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- A letter came for you today.

- Another rejection?

This is an invitation,

the Big League tryout camp in Los Angeles.

- You re getting another chance, Early.

Oh, my.

- Camp starts next Monday, lasts six weeks.

I ll play for Big League scouts at the end.

- You really think you stand a chance?

- Yeah, I do.

I hit over .350 last season.

- That was Division II at a small college.

Not even 60 games.

- I can do this, Pa.

- What about your shoulder?

You told me yourself no pro scout would touch you

after that injury.

- I ve been doing my rehab exercises morning and night.

- You come home from a game at night,

couldn t even lift your arm.

- It s better now.

I got through my last year of college ball just fine,

no problem.

- Look, it can t hurt to try, can it?

- Six weeks is too long. I need you here.

- Well, I was thinking that you could hire Jesse Goodall.

- I can t afford to take anybody on right now.

- Oh, Cliff, he s--

- I ll pay Jesse s wage.

- And how do you aim to do that?

- I ll get a part-time job while I m in L.A.

This is my only chance.

Dad, I ve wanted this my whole life.

- I got in. - Beto, no way!

Congratulations.

- I m in for the L.A. camp.

- My baby boy!

Going to the Big Leagues, huh?

Great.

- Ariana, I got into the baseball camp.

- You already forget you have a scholarship to college?

- Yeah, but if I get signed to a Big League team at this camp,

I won t have to study anything but hitting for average,

throwing down to second, and calling games like a boss.

- I got an order for five beef tamales.

If you re not too much of a big star yet,

can you go get me a bag of shredded cheese

and some chorizo from downstairs?

- Yes, ma am. Anything you say.

- Thank you.

- Thanks for your letter.

I m so excited for you backing my new restaurant.

- So everything s on time?

- Yes. I m having the kitchen equipment installed on the 24th.

- Great. Let s set up a visit.

- Sure. You can meet me there.

I d love to discuss your thoughts on the menu.

- We re looking forward to meeting Chef Rodrigo.

He will be a part of your daily operation?

- No. - No?

- No, my father won t be involved

in the day-to-day, but...

- He is your partner on this, right?

- He s been incredibly supportive of me my whole life.

- Good. We re counting on Chef Rodrigo to be there.

- Yes.

- Okay.

- Yeah, you were pretty pumped, man.

- Iowa, huh?

- Early Lindstrom. Nice to meet you.

- Hey, don t mind him.

Bit of an attitude, but he s all right.

- You know him?

- That s Damon Thompson, second base.

I played against him in some tournaments.

Daddy s some big deal agent.

- I m Early.

- I d say you re right on time, right?

- Never heard that one before.

- I m Roberto Vita, catcher.

People call me Beto. What position you play?

- Shortstop.

- Hope your game s in better shape than your truck.

- Oh, yeah?

- Ugh, so vile, man.

Being forced to live in here

is definitely like cruel and unusual punishment.

- Home sweet home.

- That s mine.

- Oh. Looked empty to me.

- Yeah, well, um, I just told you.

It s taken.

- No problem.

I ll take the top bunk.

- Good boy.

- He s normally into the right. - You guys ready?

- Yeah, he can go all the way, though.

- Covers a lot of ground. - He really does.

- Hey, guys, which one s Coach Willis?

- Probably the one with the name tag that says "Coach Willis."

- Blue cap with the red clipboard.

- Thanks.

- Let s bring it in.

Congratulations.

You ve been invited here because we believe

that you have a real chance of playing pro baseball.

During the next six weeks,

you ll be drilling, practicing,

and playing inter-squad games

in order to showcase your abilities.

We ll have one cut about halfway through.

But by the end of camp,

we ll have this roster cut down to two teams

that will square off against each other in a final game.

That game will be attended by scouts

from everybody in the Bigs.

Quite a few big-leaguers

have stood exactly where you are today.

I suggest you make the most of this chance here.

- Yes, sir.

- All right, gentlemen, let s see what you got.

- All right, Coach. Thank you.

- Coach Willis, I just wanted to introduce myself.

I m Early Lindstrom.

- Lindstrom. Iowa, right?

- Yes, sir. Thank you for the opportunity.

- I want to see what you can do at second base.

- Second? - Uh-huh.

- Sir, I m-- I m not sure if I m--

- They say if you can play short, you can play anywhere.

You want to prove em right,

or you want to prove em wrong?

- What are you looking for?

- The small molcajete, the one that I use to...

- Hmm.

- Ah, thank you.

- Hang on. I-I want you to taste something.

- Honey, I m kind of busy. - It ll only take a second.

What is that?

- This is a Mexican paella.

- Paella s a Spanish dish.

- This is Spanish-Mexican fusion.

I used poblano chilies, Mexican chorizo,

and tequila.

- It s...different.

- Different? - Yeah, its tasty.

But we do traditional authentic Mexican cuisine.

- Then what about my own restaurant?

There s opportunity out there. I m ready.

- You re not ready. You re not even close to ready.

- And how would you know?

You ve never even give me a chance to show you that--

- Mija, feel free to experiment on your own time,

but right now, we ve got a lunch rush to prep for

and your abuela s birthday tonight.

- Come on, Blake. Sit him down!

Go!

Move the heat!

There it is! - You re way behind it.

Come on, now.

- Sure you want to do this?

Small-time boy like you could get hurt.

Yep.

Clocked in about 99.

Maybe you ve never seen one like it before.

- There s a first time for everything.

- Sit him down. That s right, Blake!

- Good shot. That s the way you do it, Early.

- Hey, farm boy.

Better enjoy it. It s not gonna happen again.

- All right.

- You don t even know what you just did, do you?

- That s Blake Barlow, man, the B Train.

He was undefeated in Triple-A.

He got kicked off for conduct detrimental to the team.

- Then why is he here?

- Cause he s got a 100-mile-an-hour fastball,

which you just took downtown on your first at bat.

- Yeah.

