Sadly, the 17 “short-form, social-first episodes” will seemingly not feature any alums of the esteemed Chicago improv community or the Steppenwolf Theatre, so instead of, say, Laurie Metcalf being wooed over a Vienna Beef and and Old Style by Tim Meadows, the series will star Veronica Garrubbo’s Ava having a meet-cute with Sid Kutikkad’s David in Wrigley Field’s famously general admission bleacher seats.
Through the nine innings of a summer Cubs game (it’s not just a clever title), the two mismatched Gen Z-ers bond through what the Cubs promise will be an eventfully romantic day at the ballpark, “complete with swings and misses, a makeover, a returning ex and a ninth-inning chase.” (It doesn’t say where that makeover will take place, but sounds like somebody’s getting a visit to the pro shop.)
As Jen Martindale, the Cubs executive vice president of marketing and communications states (perhaps looking to expand Wrigley’s possibilities as Chicago’s hottest dating spot), “In Ava and David, we wanted to create characters relatable to bleacher fans who come to the ballpark both for the game and for the possibility of what might happen off the field.”
Directed by Adam Sobel and also starring Angelina Dávila, Kevin Kantor, Shelby Brown and Cole Steeves, Nine Innings to Love might sound like an odd creative direction for a storied baseball franchise to take. But, hey, when fellow former MLB sad sacks the Boston Red Sox tried it, they won the whole thing. And at least this baseball-themed rom-com won’t have Jimmy Fallon running around on the field at the end.
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