SUMMARY:
At the good old Angel Grove Baseball Field, TJ plays a practice game with his buddies. Err, I hope it's practice, because if not, Baseball fever must be at an all time low when it comes to crowds. Or maybe they're just playing for fun, I honestly can't tell. So, Teej is leading the team with the red hats (I'm sure that choice was random) and his annoying extra of the day rival named Brian, leads the purple team. Game's tied up, Brian's team is in the outfield, TJ gives some pointers to his teammate Ricky on using the proper bat and how to hold it to combat (no pun intended) Brian's pitch. Just before Ricky can swing, Teej's Communicator beeps, causing him and Carlos (who must be out of soccer season) to take leave, promising they'll be right back. One of his teammates tries talking them out of it, but they insist, and depart the park just as Brian pitches the ball, or opening credits, really.
[opening credits, The Robot Ranger version]
TJ & Carlos find an empty spot and ask Alpha what's up, he tells them the other Rangers are being attacked by Rygog & some Piranahtrons. They say they're on their way, Shifting Into Turbo and racing to the scene of action to help kick away the P-Trons. Red Ranger spars with Rygog a bit, while the others do overtly fancy moves in taking the fishdrones down. Seems to the object of today's evil desire is to capture Mountain Blaster, who sits in the middle of the ruckus, smacking P-Trons with its doors when they get too rough on it. Why they're after Mountain Blaster is unknown, but I like to think it's because they didn't want it to feel left out, what with all the targeting of Lightning Cruiser lately. Eventually, the Piranahtrons are beaten into retreat, huddling around Rygog in fear of our heroes while their evil leader of the day calls them feeble fish. Blue Ranger asks if they've had enough yet, Rygog promises they haven't seen the last of him as he & the P-Trons teleport out of there. Carlos asks his teammates if they're okay, Justin says they are thanks to their help, Mountain Blaster safe, sound and not a scratch on it. Green & Red Rangers need to dash, leaving their Ranger pals behind to demorph on their way back to the ballpark. The game as basically been on hold while waiting for Teej & Carlos to return, but they luckily get back just in time for it to be Teej's turn at bat. He gets up there, his partners cheering him on while he hits Brian's first pitch, slamming it out of the park for a home run!
After rounding the bases, the celebrating stops as Heath, new guy to Brian's team, shows up in the general area of where the ball landed (why, oh why didn't the ball crack him in the head?). Brian introduces the new boy in Angel Grove (there seems to be about as many new kids in Angel Grove as there are kids disappearing, interestingly enough) to TJ, who extends his hand to shake like good sports, but Heath just hands him the ball back and proceeds to the usual "I'm the jerk of today's episode" speech. Heath's whiny voice nasally squeals out something about how he hears TJ's is good, which is more than he can for the rest of his sorry team (Brian's team laughing, even though the joke is on them. Think about it, if they were any better a team than TJ's, why would they be tied?). Heath wants to see Teej's skills against him, so he steps up to the plate with full support of his team, and misses each one of Heath's three throws! The red team is shocked the great TJ got struck out, the purple team cheers over what is likely their first win in thirty years, and Teej is left wondering what went wrong. Later at the Juice Bar, TJ has his nose planted firmly in a book on Batting Techniques while walking in to meet up with Ashley, Carlos & Justin (Cassie strangely missing this entire episode, except for Morphed shots). He informs them he won't be able to go to the movies with them, as he wants to spend more time in the batting cages sharpening his skills, Carlos knows Heath is the reason for this dilemma. Brain then walks in and scopes TJ's book title, asks if Heath's pitch has got him spooked and then walks away with his buddy, nameless grinning extra #5. Teej doesn't let it phase him, proclaiming quietly to Carlos that he's going to figure out that pitch, Carlos pumps his fist into the air calmly with an affirmative 'yeah!'.
Meanwhile, Bulk & Skull have a new job, one that just happens to connect to today's plot (who'd have thunk it?)! They're in charge of making the chalk lines in the baseball field, pushing the chalk-line making cart out to their stern militant boss. Skull salutes and tells him they're out of chalk, he's got a bag full of it, handing it to Skull and saying their job is important as the lines on the field have to be perfect. They take the bag, figuring it an easy task, dumping the powder into the device and ending up covered in chalk thanks to wind conditions and their lack of patience in filling the cart up. The white-as-ghosts bumbling duo kick the chalk cart as if this were its fault, and Bulk beats his hat against Skull's back while trying to get clean.