- That it, right there, yeah. Perfect. Thank you.

- Okay, sure.

- Oh, let s get a few more balloons up.

My grandma loves balloons. Thanks.

- Hey, Ari. - What s up?

- I think you dropped this.

- Thanks.

- You re welcome.

- What?

- Who s it from?

- No one.

- Look, you can tell me.

I can keep a secret.

- There s no secret.

- Give your girl some credit.

- Why don t you finish the rest of these,

and I ll go check on the churros?

- It s a little early for the sharks to be circling,

isn t it, Taylor?

- A well-trained eye can pick up on almost everything

it needs to know day one of camp,

and these baby blues saw a few things they liked today.

Taylor Dahms. - My dad s assistant.

- Junior agent.

- Hi. Early Lindstrom.

- Lower Iowa, shortstop, career .330 hitter.

Suffered a shoulder injury on your family s farm

that disrupted your college career,

but you worked your way back up to top form senior year.

- She s good, man, I m telling you.

- She must be a genius if she knows about farm boy, here.

- Roberto Vita, West L.A.

Can consistently throw out base runners and hit for average,

but bat strength and play patience is a concern.

- I d be more concerned about his reflexes.

- Dude, bro, you are so done, man.

- So you want to be an agent?

- Oh, I will be. I have a degree in sports management

and an MBA from Stanford.

And I ll tell you a secret.

My passion, it s baseball.

- Mine too.

- The all-American boy.

I smell endorsements.

- Endorsements?

- See you around, Early Lindstrom.

- Wow.

- Hey, man, any chance you can give me a ride to work?

I gotta start my shift in an hour.

- Uh, I ve got--

- I ll throw in dinner at my family s restaurant.

- I thought you didn t like my truck.

- Are you kidding me? I love your truck.

It s, um, vintage. It s a classic.

- Family s restaurant? What kind of food do they serve?

- Now, that right there

is the question to be asking, my friend.

- I thought you said it was close by.

- That was only, like, six miles.

- It took an hour.

- Welcome to L.A.

Hey, don t sweat it. I m about to hook you up

with some of the best food in the entire city.

- Oh, you cooking me dinner?

This is only our first date, man.

- I m no cook, but I work as a server sometimes,

cause I got the gift of gab.

- So who does the cooking?

- My dad s the chef/owner. He s training my sister, Ariana.

She ll end up running the place someday,

if they don t end up killing each other first.

By the way, it s my abuela s birthday.

- Your what?

- My grandmother, so the restaurant s officially closed.

Private party thing.

- Oh, dude, I don t want to intrude on anything.

- Oh, no, you re not gonna get off that easy.

Come on, let s go.

- Hey. - Hi, Beto.

- Hey, there s my baby boy. How was your first day?

- Pretty good, but I didn t blast one 400 feet

off Blake Barlow like this guy.

This is Early. He gave me a ride.

- Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Vita.

It s quite a place you have here.

- Please, call me Rodrigo or Chef Rodrigo.

- I promised him some food.

- Uh, great. Well, why don t you just take a seat right here.

I don t know if Beto told you, but we re having a private party

for my mother.

- Yeah, I didn t want to barge in.

- Oh, no, no, you re not barging in.

Why don t you get him some appetizers, the mixed platter?

- Now you re in for it.

- Okay, he ll take care of you.

Enjoy.

- Where s Freddy? - No, no se.

- Anyone seen him?

- I saw him heading out back for his break.

- That was like an hour ago.

I need more tomatillo salsa prepped, like, now.

- I ll find him. - Thank you.

- What s up, Ari?

- Busy, missing a prep cook. Are you crazy? What are you doing?

- Papa s orders.

- Stop! Stop it.

- Customer awaits.

- Hey, Ari. - What s up?

- So I found Freddy.

He s, um...

You better see for yourself.

- Okay.

- Buen provecho.

That s "bon appétit" in Iowan.

- Wow, I ve never seen Mexican food like this before.

- This is real Mexican food from the south.

- What s all the black stuff on the chicken?

- That s mole sauce, Gomer.

- Wow. - Pretty good, huh?

- I can t believe you. That is so disrespectful.

Get out! Get out of here!

I never want to see your face again!

- Who s that? - That is my sister.

- Hey, hey, hey, hey, mija.

Mija, you can t cause a scene like that.

- He fell sleep on abuela s birthday.

- I know, but now we have to find a prep cook.

- Well, we ll just have to hire somebody to work nights, ASAP.

- I can do it.

- I m sorry. Who are you?

- I m Early. I met Beto today at camp.

- Thank you, but we re really fine.

- Do you think you ll have the time?

- Well, we re supposed to be done at sundown every day,

and I really need a job while I m here.

- Hey, if you can hit a home run off of Blake Barlow,

you can prep in my kitchen any day.

Ariana will train you.

- I typically have say in who I work with in my kitchen.

Do you have any professional experience?

- No, but I m a really hard worker.

- You ll be perfect as our temp

until we can find someone permanent.

- And I promise not to fall asleep on you.

We really should discuss this.

- There s no need for discussion.

My instinct says he ll be perfect.

(whispers) Trust me.

Thank you. Good call.

Hi. Mwah.

- Looks delicious. What is it?

- Flan.

Custard with caramel.

- Oh.

- Ariana.

- No.

- I still can t find the difference

coming out of the hand.

- All right, let me show you something.

- We re on lunch, guys.

Don t you guys have anything better to do?

- Nothing in the world I d rather be doing.

Okay, just don t swing. Just watch, okay?

You see that? It s a straight fastball.

The seams roll on top of each other, okay?

- Bottom dropped out of that hand.

- Right, that s the splitter.

- Yeah, but how do I know before I swing and hit and miss.

- Just read the seams, okay? Rotation isn t as tight,

and it s gonna break right about here.

All right? Take a live one.

- All right.

- See? That s it.

- Not bad, farm boy.

Not bad.

- Thank you.

