Fox’s new fall series, Pitch, is allowing the network to take advantage of several long-running partnerships with Major League Baseball and Fox Sports.

The show’s fall campaign will launch next week during the 87th annual MLB All-Star Game, reports Adweek, which airs on Fox next Tuesday. The game will be held at San Diego’s Petco Park, home of the San Diego Padres, and that team also happens to be where Pitch is set.

Fox had originally scheduled Pitch for midseason, announcing that during its upfront presentation in May, but just a few days later said it was moving the show to fall, allowing Fox to take much more advantage of its fall baseball schedule.

Fox is working closely with Major League Baseball, which is a production partner on the show and is allowing Fox to use authentic MLB logos and settings in the series. Fox has been the home of baseball’s post-season — including the World Series — for years now, making baseball a cornerstone of its programming when it launched it on the network in 1996.

In the show, Ginny Baker (Kylie Bunbury) is the first woman in history to be called up to the majors, becoming a pitcher for the Padres. Pitch also stars Mark-Paul Gosselaar, nearly unrecognizable behind his bushy beard, as the team catcher and captain, and Mark Consuelos as the Padres’ GM. Both Gosselaar and Consuelos will play this Sunday in the MLB’s All-Star Legends & Celebrity softball game at San Diego’s Petco Park as part of the campaign. That game airs Monday on ESPN after the annual Home Run Derby.

On Tuesday before the All-Star Game, Fox Sports 1 host Katie Nolan will interview Gosselaar, for a pre-taped piece that will run during the pre-game show. During the game itself, announcer Joe Buck — who appears in the Pitch pilot — will throw to a 30-second spot for Pitch spot, which will air in the stadium. Both Bunbury and Gosselaar will on hand during the game, with Fox Sports cutting to shots of the stars enjoying the game.

Outside of the park, people will be able to see how they do against one of Baker’s famous “screwball” pitches, which, in this fictional story, is what got her into the majors in the first place. The “Pitch Zone Experience” will be available for fans to try from Sunday to Sunday at San Diego’s 7th and Market.

The All-Star Game, although coming a bit earlier in the cycle than fall campaigns traditionally start, will kick off a broader effort that will take place in local markets across the country. Fox is working with 55 Minor League Baseball teams and Fox affiliates to offer fans “Pitch Night at the Ballpark.” Between Wednesday, July 13 and Thursday, Sept. 22, Fox will sponsor an evening where people can see a screening of the Pitch pilot, take in a baseball game, enjoy a cookout and participate in a pitching clinic for kids.

“We’re always looking for in-real-life experience,” Fox Broadcasting EVP/CMO Angela Courtin told Adweek. “Ginny Baker moves from the minor leagues to the majors, so we want to go to the minor leagues and talk about that. Very rarely as a marketer do we have the opportunity to have this constant connection over an eight-week period—fans of baseball and families—to really elevate our story beyond just what is a fictionalized version but what could potentially be reality hopefully soon. The [Sonoma Stompers in California] just added their first female players to the roster, so it’s happening.”

Pitch debuts Thursday, Sept. 22 at 9 p.m. on Fox.

READ MORE: Adweek

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