[commercial bumpers Red Lightning]
Another baseball game day, Heath is pitching with TJ at the bat. The curve ball is thrown and TJ misses, the third strike is called and Teej is out of there, much to his and his team's dismay. Divatox' periscope pops up inside the Gatorade cooler, and up in the Space Base, she mocks sarcastically about Red Ranger striking out being a pity. Porto is called to the bridge, and he presents today's monster, Strikeout! Strikey, the baseball shaped creature with the word "Bolsock" on his tummy, didn't know Divatox liked baseball, and in fact she doesn't. She did hear he has an explosive pitch, something he need when he pitches against the Power Rangers, this is then followed by copious amounts of evil laughter by everyone on the Subcraft bridge. Meanwhile on Earth, TJ compliments Heath on his great pitch, Teej's teammate asks what the secret to hitting it is. The obnoxious Heath says he spent years perfecting it and they have a fat chance of learning the secret to counteracting it. Heath then rides on his shiny new bicycle with a smug look on his face, just as Carlos & TJ's communicators go off. They rush off to their usual secluded spot, Alpha tells them there's a monster in the park and the others are headed there now, and Carlos & TJ quickly Shift Into Turbo.
The Turbo Rangers appear at the park, and Green Ranger begins talking up a storm about the monster not looking like much of a threat to him and figures they can take him. Strikeout calls Carlos a lightweight, suggesting he step up to plate and put the bat where his mouth is. Blue Ranger tells him to give his best pitch and he'll knock it out of the park, Justin pulls out his rarely seen Turbo Blade and readies it like a bat. The monster doesn't need his best, just a simple curve ball, pitching one of his own special balls at Blue Ranger, which drops down and blasts into Justin before he can take a swing. The other Rangers watch Justin's battering with shock, Red Ranger commenting on what a curve that was, Green asks TJ to give him a chance at bat, but Teej tells him no, as it's his turn. Strikeout pitches his next ball, and guess what? All four Rangers are wielding Turbo Blades and pitching at it at once! So much for "turns at bat", they each get blasted by bombardments of supercharged baseballs. They all fall down, Strikeout boasts no one can hit his curve ball, not even Red Ranger. TJ is goaded back up, Strikeout throws him something a little easier, Red Ranger Blade-smacks it back into the monster. Strikeout is blasted across the park, right into some playground equipment, Red Ranger chases him over and wants to play hardball by literally ASKING to have him throw another curve ball! Strikeout fires himself up for his famous explosive pitch, blasting one into TJ's chest, followed by separate flame balls for each of the Rangers. The monster is out of ball ammo, so he teleports away in what he calls the "7th inning stretch", with TJ calling out for him not to go. Strikeout is gone, Red Ranger is furious over either not being able to have his ass kicked again today like he wanted, or because he's frustrated in not being able to hit a curve ball.
Soon, Carlos & TJ are riding their bikes (which is odd, since almost every other Ranger usually owns a car) past the baseball field, watching Heath pitch balls into a tire on a fence. Teej whines about his curve ball problems first with Heath and now the monster, and Carlos conveniently says he needs to go, promising to see him later at the Youth Center. TJ remains behind to lock eyes with Heath, before he rides off as well, Heath then picking up his stuff and leaving. Minutes later, Heath rolls up beside Teej on the empty mountainside road. He offers a race, to which TJ declines nicely, prompting Heath to quip that he's scared he'll beat him again. TJ asks if winning and losing is all he thinks about, Heath tells him no, just winning, racing off with snotty laughter. Teej stops to sulk, and watch as Heath's ego causes him to ride off the side of the cliff! His bike smashes on the rocks on the way to the bottom (what a safe way home this road is!), as Heath clings to the edge of the cliff for dear life. TJ rides up and tells him to hold on, reaching his hand down and helping to pull his enemy up from possible injuries. Once they're both safely on firm ground, Teej asks if Heath's okay, he says yeah and that he owes him one. TJ hops on his bike and tells Heath he doesn't owe him a thing, riding off and leaving Heath behind without a way to get home!
