[eerie music]
(male narrator)
You are about to enter
Another dimension
A dimension not only of sight
And sound, but of mind
A journey into a wondrous
Land of imagination.
Next stop,
The twilight zone.
What you're looking at
Is a ghost
Once alive, but now deceased.
Once upon a time,
It was a baseball stadium
That housed
A major league ball club
Known as the Hoboken Zephyrs.
Now it houses nothing
But memories
And a wind that stirs
In the high grass
Of what was
Once an outfield.
A wind that sometimes bears
A faint ghostly resemblance
To the roar of a crowd
That once sat here.
We're back in time now
When the Hoboken Zephyrs
Were still a part
Of the national league
And this
Mausoleum of memories
Was an honest-to-pete stadium.
But since this is strictly
A story of make-believe
It has to start this way.
Once upon a time
In Hoboken, New Jersey,
It was tryout day.
And though he's not yet
On the field
You're about to meet
A most unusual fellow.
A left-handed pitcher
Named Casey.
Grand-looking bunch
Of boys, huh?
Were you expecting
The all-stars?
You have tryouts
For a last-division club
games out of first
This is the material
You round up.
This is the material
You usually round up.
You're general manager.
Why don't you get
Me ballplayers?
You'd know
What to do
With them?
games
Out of fourth place
And the only big
Average we got
Is a manager with the widest
Mouth in either league.
Maybe you better
Get reminded
When the Hoboken Zephyrs
Win one game
We got to call it
A streak.
Oh, buddy boy, when
Contract time comes around
You don't have to.
How's Fletcher doing?
Are you kidding?
He pitched
One inning
Last week
And only allowed
Six runs.
He's the most valuable
Player of the month.
[phone ringing]
Dugout.
Yeah.
Who?
Want to look
At a pitcher?
At this point,
I'll even look
At you.
Send him over.
He's a lefty.
Lefty, schmefty.
What's the difference?
If he's got more
Than one arm
And less than four,
He's for us.
Hey, Monk!
Yeah?
Fletcher can quit.
I got a new boy
Coming down.
Catch him
For a while.
Check.
You got the lineup
For tonight?
I'm working on it.
Who's pitching?
I just feel them
One-by-one.
Whoever's warm
Goes to the mound.
All right, Chavez.
Stop already with
The calisthenics.
That guy on the end's
Turning blue.
(man)
Mr. Mcgarry?
All right,
What's the gag?
Did this muttonhead
Put you up to it?
You're the
Pitcher, huh?
Big joke.
Yuk-yuk-yuk!
Big joke!
Oh, no, I'm not
The pitcher.
I'm Dr. Stillman.
I have
Thrown baseballs
In my time.
That was
Before the w*r.
Yeah? Which w*r?
[chuckling]
(stillman)
Ah, here
Comes Casey now.
He's the pitcher.
Casey, this is Mr.
Mcgarry, the manag r
Of the Zephyrs.
No, no, your right hand,
Casey, your right hand.
[groaning]
Ohh.
Oh!
[groaning]
You can let go
Now, Casey.
See that
Fellow out there
With the big mitt?
He's what is known
As a catcher.
His name is Monk.
Go on out and
Throw him
A few.
Thanks very much,
Mr. Mcgarry.
Put your cap
On, Casey.
Good lad.
All right,
I see you,
I see you.
You his father?
His father? Casey's?
Oh, no, no.
He has no father.
I am what
You might
Call, his--
Well, kind of,
Uh, creator.
How old is he?
That's a little
Difficult to say.
Well, guess.
What I mean is
It's hard to
Be chronological
When discussing
Casey's age
Because he's only been
In existence three weeks.
What I mean is that
He has the physique
And the mind
Of a boy of .
But in terms
Of how long
He's been here
The answer to that
Would be, uh,
Three weeks.
You want to
Go over that again?
It's not too
Difficult, really.
You see,
I made Casey.
I built him.
He's a robot.
These are
The blueprints
I worked from.
Why do you have
To pick on me
All the time, huh?
[loud thud]
[whoosh]
That's his
Fast ball.
[loopy]
That's his curve.
[long slow whistle]
That's his
Slow ball.
He's a bit late.
[soft thud]
Well, look, I'll, uh--
You, uh--uh--
[ciears throat]
Why don't you wait
Right here, huh?
Uh-huh.
All right,
Let me see
That fastball.
[whoosh]
All right,
The slowball.
[slow loop]
Did you see
That kid?
The best pitcher
I ever caught.
Yeah, Monk,
I saw it.
He... He...
I saw it, I saw it!
Take a shower.
He's got
A fast ball...
Go take a shower.
Take a shower!
He pitches
Like nothing human.
Well, he's...
He's rough, doc,
He's plenty rough
But I think we can
Give him a try.
He's a robot,
You know.
Don't ever say that.
That's one we'll just keep
In the family here.
Don't ever say the
Word r-o-b-b-o-t-t.
Uh, Casey.
Baby...
Want to come here?
Well, it looks
Like you got
A little potential
There, Casey.
I was telling the doc
You're a little rough
But we'll
Work that out.
I think we'll
Give you a chance.