- Is there something I can do to help you?

- It takes me time to show you how to do things,

time I don t have right now.

- There s got to be something I can do for you.

- You know what this is?

- A chili pepper? - It s chile de arbol.

Bold heat,

15,000 to 30,000 on the Scoville scale,

has a subtle, smoky flavor.

How about this?

Easy one.

- I have-- I have no idea.

- Chipotle.

It s a jalapeño, ripened then smoke-dried.

We have two varieties we use in this kitchen,

meco and morita.

Meco has a more intense smoky flavor.

- Okay, um, let me guess.

Those look like zucchinis.

- Those are calabacitas.

- Onions! Those are onions, for sure.

- Congratulations.

You have now justified my father s hiring of someone

who s never stepped foot inside a professional kitchen.

- Hey, I got one out of four, okay.

So I m batting .250 out of the gate.

That s not bad for a start.

- Please, no baseball analogies.

- Oh, I gather you re not a fan.

- Just don t think it s the end-all, be-all way of life,

like some people around here.

Follow me.

- Come on, let s go, Early!

- Got another long ball in you today, Nebraska?

- Iowa.

- Nice, Blake. Good shot.

Here we go.

- Take him deep again, Lindstrom.

- Right in there, Blake.

- Oh, oh! - You all right, bro?

- Hey. - Get back in the box, kid.

- What was that?

Come here and say that. Come here and say that!

Let me go! - Take it easy.

- All right! - Calm down.

- Okay. I m fine. I m good.

- It s not worth it. - Relax.

- Ice, 20 on, 20 off.

- What s this?

- Ibuprofen for inflammation.

Take it.

- Actually, you know what?

It s not that bad.

- That s good, Max.

Early, there s a fine line

between being hard-nosed and being a problem.

- I know. I m sorry, Coach.

He s been out to get me ever since I hit that fastball.

- I took a risk bringing you to this camp.

Anybody who can work themselves back from an injury like yours

doesn t lack character or determination,

but what I need is for you to bring that character

every day.

- Yes, sir.

You won t see any more trouble out of me.

- Good.

- What can I do to get Beto to notice me?

- I don t understand why you re so hung up on my brother.

You could do so much better than a baseball player.

They re just overgrown children, I swear.

- Beto is nice.

- Not the first word I d use to describe him.

- He s super funny,

and he s so cute.

- Okay, I don t need to hear that.

Look, why don t you just tell him how you feel?

My brother really doesn t have the intellect for subtlety.

- Yeah, but what if he laughs in my face?

Then I have to see him here all the time,

and it s just gonna be uncomfortable.

- I honestly think he d be lucky to have you.

- What about you?

- What about me?

- You haven t been on a date in, like, a year.

- It hasn t been a year.

I don t think.

- See? I m right.

- I m gonna go check on the food.

- Excellent camp today, gentlemen.

We re almost at the midpoint.

Cut day is next week.

You re making my decisions real tough,

just the way I like it.

All right, get on out of here.

Get yourselves some rest.

- Keep the night of cut day open, y all.

- Yeah, my dad s annual soiree

for the soon-to-be-signed is coming up.

- Soiree, huh?

- That s L.A. for "fancy party."

- I know what it means.

- Beto, make sure farm boy takes a shower.

- I take no responsibility for his hygiene.

- You don t get cut, you re invited,

and it s not something you want to miss,

from a business standpoint or otherwise.

- Hey, you coming? - Yeah, in a bit.

- Bro, don t you ever get tired?

- I d bet my ride he s a robot.

- I ll sleep when I get signed.

- I thought I said we were done for the day, Early.

- Actually, I don t have to be at work

for another couple of hours yet, so I was gonna see

if Coach Tannen could hit me some grounders at second.

Hey, Mom.

- Hey, there you are. Haven t heard from you.

- I m sorry. I ve just been super busy.

- How s it going? How are you feeling?

- I m good. I m hanging in there.

- How s your shoulder?

- Uh, it s fine. It s actually--it s good.

- Okay, so what s the scoop, honey?

- Big cut day s coming up.

They re cutting almost half the players at camp.

- Well, I think they re crazy if they cut you.

- Well, Mom, I got to start my shift, so...

- Okay, well, you just better make sure you call me back.

- I will. Good night. I love you, Mom.

- I love you more.

- Okay. Bye.

- Bye.

Hmm.

- After you wash the produce,

place them in these labeled bins.

Always in the same place. It s all about the details.

With the volume we do, we can t stand to fall behind.

Ever.

- So your dad,

he seems like a pretty cool guy to work for, huh?

- Let s just say working with family has its challenges.

- Is that, like, a pizza? - Paella?

Yeah, like a traditional Mexican pizza.

Sort of. Oh, I need some tomatoes and onions diced,

if you think you can manage.

- My dad thinks I m cut out to take over the family farm.

- What? He doesn t want you to be some big baseball star?

- No, he didn t want me to come out to L.A.

He doesn t care what I want.

Sometimes it s like he doesn t even know who I am.

- Hold up.

Diced, like this.

Speed is good,

but precision is better.

And try to keep all your fingers.

- I ll make sure to do that.

That s chile de arbol, right?

- You re learning.

- I told you. I catch on quick.

- Hey.

- Hey.

- You re gonna break that broom.

- Just want to make sure

everything s completely spotless.

- Hey, come over here. I want you to try something.

I want to see what you think.

This is...

my Asian-inspired chicken and mole blanco.

- Wow. I could eat that all day.

What? What s wrong?

- I thought mole was the black stuff.

- Traditionally, yes, but this is my own recipe,

an Asian-fusion mole

made with lychee and rambutan.

- No idea what that is, but it tastes good, so...

There s over 50 ingredients in that sauce,

each one in perfect balance.

- No, sorry. This is mine.

- At Casa Vita, we share.

- No, uh-uh. This is too good to share, okay?

- Look, I know you don t like baseball analogies,

but it is a lot like this sauce.

