOUT THE BIG GUY.
HE HAS GOT A HEART.
CASEY!
[all shouting]
HOW ARE YOU, OLD BOY?
ALL RIGHT, ALL RIGHT, QU I ET DOWN. QU I ET DOWN.
WELL?
(Stillman) TELL HIM, CASEY.
LISTEN, MR. MCGARRY.
[ticking]
YOU GOT A HEART.
LOOK AT HIS SMILE.
THE ONE THING I COULDN'T GET HIM TO DO.
YEAH. IT'S WON DERFU L.
JUST WON DERFU L.
I FEEL LIKE TOGETHERN ESS.
ALL RIGHT! LET'S GET OUT THERE!
[shouting]
HERE YOU ARE, SEVEN.
GO SU IT UP.
TOGETHERN ESS.
PLAY BALL!
[crowd cheering]
ALL RIGHT.
ALL RIGHT, I'LL LISTEN.
I'M A REASONABLE MAN, I'LL LISTEN TO ANYTHING.
AS YOU WELL KNOW, DOCTOR, BUT MAYBE YOU CAN TELL ME
HOW ONE MINUTE HE CAN LOOK LIKE THREE BOB FELLERS
AND THE NEXT LIKE A TAN KER WITH NOTHING.
OR MAYBE YOU CAN EXPLAIN, CASEY,
HOW YOU CAN P ITCH N IN E BALLS AND ALLOW FOUR SING LES
TWO DOUBLES, TWO TRIPLES AND A HOME RUN.
SHALL I TELL HIM, CASEY?
WELL, SOMEBODY TELL ME.
CASEY'S GOT A HEART.
ALL RIGHT, SO CASEY'S GOT A HEART.
THE THING IS, MR. MCGARRY,
I JUST COULDN'T STRI KE THOSE POOR FELLOWS OUT.
I DIDN'T HAVE IT IN ME TO DO THAT,
TO H U RT THEIR FEELINGS.
I FELT COM PASS ION.
THAT'S IT. HE'S GOT COMPASSION.
SEE HOW HE SMILES?
GIVE A MAN A HEART, MR. MCGARRY,
PARTICU LARLY SOMEON E LIKE CASEY
WHO HASN'T BEEN AROUND LONG ENOUGH
TO U N DERSTAND COM PETITIVEN ESS OR DRIVE OR EGO.
THAT'S WHAT HAPPENS.
I'M SORRY, MR. MCGARRY.
I JUST CAN'T H U RT FELLOWS' CAREERS.
DR. STILLMAN THINKS
I SHOU LD GO INTO SOCIAL WORK.
THAT'S RIGHT.
I WANT TO H ELP PEOPLE.
BYE.
WELL, I KNOW SOMEBODY HE CAN H ELP FOR A START.
M E.
PERHAPS YOU'D LIKE TO KEEP CASEY'S BLU EPRI NTS.
A LITTLE MEM ENTO MIGHT CH EER YOU UP.
GOODBYE.
WAIT, WAIT.
HEY, DOC, WAIT A MINUTE!
DOC!
HEY, DOC! WAIT A MINUTE!
DOC!
HEY, DOC!
WAIT A MINUTE!
(male narrator) ONCE UPON A TIME THERE WAS A MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL TEAM
CALLED THE HOBOKEN ZEPHYRS
WHO DURING THE LAST YEAR OF THEIR EXISTENCE
WOUND UP IN LAST PLACE
AND SHORTLY THEREAFTER WOUND UP IN OBLIVION.
THERE'S A RUMOR, UNSUBSTANTIATED, OF COURSE,
THAT A MANAGER NAMED MCGARRY TOOK THEM TO THE WEST COAST
AND WOUND UP WITH SEVERAL PENNANTS
AND A COUPLE OF WORLD'S CHAMPIONSHIPS.
THIS TEAM HAD A PITCHING STAFF THAT MADE HISTORY.
OF COURSE, NONE OF THEM SMILED VERY MUCH
BUT IT HAPPENS TO BE A FACT
THEY PITCHED LIKE NOTHING HUMAN
AND IF YOU'RE INTERESTED
AS TO WHERE THESE GENTLEMEN CAME FROM
YOU M IGHT CHECK UNDER "B" FOR "BASEBALL"
IN THE TWILIGHT ZONE.
(male announcer) ROD SERLING, THE CREATOR OF TWILIGHT ZONE,
WILL TELL YOU ABOUT NEXT WEEK'S STORY
AFTER THIS WORD FROM OUR ALTERNATE SPONSOR.
AND NOW, MR. SERLING.
NEXT WEEK, WE TAKE YOU BACK
INTO THE DARK AND H I DDEN, U N EXPLORED RECESSES OF A WRITER'S MIND,
AND DO SOME PROBING AS TO JUST HOW THIS TYPE OF B I RD OPERATES.
IT'S A FASCI NATING EXCU RS ION INTO THE ODDBALL.
ON THE TWILIGHT ZONE NEXT WEEK, KEENAN WYN N AND PHYLLIS KI RK
STAR IN RICHARD MATH ESON'S A WORLD OF HIS OWN,
AND IN THIS PARTICU LAR ON E, EVEN THIS KOOKY WRITER GETS INTO THE ACT.
GOOD NIGHT.
[eerie music]
(male announcer) KIMBERLEY CLARK INVITES YOU
TO WATCH STEVE MCQUEEN
IN WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE.
SATURDAY NIGHTS OVER MOST OF THESE SAME STATIONS.