[commercial bumpers Red Lightning]
It's YET another day at the Angel Grove Baseball field (about 58 years has passed in the course of this episode, it feels like), Carlos & TJ bump into Heath, who's playing with his balls again. He calls Teej over to show him something, just for TJ, exposing the secret to his curve ball! Heath tells him to watch his arm and wrist to know where the ball is going to move, TJ is surprised he's teaching him this after the animosity he displayed before over his gimmick. Carlos' communicator goes off, and so he sneaks away, leaving Heath & Teej alone to discuss the truth behind hitting a curve ball. Alpha tells Carlos the Strikeout monster is back again, so he heads to some grassy hillside area to meet up with his teammates. Once there, the four Power Rangers Turbo greet Strikeout with eagerness to battle, and despite wanting to face Red Ranger, he's willing to warm up with them. He heaves a mighty flame ball, dropping right in front of the Rangers, knocking them back in the explosion. Back at the baseball field, TJ successfully hits two of Heath's pitches in a row. Finally heeding the sound of his communicator, Teej thanks Heath for the lesson, promises not to tell anyone else how to hit it, and says he'll see him Saturday as he races off to join his friends.
The Turbo Rangers are still groveling on the gravel, Strikeout preparing another ball-bombing, when Red Ranger makes the scene. He has his own little red baseball bat, his return inspires his friends to get up and hide behind him for a while. Strikeout says this is the last inning, and TJ is glad, since he's sick of hearing him brag, asking for his best shot and bracing himself for the pitch. Strikeout figures he didn't learn his lesson the first time, and eventually (after long tense shots and throwaway lines), charges up a ball and throws it towards Red Ranger. TJ swings his whole torso back, apparently charging the bat up with his Red Turbo powers, and snaps it back, striking the flame ball and sending it into orbit (where it explodes, likely taking out a few satellites)! The Rangers cheer for their leader's victory, while Strikeout cries some tears over his fireball being hit for the first time. On the Space Base, Divatox witnesses Strikeout's striking out and orders Rygog to fire the torpedoes! Torpedoes are launched to Earth, striking Strikeout and making the ball-bellied boy grow, he says he's his own relief pitcher and a big one too.
Red Ranger calls on good old Turbo Megazord power, they cars lock up and Megazord formation is completed in an instant. Strikeout calls this the big leagues and the Rangers won't be here for long, Teej will just have to see about that. Turbo Megazord Saber is revved up, and the Megazord speeds towards the monster in hydraulic lift. Strikeout readies a knockout pitch, shooting off a barrage of charged balls at the Turbo Megazord. Red Ranger initiates Spin Out, the Megazord spins and bats the balls away with the Saber. The fly balls ricochet back into Strikeout, keeping him preoccupied long enough for the Turbo Megazord to rip into his well-stitched body. Strikeout is traded for a huge explosion, and the Power Rangers win the World Series again! TJ calls that one baseball career that's gone down in flames. Meanwhile on the Space Base, Elgar & Rygog are wearing baseball hats, Elgar even holding a bat, ball & glove in his hand. Divatox walks in and yells to Porto that she never wants to see anything associated with that sport ever again, prompting Elgar to chuck all of the items out of sight as quickly as he can. Just as he grabs Rygog's hat and throws it towards the balcony, Divatox turns around and asks what the commotion is. Elgar grunts out how he and Rygog were talking about how much they hate baseball, both lying as best they can, causing Divatox to give an annoyed look on her face.
[commercial bumpers Desert Thunder]
Saturday has come at last. The baseball field is alive with players but no spectators, Heath pitching up a storm. TJ's teammate i'd like to call Shaun (remember Shaun from Zeo? well they look nothing alike) is worried he'll never be able to hit the ball, and asks Teej for advice. He tells him to just give it his best shot, and pats him on the back. The guy steps up to plate and gets his first strike instantly. Heath readies another pitch, Brian arrogantly shouts from behind that with one more out they win the game, and Heath finally has a change of heart. He walks over to the player and shows him where the curve ball is going to drop down, giving the guy, and all of the players in the vicinity, instructions on how to hit it properly. The red team murmurs with appreciation over the purple team's star pitcher ruining his career to help them, Heath smiles at TJ, who smiles and winks back at him. Wink, wink, nudge, nudge.
[end credits]
_END CREDITS SCENE:_
Thrill to Bulk & Skull's boss watching them as they screw up the chalk lines on the field, and end up with more of it on themselves than on the ground. The boss takes off his hat and slams it into the ground, as Bulk & Skull fumble with the chalk machine, Skull even beating the poor thing a little.