And the restaurant, too, in a way.

- What are you talking about?

- It s all about the details, and when every player

on the field is dialed in to their roles,

it all comes together in a perfect balance.

It s a thing of beauty.

Anyways, you must sell out of this stuff, huh?

- Oh, my father would never let me put this on the menu.

- Why not?

- A dish like this doesn t fit his vision

of what Casa Vita is all about.

And because I created it.

Does that sound weird?

- No, not at all.

- I mean, I love him and we re really close, but--

- But sometimes he gets in the way of your dreams.

- Yeah.

- Ramirez, you re next in the cage!

- Get under it!

Nice! Go, let s go! Loosen up.

Two more, then move to the next station!

To first. To first!

- Tag him! Tag him!

- There you go. All the way around to the cutoff man!

- Let me see some gas!

- Oh. I thought you were my father.

- He s not in yet.

What is that?

- What do you think?

- This is fantastic.

- Yeah?

- Yeah, but I thought your dad shot down the idea

of a fusion page on our menu.

- This is something I m doing on my own.

- On your own?

Your own restaurant!

- Okay, shh, shh. You have to promise me.

Promise me you won t tell anyone,

especially my father.

- Yes! - Okay, thank you.

- This is so amazing! - Oh, thank you.

- Hey, you done for the day?

- Taking a break.

- Mm.

Here s Early s check.

How s it working out with Jesse?

- He ain t half the worker Early is.

- Well, he s got his big cut day soon.

He sounds really good on the phone.

He asked about you again.

- He doesn t need any advice from me.

- Oh, Cliff, you re his father.

- Marlene, please don t expect me to cheer him on

while he cripples himself over some pipe dream.

I can t do it.

- You remember when he was born?

- When it was our dream to have a farm

and something of our own?

Early just wants something of his own too.

- No, you re still over it. You re lunging.

Head down, eyes down, through the ball.

Dude, you tattooed that one.

- Helping Beto with his breaking ball?

- Yeah, he s coming along.

- How long you guys staying?

- Uh, not for very much longer,

unless you want to let me pull my truck out here

and hit the headlights.

- Early, I ve seen your truck.

No way I m gonna let you park it on my field.

- Whoa-ho-ho!

Hey, man, coach just bagged on you, bro.

- All right, one more.

- Here you guys are. - Thank you.

- She will be over with your drinks.

- Thanks. - Thanks.

- Mm, that looks so good.

- Here you go. Are you guys ready to order?

- All right, people, keep it up. We got this.

Ernie, where are my specials?

- Right here. - Thank you very much.

How are we doing out there, Nikki?

- Happy people, empty plates.

- That s what I like to hear.

Early.

- Hey. Did I forget something?

- No, just your hat.

- Oh, thank you.

My brain must be fried.

- You ve been doing a good job.

I wasn t sure about you at first,

but I really appreciate your hard work.

- I appreciate the opportunity.

And the free food.

Hey, uh...

Would you maybe want to go out with me sometime?

- Excuse me?

- I d just like the chance to get to know you, that s all.

- I make my run to the mercado in the morning.

- The mercado?

- Market. - Okay, all right.

- To purchase some ingredients for the restaurant.

- Okay. Great, yeah, tomorrow s perfect.

No practice tomorrow.

- But it s not a date.

Technically you re working, assisting me.

- Got it. Tomorrow.

- Tomorrow.

- Good night.

- You want to let me in on the joke?

- When we were kids, we used to tell Beto

that monsters lived down the alley.

- And then somebody would always hide in the dumpster,

and then when he d go by it, they d jump out and scream.

Beto would run home crying to Papa

every single time until he was about 14.

- You re his older sister.

Aren t you supposed to be protecting him from monsters?

- You don t have any siblings?

- Only child. - I can tell.

Beto s a total daddy s boy.

My mother passed away when I was eight.

Beto was only four.

- I don t know what I d do without my mom.

What?

- Nothing. It s...

It s sweet, that s all.

They have the best fresh produce in town.

Here, bag these for me.

Thank you. - De nada.

- Thanks. - Aquí.

- Nervous about cut day?

- Oh, so now you want to talk about baseball.

- Not at all.

- What do you have against the game?

- It s just always been shoved down my throat, you know.

It s all Papa and Beto ever talk about.

And now my brother s about to pass up a serious scholarship

to a good college because he d rather play ball,

like he s gonna be some big star,

the pride and joy,

and I m just there.

I honestly don t see why you all like it so much.

- For me, being on that field,

it s like having your heart thumping so fast,

it s about to burst out of your chest

but being completely at peace at the same time.

- So why doesn t your father want it for you?

- He s just scared.

- Scared? - That I ll get hurt.

- What, like hit by a pitch?

- No.

I had a pretty bad shoulder injury a few years back.

He thinks if I get hurt,

I won t be able to play baseball

and that I won t be able to help him on the farm either.

But what he doesn t understand

is that this is my life.

- I want to show you something on the way back.

- What is this place?

"Ariana s Mexican Fusion."

Wow!

- My restaurant.

My father made it pretty clear he wouldn t support me, so...

I m doing it on my own.

- Fusion, so that s like the Asian mole stuff, right?

- Fusion cuisine is a blending of culinary traditions--

different styles and cultures.

Here s the menu.

To me, it s part of the evolution of the culinary arts,

how traditions continue to grow my influencing each other.

This would allow me to be creative in my kitchen

every day

and to establish my own voice as a chef.

- I m impressed.

But won t you have to tell your dad eventually?

- I m waiting till I close my investors,

but it s basically a done deal.

And I put all my savings into it, so...

I m all in.

- Thank you for showing me.

And trusting me.

- We should get back. - Yeah.

- Yeah.

- Come on!

- It s gonna take some...

- Hey! - You re out there.

- Knock this one straight out of the gate!

- Gentlemen.

Congratulations. You all worked very hard.

You played the right way.

