‘Pitch’ is batting 1.000 with its relationships

The second episode of “Pitch” focused not so much on the actual baseball but rather the various relationships between the characters — and it is hitting the exact right note in that department.

Blip and Evelyn (and Ginny)

First off, congrats to “Pitch” on producing the best new marriage on TV. Mo McRae and Meagan Holder are delightful as Blip and Evelyn Sanders, acting with an ease that makes you swear they’re actually married in real life.

It’s also a wonderful character choice on the part of the writers to give Ginny (Kylie Bunbury) a friend on the team where there is no “will they or won’t they” vibe and the added bonus that she and his wife are friends. Crazy, right?!

Lawson and his women

Episode 2 gave viewers a peek into Lawson’s (Mark-Paul Gosselaar) personal life, as he goes to his ex-wife Rachel (JoAnna Garcia Swisher) to basically beg her to get back together with him since his career is in its twilight, only to have his heartbroken by finding out she’s engaged.

So what does he do? Hooks up with Ginny’s agent, Amelia (Ali Larter). We don’t know for sure that that happened, but … that’s the implication. It’s a great dramatic move, because even if Ginny doesn’t have feelings for Lawson (and she better not, and we’ll get to that in a second), it still would be terribly bothersome to have her agent involved with her teammate. It’s messy and just another distraction Ginny doesn’t need.

Lawson and his team

In the wake of realizing he can’t get his ex-wife back, Lawson realizes the only thing he has in his life is baseball and his team and rather than have a pity party about being lonely after he can no longer play, it fuels him to give the team a talking-to about what whiny babies they’re being regarding Ginny. He wants to enjoy every last minute of the time he has left to play the game and they all better shape up for the love of baseball they all share.

Ginny and Al

It’s not romantic, but Ginny and manager Al Luongo (Dan Lauria) have a complicated relationship, which is not made any easier by the fact that a few years ago, he made a comment about her looks when asked about this female minor league player. Not only is the show painting Al with more nuance than in the pilot, but their relationship feels true and organic. It’ll be fun to watch their relationship continue to grow — if he can keep his job, that is.

Ginny and Lawson

Perhaps the most interesting relationship on the show is between this pitcher and her catcher. Lawson is realizing what an asset Ginny is, even with all the media hoopla that comes along with her, because she’s talented and is also working her butt off. But in addition to that, he’s realizing that he actually likes her as a person and they’re settling into a nice camaraderie that could blossom into a great friendship.

Just please, oh please, do not let this go the route of a romantic entanglement. Men and women actually can be friends and Lawson has been one to Ginny, so let’s not muck it all up by having them get involved romantically.

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