I like to help
Young ball players.
[hollow plunk]
Why don't you
Go down now
And change your
Clothes, huh?
He does
Wear clothes,
Doesn't he?
Oh, yes, yes.
Go down
And take
A shower
And then
The three of us
Will discuss
A contract, huh?
Go with him and
Check his blueprints.
I think that
Last slow ball
Shook him up.
Very well.
Come on, Casey.
General
Manager's off ice.
Beasley? Draw
The contract.
The only thing
Between us and
The pennant
Is if this guy's
Battery goes dead
Or he rusts in the rain.
Never mind what I mean.
You draw the contract.
Then, uh,
Come on down here.
I want you to shake
Hands with your new
Ace pitcher.
[crowd cheering]
You, uh, you got
The signals down
All right, kid?
Yes.
Kid, don't
Be nervous.
Nervous?
Ill at ease,
Casey, as if
Your electrodes
Were malfunctioning.
You know, nervous.
Like there's
Two out in
The ninth.
You're one up,
And Joe Dimaggio
Comes to the plate
Looking intent.
Well, that wouldn't
Make me nervous.
I don't know anyone
Named Joe Dimaggio.
Oh, yeah.
I forgot
About that.
Well, you
Just get
In there.
Go ahead.
Mr. Mcgarry,
What team is Casey
Pitching against?
The New York Giants.
Oh, I'd love
To b*at those Giants.
But for that matter,
I'd love to b*at Cincinnati
Or Philadelphia,
Or the Braves.
Or even the
Hicksville b*ll*ts.
They b*at us -
In spring training.
Oh, I think Casey
Will come through
For you, mr. Mcgarry.
Yeah? What's in this
For you, doc?
Oh, you mean
With Casey?
Oh, just scientific,
That's all.
Purely experimental.
You know, I think Casey's
Some sort of a superman.
I'd like to have
That proven.
Once, I built
A home economist
And marvelous cook.
I gained pounds
Before I had
To dismantle her.
Now with
Casey's skills
I consider that
With his strength
And accuracy
He'd be a
Baseball pitcher.
Now in order
To have that proved
I had to have him
Pitch in competition
And as an acid test,
To pitch
On absolutely
The worst ball team
I could find.
Thanks a lot, doc.
You got a lot of class.
Play ball!
[whoosh]
Stee-ri ke!
[cr*ck of bat]
[hollow plunk]
[crowd gasping]
No fracture,
No concussion,
Reflexes seem normal.
I think you're going
To be all right,
Mr. Casey.
Oh, boy. I can
Breathe again.
All I kept
Thinking about
Was, "There
Goes Casey.
"There goes
The pennant.
There goes
The series."
There goes
Your career.
(doctor)
Yes, sir,
Mr. Casey.
I think you're in
Good shape here.
Although when
I heard
How hard that
Ball hit you,
I wondered to
Myself how a--
How a--
Cough, mr. Casey.
[mechanical click]
What's wrong?
Well, there's
Nothing wrong.
Then what are
You prying for?
Well, there's not
A thing wrong.
Everything is
Just fine.
It's just that--
Just that what?
Well, this, uh--
This man
Doesn't have
Any pulse.
No heartbeat.
This, uh...
This man
Isn't alive.
It will have to
Come out now.
What's this
All about, mouth?
What are
You trying
To pull off?
You're not gonna
Like this but--
Uh, doctor, I think
You should know this
Before you go
Any further.
This man hasn't a
Pulse or a heartbeat
Because he doesn't
Have a heart.
He's a robot.
(doctor)
A what?
(Stillman)
A robot.
You're sure?
By all means.
I built him.
And he's been pitching
For the Hoboken Zephyrs.
Under the circumstances,
As team physician
I'm afraid I must notify
The baseball commissioner.
Casey, move over.
Article six,
Section two,
The baseball code.
I quote--
"A team
Shall consist
Of nine men."
End of quote.
"Men," understand?
Not robots.
He's suspended.
That's my
Final decision.
Commissioner, to all
Intents and purposes
He is human!
Casey...
Talk to him.
Tell him
About yourself.
What should I say?
See? He talks
Better than me
And he's a
Lot smarter
Than most of
Those muttonheads.
He is not human!
How human do
You want him?
He's got arms and legs
And a face and he talks.
And no heart.
He doesn't even
Own a heart.
How could
He be human
Without a heart?
Beasley hasn't got
A heart either.
He owns %
Of the club.
That's it.
He doesn't
Have a heart
That means
He isn't human.
That's a
Clear violation
Of the
Baseball code.
He doesn't play.
Mr. Commissioner
Suppose we gave
Him a heart.
If that's what
Makes him different
I think I could
Operate and supply
Him with a heart.
You can do that?
No trouble at all.
Do you wanna play?
Of course he
Wants to play.
[iaughs]
You're sure?
I guarantee it.
If he were to
Be given a heart
Would you classify
Him as a...
Well, what I mean is,
Would you call him a...
He had me fooled
Even without one.
All right,
All right.
With a heart,
I'll give him
A temporary okay
Until the league
Meeting in October.
Then we'll have
To take it up.