Now, whether or not you made the cut,

whether or not you re gonna continue with us on

here at camp, I want you to know

that I am proud of each and every one of you.

I wish you the very best.

- Yeah, here we go.

- That s me, baby. I m in. Damon, where you at?

- Right there.

- Awesome! I got in.

- Early?

- Congrats, man.

- Sweet!

- Just give me a second. - All right.

- Nice, man. - Yeah!

- Early.

- All right, hey, let s do it.

- I want you to know, if I could keep one more player,

it d be you.

- You don t have to say anything, Coach.

- Ah, nah, I mean it. You were my toughest cut.

Heart and leadership, you re top of the list.

It s just, after talking with the medical staff,

I just really wonder if your shoulder could hold up

to a pro baseball grind.

- Thanks for the opportunity, Coach.

Oh, come on.

It s true.

- Hey, farm boy, think fast.

- Congratulations, man.

- Nah. Congratulations to you.

- What are you talking about?

- I just talked to coach.

Looks like you re back in.

- Come on, don t mess with me, man,

not today, come on.

- I m not messing.

You re back in. I gave up my spot.

- You what? Why?

- You okay with riding around in broken-down buses?

Sleeping in roadside motels between minor league ballparks

for four, five years before getting to the Bigs?

- Sounds like heaven in a jar, yeah.

- Maybe to you.

Me?

I ll take the hotel suite and the private jet.

The agent life.

I ve decided to go work with my dad.

Yeah.

Easy, easy, easy.

You act like I m doing you a favor.

I m still gonna be making seven figures

while you re floating around playing for crowds of hundreds

in places like Portland or Des Moines.

- Hey, Des Moines is a top-notch city.

- Yeah, I ll take your word for it.

- I m glad you re not leaving, Nebraska.

You still gotta show me how to hit that breaking ball.

For real, man. You re made for this.

- I can t thank you enough, man.

- Just play your heart out.

That s all the thanks I need.

- Yeah, man.

- I won t let you down.

- If I can have your attention,

a toast to my baby boy taking his next step

on the way to the Big Leagues.

And to Early, a great new addition to our familia,

who made the team as well.

- Made it by the skin of my teeth.

- Hey, say hi to Alice. Yep.

- Congratulations.

- Thank you.

- Hey, bro.

We d better get to the party.

I got a tie for you.

- I m actually scheduled to work tonight.

- You re kidding me, right?

- Well, I could check with my supervisor.

- Just this once, I suppose.

- Well, now I ll really never have a chance with Beto.

Baseball stars only want to date supermodels.

- Thanks, boss. - All right.

- Hey, what s up, man?

Try not to put the clutch down all the way

cause it might get stuck.

- Dude, they re professionals.

- Right. Okay. There you go. Thank you.

Wow.

- And please just try to be smooth for my sake, okay?

- Okay.

- Are you coming, or what?

- Yeah, I ll meet you in there. Just give me a minute.

Wow.

- Gentlemen, can I offer you something to drink?

- Oh, thank you.

- You re welcome, sir.

- Quite the party.

- Gentlemen, glad you could make it.

- This is my dad, Dante Thompson.

- Mr. Thompson.

- Thank you for having us, sir.

- See anybody you recognize?

- Looks like half the All-Star team is here.

- That s because half the All-Star team

are my dad s clients. - Well, that may be,

but tonight, this party is all about you guys.

Here s to your continued success and prosperity.

- I just want to say, sir,

what Damon did for me today is--

- Oh, his heart hasn t been in it since high school.

- Dad.

- He just needed to get a taste of what it s really like,

the level of commitment it takes to be a pro ballplayer.

Make him a better agent someday.

- All I know is, I gotta be on that field as much as I can.

- See? That s it.

All you have to want to do is eat, drink, and sleep baseball.

- I prefer to eat sushi and drink champagne.

- I ve always had more of a proclivity for the business side

myself, but I do look forward to working closely

with my number one son.

As for you, Early, from what Damon and Taylor

have been telling me-- - My ears are ringing.

- Why don t you let Taylor show you around?

Get yourself something to eat.

- Yes, sir.

- Just got an interesting voice mail.

That was Early.

- What, did he get cut?

- No, he didn t.

- Really?

- Yeah, he s celebrating at some big, ritzy mansion right now,

and--and he s gonna be playing for the Big League scouts

at the end of the month.

- Good.

- It s so impressive.

- I m happy for him.

Really, I am.

I know it s a long way to go

before he signs any pro ball contracts, that s all.

- And all he ever wants is for you to be behind him.

- Don t you think I want to?

- I think if you did, you would.

- Marlene, you just don t get it.

With his hopes up high like this...

He is stepping into a world where they chew you up

and they spit you out like you re nothing.

And this is how I think he s really gonna get hurt.

I m not talking about his shoulder anymore.

- I don t know.

Ooh, rabbit food.

- I was thinking the same thing.

- Here, try this little protein blast.

Open up.

- Mmm.

Can I tell you something?

- Mm-hmm.

- I have big plans for you.

- I don t know the first thing about any of this stuff.

- What stuff?

- Just all the business, the money, the deals,

anything that happens off the field.

- That s why I m here.

Better not let Blake Barlow get to you.

When you get to the Bigs, he s gonna be there waiting for you.

- You do realize I just almost got cut, right?

- The coach was just spooked by your injury.

But you re young.

I ve seen players come back from way worse

and go on to have lucrative careers.

The sky s the limit for what we could do together,

Early Lindstrom.

- Uh, guys, can you give us a minute?

Take a break. Yeah.

What s this?

- I was gonna tell you.

- Tell me what?

- It s my menu

for my restaurant.

- What? Restaurant?

What are you talking about?

- I rented some space, and I purchased some equipment.

And I got some investors on board,

and I plan to open sometime next month.

- How could you just go out and do something like this

without--without a word?

- I tried.

I tried so many times, Papa.

And all I ever got from you was, "You re not ready."

