Episode no. Season 3
Episode 37 Written by Tom Palmer | Directed by Douglas Jackson Original air date October 1, 1988 | |
"Extra Innings" is the thirty-seventh episode and the second episode of the third season (1988–89) of the television series The Twilight Zone.
Plot
A down and out, injured baseball player named Ed Hamner tries to juggle his love for baseball and a new life with a wife, Cindy, who insists he needs to get on with his life. On top of this, his teenaged neighbor, Paula, shows her adoration of him by encouraging his baseball card collection and her potential as a player herself. Paula finds an old baseball card of a player from the early days named Monty Hanks, who happens to resemble Ed. After a fight with Cindy about a missed job interview and a victorious game for Paula, Ed goes to sleep and awakens to discover the card magically opening a door. Ed stumbles through to find himself in the uniform of Monty Hanks, without his injury and actually playing ball.
When Paula shows up the next day, Ed explains all the happened, that he went back in time seventy-eight years and played ball without the use of his cane. Paula is skeptical until she sees the back of the card, which reveals more home runs (hit by Hamner) than were there the day before. Still apprehensive, Paula agrees to try to go with him. As they stare into the card, it envelops them and they go to the ballfield in the past. They return to the present and Paula leaves, both excited about another "game" tomorrow, a lead for Ed to play in the World Series. An uncomfortable dinner with Cindy leaves Ed wanting the other life even more.
Paula comes over, sad because she can't make the game with him today, but wondering whether or not Ed belongs back in 1910. He seems so much happier there. At the game, Ed (as Monty) is playing late, much later than the dinner he is supposed to attend with Cindy. Cindy arrives at the empty house but is upset that Ed is gone, so she burns his card collection. Paula comes in just in time to save the magical card with Monty Hanks on it. Paula realizes however she can help Ed have the life he truly wanted. She tears the card in half, leaving Ed to stay in 1910. At home, she later looks at the torn card, which magically begins to fill itself with statistics; Ed went on to be a great Monty Hanks, batting champion and played for his team for many years to follow...