The other clubs
Are gonna scream
Bloody m*rder.
I can just hear
Durocher now.
[chuckling]
Well, then it's
All settled.
Casey gets a heart
And accreditation
As being a human
And the
Hoboken Zephyrs...
Take it, mouthy.
The Hoboken Zephyrs
Win the pennant
For the first
Time in years.
[jiggling]
(beasley)
Operator.
[jiggling]
Operator!
Operator, you sure
You're ringing the
Right number?
Yeah, that's it.
Thank you
Very much.
Any n ews?
The operator
Can't get an answer.
The doctor's still
Not at his house.
Maybe he's still
In the middle of
The operation.
Whatsamatter? He can't
Use one hand to pick
Up a phone?
I can't wait
Any longer.
I gotta give
Them the
Lineup.
Carter, you start.
Followed by
O'hara, Smith
And Jones.
Now listen,
You guys.
That's the
Enemy out there.
That's the New
York Giants.
While you're out there,
Remember there's
A big fellow
Named Casey
Lying on a table
Struggling for
His life.
And I know
That the last
Thing he said
Before that night
When he had
His chest,
[sniff]
He said, "Go out
There, Zephyrs,
And win this one
For the big guy."
Pull yourself
Together, Monk.
And I'll tell you
Something else,
You guys,
From now on, there's
Gonna be a ghost in
The dugout,
Number .
Old number .
So just before
You go to battle,
I want you to look over
To where he used to sit,
'cause he's
Gonna be there.
He's gonna be
There in spirit.
And he's gonna
Be yelling for us,
And rootin' for us!
And screamin'...
"Go, Zephyrs!
Go, go, go!"
Hi, Casey.
And I'll tell you
Something else
About the big guy.
He has got a heart.
Casey!
[all shouting]
How are you,
Old boy?
All right, all right,
Quiet down. Quiet down.
Well?
(stillman)
Tell him, Casey.
Listen, Mr. Mcgarry.
[ticking]
You got a heart.
Look at
His smile.
The one thing
I couldn't get
Him to do.
Yeah. It's wonderful.
Just wonderful.
I feel
Like togetherness.
All right!
Let's get
Out there!
[shouting]
Here you are, seven.
Go suit up.
Togetherness.
Play ball!
[crowd cheering]
All right.
All right,
I'll listen.
I'm a reasonable man,
I'll listen to anything.
As you well know, doctor,
But maybe you can tell me
How one minute
He can look like
Three Bob Fellers
And the next like
A tanker with nothing.
Or maybe you can
Explain, Casey,
How you can pitch
Nine balls and allow
Four singles
Two doubles,
Two triples
And a home run.
Shall I tell
Him, Casey?
Well, somebody
Tell me.
Casey's got
A heart.
All right,
So Casey's
Got a heart.
The thing is,
Mr. Mcgarry,
I just couldn't
Strike those
Poor fellows out.
I didn't have
It in me to
Do that,
To hurt
Their feelings.
I felt compassion.
That's it. He's
Got compassion.
See how he smiles?
Give a man a heart,
Mr. Mcgarry,
Particularly someone
Like Casey
Who hasn't
Been around
Long enough
To understand
Co petitiveness or
Drive or ego.
That's what happens.
I'm sorry,
Mr. Mcgarry.
I just can't hurt
Fellows' careers.
Dr. Stillman thinks
I should go
Into social work.
That's right.
I want to
Help people.
Bye.
Well, I know somebody
He can help for a start.
Me.
Perhaps you'd
Like to keep
Casey's blueprints.
A little memento
Might cheer you up.
Goodbye.
Wait, wait.
Hey, doc,
Wait a minute!
Doc!
Hey, doc!
Wait a minute!
Doc!
Hey, doc!
Wait a minute!
(male narrator)
Once upon a time there was
A major league baseball team
Called the Hoboken Zephyrs
Who during the last year
Of their existence
Wound up in last place
And shortly thereafter
Wound up in oblivion.
There's a rumor,
Unsubstantiated, of course,
That a manager named Mcgarry
Took them to the west coast
And wound up
With several pennants
And a couple
Of world's championships.
This team had a pitching
Staff that made history.
Of course, none of
Them smiled very much
But it happens to be a fact
They pitched
Like nothing human
And if you're interested
As to where these
Gentlemen came from
You might check under "B"
For "Baseball"
In the twilight zone.
(male announcer)
Rod Serling, the
Creator of twilight zone,
Will tell you about
Next week's story
After this word from
Our alternate sponsor.
And now,
Mr. Serling.
Next week,
We take you back
Into the dark and hidden,
Unexplored recesses of
A writer's mind,
And do some probing
As to just how this
Type of bird operates.
It's a fascinating
Excursion into
The oddball.
On the twilight zone next
Week, Keenan Wynn and
Phyllis Kirk
Star in Richard Matheson's
"A World of His Wwn,"
And in this particular one,
Even this kooky writer gets
Into the act.
Good night.
[eerie music]
(male announcer)
Kimberley Clark
Invites you
To watch Steve McQueen
In "Wanted Dead or Alive."
Saturday nights over
Most of these
Same stations.