- Because I m right! You re not!

Who are these investors?

Do you have a lawyer? What have you signed?

- I know what I m doing.

Believe it or not, I can actually do something,

on my own, without you hovering over my shoulder.

- You betrayed me.

- Yes! Way to go, farm boy!

- Oh, I got it, here.

- Oh.

Thank you.

- Okay, I ll go get the rest.

- Thanks for all your hard work, Early.

It s been a real pleasure having you here.

- Thanks, Chef Rodrigo.

Have a good night.

Everything okay?

My father...

he...

- Hey.

Hey, it s okay.

- It s not.

- It s okay.

- He hates me.

I ve never seen him upset like that before.

- Hey, have some faith, okay?

He ll come around.

It s just gonna take him some time, that s all.

- Yeah.

- Okay.

I m gonna finish up, all right?

- I don t know where you get all this energy from.

- I didn t have much left in the tank when camp got out today,

but I found some more energy when I thought about coming here

and seeing you.

- Forget the broom.

If you have some more energy,

let s put it to better use.

Come on.

- Um...

I am not a dancer.

- Everyone can dance.

- No, no, no, no, not this guy.

- You re athletic. You can do it.

Just relax.

See?

- Okay.

All right.

Okay.

I m sorry. I am awful at this.

See, a normal slow dance, that, I can do.

- Oh, gonna show me some moves?

- I wouldn t go that far.

- Two bags, chile de arbol.

And one bag each, chile guero,

ancho, and pasilla.

- You got it, boss.

- You re an expert now.

- I had the best teacher.

Kind of cute too.

Maybe one day, I can show you how to rope a steer,

hit a curveball.

- Maybe the steer, but no baseball.

- You got to keep an open mind.

Did you ever go see your brother play?

- Are you kidding me?

My dad used to make me go to every single one of his games

growing up. I got so burnt out.

- Well, maybe one day, you can come see me play.

- If you re lucky.

Postcard for your parents?

- Yeah. I d like to ask them one more time

if they might come out for the big game.

- Then why don t you?

- Cause it ll never happen.

My dad, he s just...

- This one right here.

That s my city.

- Thanks.

- De nada.

- You all right?

- Yeah, I just, um...

- What?

- I just feel lucky, that s all.

- All right, turn it quick.

That s right.

- No, no, no, no, no. You re still whipping it

like you re throwing from the hole in short.

I mean, there s a reason I moved you to second.

- I thought it was just cause camp was loaded with shortstops.

- You got a better chance of making it at second.

That s where you can maximize your potential.

- So you think I have potential?

- Not really.

Coach, I, uh...

I really appreciate you doing this for me.

- Oh, all I m doing is talking.

- So what do you think?

- It s gorgeous.

Totally.

Oh, this is so exciting.

I m thinking about putting, like, five tables

along this wall here.

- It s gonna be so great, Ari.

It really is, but...

- What?

- How s it going with your dad?

- He won t even look at me.

It s getting late.

Investors should be here by now.

- Maybe you should give em a call.

- Yeah, I ll try again.

Hey, it s Ariana.

- Hey, Ariana.

- I m here. Are you guys still coming down today?

- No, I m sorry. We can t make it.

We checked the quarterlies, and it s too risky.

- What?

- Yeah. I hope you understand.

We really wish you the best. Good luck, okay?

- Okay. Yeah, yeah.

No, it s fine.

- Okay. Bye.

- Thank you.

- Hey, what s up?

- They re out.

They re backing out of the deal.

They said I was too much of a risk.

- Ari?

- Hey.

- What are you doing here?

Came to see your little brother play, like the old times?

- I just dropped by to see you.

Where s Early?

- You and Mr. Nebraska

got a little something, something going on?

It s all right. You can tell me.

I promise I won t beat him up.

Ari?

Hey, are you okay?

- I m fine.

- Hey, Lindstrom.

I ve been looking for you.

- Taylor, hey.

We were just doing some extra work in the cages.

- That s my number one hardworking prospect.

Did you work up an appetite?

- Oh, I m always hungry.

- Oh, well, how about I give you a break from that dorm food?

Chicken and waffles on me?

- I m actually working tonight, so--

- Working? - At Casa Vita.

Beto s family s restaurant.

Yeah, I m helping out in the kitchen.

- That is so adorable.

Well, I think I m worth more than minimum wage,

but I ll take a rain check, just this once.

Don t disappoint me again.

- Hey! Wait!

Wait, Ariana. It s not what you...

think.

Ariana.

Can I talk to you, please?

- I m busy. - Just give me a chance.

- I said I m busy. - It s not what it looked like.

I swear. - I really don t--

I really don t want to talk to you right now.

- Okay.

- What are you doing here?

- I was just trying to talk to Ariana.

- I m pretty sure she doesn t want to talk to you.

- Come on, man. - Maybe you better go.

- Yo, I didn t even know what was happening.

- Seriously, don t mess with my sister.

- What s going on, guys?

- I was just trying to talk to Ariana for a minute.

- Yeah, Early, maybe now s not a great time.

- All right, well, then I ll, uh...

I ll go start my shift.

- Better yet, why don t you just take the night off?

I don t know what s happening between the two of you,

but I-I just--

- Everything--

I really don t want to talk about it, Papa.

- But I know that...

I don t like to see you sad.

- It s not just Early.

- Talk to me.

Que paso, Mija?

- My investors pulled out.

Everything is ruined.

Hey, Mom. - Hey.

I just wanted you to know

we got the pretty postcard.

Los Angeles is beautiful.

- Yeah.

- Everything all right?

- I messed up, Mom,

with someone I care about.

I didn t mean to, but I hurt her.

- So what are you gonna do?

- I don t know what I can do.

- Well, I ve never known you to give up on something before,

especially not something you care about.

- So any more thoughts about you and dad coming out here?

I can really use you at the game.

- I know. It s just your father, he s...

- It s okay.

