Ian Gualtiere ’27

by Ian Gualtiere ’27 on February 12, 2026

The last Major League Baseball game of the season was played on November 1, 2025, when the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Toronto Blue Jays in Game Seven of the World Series. The term “fall classic” directly applied to this final game: the score was tied 4–4 when the game rolled into extra innings, both teams swapped a scoreless 10^th inning. Then, the Dodgers picked up a run, thanks to a solo home run by catcher Will Smith, to secure the lead in the top of the 11^th. With drama and tension building from the Toronto dugout, the Blue Jays got one hit and a walk with one out to place runners on the corners, players on first and third base, which, in the eyes of everyone watching, a single base hit would tie the game 5–5 and move into the 12^th inning. This responsibility fell on Blue Jays catcher Alejandro Kirk, who fell to two strikes in the count, and then hit a measly dribbler directly to Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts. Betts stepped on second base to force the runner out, then threw to first baseman Freddie Freeman to complete the double play. And with that out, the Dodgers became the 2025 MLB World Series Champions. 

After that, if a fan was not cheering for the Dodgers, they immediately asked themselves, “When do pitchers and catchers report to spring training?” The thought of a long, grueling winter without the sights and sounds of the ballpark to any baseball fan is torture. Snow covers the pitchers’ mounds, the empty seats stand as reminders of a warmer time, and the constant talk of shifting free agents gives some the hobby of tracking new faces in new places. The month of February has finally come, and all MLB pitchers and catchers report to their team’s spring training facilities in either Florida or Arizona between Feb. 10 and 13. 

This anxiety of waiting, watching, and being ever so patient for the MLB season is captured in its manic charm in the romcom Fever Pitch (2005). Adapted from a 1992 book and a 1997 British film that follows a crazed Premier League Arsenal fan, the American remake perfectly distills what the movie calls “one of God’s most pathetic creatures: a Red Sox fan.” Directed by Providence College alumni Peter Farrelly ’79 and his brother Bobby Farrelly and starring Jimmy Fallon and Drew Barrymore, Fever Pitch goes through the throes of being a baseball fan during the winter months. This is a condition where, on the outside, one can act normal in civil society, but on the inside, the die-hard Sox fan is dying to be freed come the spring. This wintertime normalcy is what draws Barrymore’s Lindsey to Fallon’s Ben; he is punctual and charming, a successful high school teacher, and always there to be an emotional support. The cracks of Ben’s Sox insanity begin to show as Lindsey questions why they never go to his place, which is covered from floor to ceiling in Red Sox paraphernalia, or why he went down to watch the Red Sox practice in Florida in the middle of February. By the end of March, Ben finally comes clean, revealing he had inherited season tickets from his uncle and never missed an MLB Opening Day or homestand series at Fenway Park. 

The couple begins to attend Red Sox games on a weekly basis, but tension grows as Lindsey’s corporate executive job pulls her away from the games. One scene shows Lindsey working on her computer in the stands as she is hit by a line drive foul ball and knocked unconscious, as Ben picks up the ball and starts to celebrate with the fans around him. The ebbs and flows of the 2004 MLB season start to take a toll on the relationship as Ben skips a Paris trip to watch the Red Sox vie for a spot in the postseason, misses a comeback Sox win against the New York Yankees while attending a birthday party, and starts to covet the season tickets more than Lindsey’s affection.

Adapting the plot from soccer to baseball and adding to what was considered a jab at the lowliest fan base in the MLB at the time, Fever Pitch was never meant to have a serendipitous ending. In 2004, the Red Sox had not won a World Series in 86 years, and the movie production did not expect the season to take a miraculous turn. The original plot had assumed the Red Sox would lose in the postseason, but the ending had to be rewritten. The team pulled off an unexpected run and reached the 2004 American League Championship against the Yankees. With the Red Sox down 3–0 in the series, they became the first and only MLB team to date to erase the deficit and advance to the World Series. The game is considered by many to be the “greatest comeback in sports history,” as many expected the Yankees to deal with the Red Sox easily. The climax of Fever Pitch was filmed during the Championship Series and subsequent World Series win. 

For many, baseball means the fundamental truth of life. You’re going to win some, and you’re going to lose some, but don’t worry, it’s a long season filled with romance and true wonder.