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Rookie of the Year
The movie poster for Rookie of the Year.
Directed by	Daniel Stern
Produced by	Robert Harper
Written by	Sam Harper
Starring	Thomas Ian Nicholas Gary Busey
Music by	Bill Conti
Distributed by	20th Century Fox
Release date(s)	July 7, 1993
Running time	103 min.
Language	English
IMDb profile

Rookie of the Year is a 1993 baseball movie starring Thomas Ian Nicholas and Gary Busey.

Albert Hall, Dan Hedaya, Eddie Bracken, Amy Morton, Bruce Altman, John Gegenhuber, and Daniel Stern (who also directed) co-star. John Candy also co-stars, but was uncredited.

Contents 1 Plot 2 MLB Player Cameos 3 Inconsistencies With Professional Baseball 4 Trivia 5 External links

Henry Rowengartner (Nicholas), a 12-year-old Little Leaguer, has dreams of playing in the major leagues. One day, Henry breaks his arm trying to catch a fly ball and has to wrap it in a cast. When the cast is removed, he celebrates the occasion by attending a Chicago Cubs game in the bleachers of Wrigley Field with his friends. One of his friends catches a visiting team home run ball and gives it to Henry to throw it back. He shocks the crowd by throwing it all the way back to home plate. His doctor explains that he can throw this far and this hard because the tendons in his arm have healed "a little tight."

The Cubs, in need of a "miracle" to save the poor-performing team, sign Henry to a contract, making him the youngest-ever major leaguer. Henry's mother's boyfriend, Jack, whom Henry dislikes, signs on as Henry's manager. When Henry first enters the locker room he is awestruck to be in the presence of some of his heroes, including his idol Chet "Rocket" Stedman (Busey), an irascible pitcher in the twilight of his career who suffers from shoulder pain on the mound and frequently makes grunting or painful sounds such as "EEEYAH!" after each pitch.

Henry's first appearance as a relief pitcher comes against the New York Mets which proves to be disastrous. In that game, he gives up a home run to Alejandro "Butch" Heddo, with Heddo mocking Henry as he trots the bases. Chet Steadman, gives Henry some advice on becoming a better major-league pitcher (especially control of the pitches), including using the "have to". After that, the Cubs keep winning, and he keeps earning saves.

In one game at Dodger Stadium, Henry is shocked to learn that he is going up to bat (as National League pitchers must bat). Although Henry is very nervous at the plate, the pitcher (frustrated by Henry's tiny strike zone) walks Henry on four straight pitches. On the last pitch, Henry closes his eyes and swings at the ball after the ball is already in the catcher's mitt, leading announcer John Candy to say "Hank took a big rip at that one, but the ump had already made the call". Once Henry arrives at first base, he begins taunting the pitcher (using one of his most famous quotes, "Pitcher's got a big butt! Pitcher's got a big butt!" with the pitcher actually checking his butt!). The pitcher then tries to pick Henry off but overthrows it and Henry goes to second where he continues teasing the pitcher and the second baseman. He and the next batter would later score the go-ahead runs despite the batter nearly passing Henry on the bases.

Henry endorses several products, including Diet Pepsi, where he replaces Ray Charles in the popular "You Got the Right One, Baby" campaign. However, he and Jack have a falling out when Jack reveals a plot to sell his contract to the New York Yankees. Henry fires Jack. Henry's mother also breaks up with Jack over his obsession with making money off of Henry.

The final game of the season pits the Cubs against the Mets. Before the game, Henry announces to the Cubs' owner that it will be his last game. He also tells the owner about Jack and General Manager Larry Fisher's scheme to try to sell Henry to the Yankees. Later it is shown that Larry has in response been demoted down to hot dog vendor.

It also proves to be Steadman's last game. Given the start, he initially pitches like he hasn't pitched in years. However, his arm is dramatically blown out (accompanied with an intense guitar riff) on his last pitch in the seventh inning, forcing Henry to step in to finish the game.

Henry completes the seventh and eighth innings without trouble. However, as Henry walks out to the field in the ninth, he trips on a baseball and falls on his side. He is all right, but he can no longer throw a 100-mile-per-hour fastball. After letting his teammates know what happened, Henry instead must rely on his wit with their help. He intentionally walks the first two consecutive Mets batters. He also gets the first runner out by doing a hidden ball trick; he sneaks the ball to his first baseman and gets the Mets player out. He dares the second runner to run to second base; Henry gets him out by faking a high throw of the ball and then running and tagging him.

Finally, Henry faces his old nemesis, Alejandro "Butch" Heddo. Determined to get his ultimate revenge, Henry throws a changeup for the first strike. Heddo is not fooled with Henry's next pitch and he sends it skyrocketing toward home run territory. However, it barely sails past the foul pole. Rattled, Henry bides his time and peels back the mitt to find his mother's name on it. Surprised, he turns to his mother in the stands, who mouths, "Float it." Regaining his confidence, Rowengartner lobs a palm-down underhanded floater pitch. A shocked Heddo swings and misses for the final out, who then throws a tantrum right at home plate while the Cubs celebrate winning the division. Thanks to Henry, the Cubs win their division title and go on to win the World Series.

At the end of the movie, Henry is playing Little League again, with his mother as the new coach and Chet Steadman as her assistant. Henry flashes a ring with a blue stone in it. The inscription reads: WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS.

The movie omits the NLCS and World Series and leaves it unclear how the Cubs were able to win those series without their best two pitchers.

• Bobby Bonilla
• Barry Bonds
• Pedro Guerrero

This section may contain original research or unverified claims. Please improve the article by adding references. See the talk page for details. (September 2007)

A player who had previously been under contract with a Major League club and appeared in several games would not be allowed to participate in Little League baseball. Furthermore, no Major League club can sign a player under the age of 16.

An umpire who observed Henry taking the tape off his glove in the final scene would immediately investigate the possibility of tampering with the ball. Pitchers are not permitted to have any foreign substances on their person or equipment.

Wrigley Field contracts its concessions sales to independent vendors. The owner of the Cubs has no power to force his general manager to sell hot dogs.

The hidden ball trick used in the movie would be considered a balk, because the pitcher may not go on the pitching rubber without the ball.

It is likely that upon swinging at the ball, the umpire would declare the pitch a strike, as a base umpire can call a runner out at first for example, then call the runner safe because the fielder dropped the ball.

Henry's delivery in his second game versus the Giants would be considered illegal, as he begins "from the stretch" with his feet together, before "coming set" with his feet apart.

• The Dodger Stadium scenes were filmed at U.S. Cellular Field, formerly known as New Comiskey Park.

• When the Mets hitter in the final game hits the foul ball, you can clearly see a hand throwing a ball in the air when it shows the ball against blackness.

• Rookie of the Year at the Internet Movie Database