- No, you know what? It s not okay,

because we really want to come.

But, you know, it s hard for him to just up and leave somehow.

- Yeah, I know. I know. I get it.

It s fine, Mom.

I love you, Mom.

Bye.

- Nice cut, lover boy.

- Making this too easy today, redneck.

- Come back any time, sweetheart.

- Beto, come on, man.

- I don t need a ride from you.

- Would you knock it off and just talk to me?

- Why?

- There is nothing going on with Taylor and I,

nothing, all right?

- Whatever, man. You hurt my sister, bro.

That can t happen.

- Ariana is one of the smartest, most amazing people

I have ever met.

I d never do anything on purpose to hurt her.

You know me better than that.

- Do I?

- I hope so.

And I hope you believe me when I say

I truly care about her.

- All right, all right.

I don t need all gooey details.

- Seriously, man, I got to find a way to make it up to her.

- I know my sister.

You got to give her some time.

- Well?

- Well, what?

You ve been promising me a trip

for nine, ten years now.

- We ll get around to it.

And when we do, we won t be going to Los Angeles.

- He said he needs us.

- He made it pretty clear when he left here, Marlene,

that he didn t want or need anything from me.

- Oh, my--you are two of the most stubborn men

I ve ever known in my life!

- You see, honey--

- It really-- it breaks my heart.

It breaks my heart to see you two at odds like this.

- Marlene!

- Hey, can you please hear me out?

- It s my own fault. I should have expected as much.

- No, Ariana.

- There s a reason I don t date baseball players.

- Ariana, it wasn t like that.

- So who was that woman?

- Just some junior agent.

She s been talking about taking me on as her first client.

- And apparently she wants something from you in return.

- Yeah, I guess.

Hey, maybe she does, but I don t.

I can t do this, Early.

Not now. This isn t the only thing I have on my plate.

- What s going on?

- My investors backed out.

I spent all my savings,

and I maxed out a credit card.

I just signed a year s lease of that space.

My father was right, and now--

- He knows?

Hey, there s always a way.

- No, Early.

Not always.

- Chef.

- Early, glad you re back.

- Do you have a minute?

- Sure. Come on in.

- I know it s probably no secret at this point

how I feel about Ariana.

I just want to apologize for any part I had

in upsetting your daughter.

I had no intention of doing so.

You and your family have been so good to me and--

- I respect that.

Thank you.

But I think I m just as much to blame

as anyone else is.

She s so much like her mother was.

Beto s been easy for me.

I mean, what you see is pretty much what you get,

but with Ari,

it s like she s always a step ahead of me,

except I don t realize it till it s too late.

- I know it s none of my business,

but I think deep down,

she just wants to earn your respect.

- She has my respect.

- And I m sure that s true,

but I don t think she ll ever truly know that

until she achieves something on her own.

Thanks, Chef.

- Hey.

- Hey.

- How you doing?

- What s that?

- It s paella.

Mexican paella.

I made it using your recipe,

and it s delicious.

- Why? Why would you do that?

- Because I m a stubborn man.

Yeah.

Well, based on my over 30 years of professional experience

in this, I ve come to the conclusion

that Ariana s Mexican Fusion

is gonna be a huge success.

- What are you talking about?

- You re back in business.

- I don t know what to say.

- You deserve this.

Come here.

I believe in you.

- Game day, Nebraska, in case you haven t heard.

You coming or what?

- Yeah, one second.

- Hey, aren t you coming?

- Oh, I don t think so. I got lots to do.

You go. Give Beto my best.

- It s his big day.

- Beto will be fine.

- I m not talking about Beto.

- Let s get out there and do it today.

- Yeah, I know. Just keep your eyes down.

- Just got to stay focused. If we stay focused,

we ll be all right. - Go get em, Beto!

- Hey. - Hey, there he is.

- Showed up.

Gracias, Papa.

- Come here.

- Thanks, Papa.

- Good luck.

I ll be cheering for you.

- Thanks. - Early,

I m wishing nothing but the best for you out there today.

- Thanks, Chef.

- All right, guys.

- Hi. - Hi.

- Hey, you coming? Warm-up s in five.

- Yeah, just a minute, man. I ll be there.

So finally came to a baseball game.

- You could say I was persuaded.

- Is that-- - Yeah, yeah, come and meet em.

- Hi, baby. - Hi.

- Oh! Mm.

- Pop.

- Quite a crowd here, huh?

- Yeah, it sure is.

- You go out there today, son,

and you show em what you re made of, okay?

- Thanks, Dad.

Guys, this is Ariana.

Ariana, this is Cliff and Marlene Lindstrom.

- Hi. Early s told me so much about you.

- Yes. I ve heard a thing or two about you as well.

Now I see why. - Mom, come on.

- Would you two like to come sit with me and my father?

- Yeah, definitely. - Yeah, great.

Okay, I ll see you guys after the game, all right?

- Okay, good luck, honey. - Good luck.

- Good luck. Go get em. - Good luck, Early.

- Good afternoon, everyone,

and welcome to the Pacific Baseball Camp

East-West Challenge game.

Here s your home team for this year s game,

the West in orange.

You re in for an exciting afternoon of baseball today,

because the very best young players from around the country

are gathered here in the California sun

to show the world and the pro scouts...

- Go, Early!

- How six weeks of intense workouts sharpened their games.

Each player has received coaching specifically tailored

to accentuate their strengths,

and you ll see the payoff here today

in competition that is as close to the professional level

as can be found outside the Big League parks

around the U.S.

So sit back and enjoy the game.

It may be your last chance to see these players

without paying for a ticket.

- Come on, Early!

Come on!

- All right! - Got it. Got it!

- Come on. Come on.

There you go. Let s see some hustle.

- Play ball!

- Whoo!

- And we re under way.

Here s Mark Coacher on the mound for the West.

He s a 19-year-old out of Haddon Heights

and the rarest of pitchers.

True knuckleballer.

- Strike one!

- Attaboy! Nice pitch, kid!

- And it s a one hopper to second base.

Early Lindstrom makes the catch

and throws out the runner at first.

One away. - Yes!

- Whoo!

- That s it.

- Bottom of the second,

and we remain scoreless with two men on for the West.

- Let s go!

- Come on, Early! - Come on, Early!

- Come on, Early!

- At bat is Early Lindstrom.

- Come on, Early! You got this!

You can do it!

- Show em what you got!

- Here s the windup.

- Strike!

- Early swings behind the fastball.

- Come on. Come on, Early! - Come on, Early!

- Okay, babe. Come on! Go!

- Come on, Early! I know you can hit this guy!

- It s all right. Find a way.

- Barlow shakes off the first signal.

Takes the second.

And here s the pitch.

- Nice shot. Base hit.

Runner advances.

And the center fielder has the ball,

but run will score.

- Yes!

- And Lindstrom has a stand-up double.

- Yeah! It s two RBIs, baby!

- Attaboy. Attaboy. - Whoo!

- Top of the third, and the West is up 2 to nothing.

- All right, now.

- All right, guys. Come on!

- Ready to go!

- The runner s going.

Here s Beto with a throw to second.

- You re out!

- And Lindstrom tagged him for the out.

What a throw.

Two away in the top of the fifth,

and Coacher has really let the inning get away from him

as Blake Barlow steps up to the plate

with the bases loaded.

- Strike him out!

- And Barlow really got ahold of that one,

and it s outta here!

Blake Barlow has ripped a grand slam

to put the East on top, 4 to 3.

You just don t see pitchers do that every day.

- Yes, sir, Blake.

Yes, sir.

- Here we are in the bottom of the seventh

with the East holding on to a 4-to-3 lead.

- Let s go.

- Whoo! Come on, Early!

- Next up, Early Lindstrom

with two outs and one man on.

This is the kind of pressure cooker

that tests a young player s mettle.

This late in the game, and Barlow still looks fresh.

The windup.

And Lindstrom really brushed that fastball,

and it s gone!

- That s what I m talking about!

- Way to go, Early!

- All right, two more outs.

Let s do this, kid. Let s wrap this up.

- Top of the ninth, and the East is battling

to tie this game up with a man at first

and a full count for the batter.

Lindstrom fields it.

Steps on the bag. - Ahh!

- And throws for the double play.

And the game is over!

Thanks, everyone, for coming out today.

And we ll see you next year.

- Mrs. Lindstrom. Mr. Lindstrom.

Hi. Coach Willis.

- Ariana.

- Well, folks, you got yourself a first-rate young man in there.

First-rate ballplayer, first-rate person.

It s been a real pleasure coaching him

these past six weeks.

- Thank you. Um...

How is he?

- Why don t you go on and see him?

- Honey, what did they say?

- Um...

I gotta get an MRI when the swelling goes down,

but the trainer said it was pretty clear.

The rotator cuff popped again,

and he said the end of the bone

tore up the labrum,

and there s likely cartilage damage too.

- What does that mean?

- He said with surgery and hard work,

I ll get use of my arm back.

- Oh.

- But...

I m never playing pro ball, so...

I should have listened to you, Dad.

You were right.

- No, I wasn t right about anything, Early.

You followed your dream. You gave it your best shot, boy.

You never have to live with any regrets.

And I m very proud of you, son.

Mom and I are gonna wait outside. Honey.

- Okay.

Well, at least you got to see me play once.

- You were unbelievable.

- It s too bad I ll never get on a field again

when it counts.

- You are really trying to get me signed, aren t you?

- Sorry, man. - Yeah.

- Tough luck, bro. - That s okay.

- That s what you have to do to learn,

to get better. This is the time.

When you re in the Bigs, that is not the time to do that.

- Mm. Mm-hmm.

- Thanks, guys. I m gonna miss you.

Looks like I m gonna be signing

with the Iowa Farmers Association.

I m heading home tonight.

- Hey, Early.

It s a tough break, man.

- It s not right, man. You belong on a baseball field.

- Yeah.

- Not in the cards.

- I ll grab it.

- Yeah, thank you.

- All right. All right, see you, guys.

- All right, Coach. Thanks, Coach.

- Lindstrom.

- Hey, Coach. I just wanted to thank you again

for everything you ve done for me.

- Well, you can thank me by sticking around.

- Sir?

- I ve been sitting on a job offer,

head coaching position at the university

right here in Los Angeles.

I just now accepted it.

- Wow. That s a big camp. Congrats.

- I could use a hitting coach.

- Pardon?

- How d you like to join my staff, Early?

- I--

- You can sleep on it. No reason to rush your decision.

- I m--I m sorry, Coach. I appreciate the offer.

And I m flattered, but I m needed back home.

- Fair enough.

- Early.

You ve made quite an opportunity here for yourself, son.

- You need me on the farm. It s okay. I m okay with it.

- No. No, you need to do this.

We ll be fine.

Yeah.

- Mm.

- It s a deal.

- Hey, Beto, throwing this big party for you.

The least you could do is help.

- I m busy.

- It looks like you re texting.

- I m busy texting.

- Enough, you two. Beto, she s right.

Why don t you help Nikki set up the silverware, at least?

Listen, the more, the merrier. We re celebrating you,

professional baseball player.

- Have you heard from Early?

- No. Last I knew, he was with his parents.

I think he s planning to drive them back to Nebraska.

- Iowa. - That s what I meant.

- When? Not tonight.

Dance with me?

- You ve been practicing.

- I catch on quick.

- Looks like they re doing well.

- Oh, they re so cute.

- You re cute.

- I know you said you never want to date a baseball player,

so how about a baseball coach?

- What?

- Coach Willis offered me a job on his staff,

right here in L.A.

- Did you accept?

- A chance to work in baseball and stay here?

Hold on to the two things I love most?

- Did you say two things?