History Film / RookieOfTheYear

* CrazyEnoughToWork: When it is DownToTheLastPlay and Henry has lost his super-pitch, he gets an idea from his mom to throw a floater. The absolute slowest and easiest to hit pitch you can possible do, few pitchers ever bother with it so the batter was way too excited and overmuscled he completely whiffs it.

* CloudCuckoolander: Brickma, full stop.

* DisabilitySuperpower

* DownToTheLastPlay

* Also, whenever Henry fans one of his many victims, the umpire calling it makes a verbal call, even on a swinging strikeout; in real baseball, umpires reserve the dramatic, verbal calls for called strikeouts (backwards Ks), while being quieter on swinging ones (simply making fists).

* BuxomIsBetter: Becky Fraker. Henry tries to give excuses why he can't talk to Becky, the HeadTurningBeauty at school, but George is quick to point out her obvious assets.

* AccidentalAthlete: Discovered after his surgically repaired arm allows him to throw a home run ball from the outfield bleachers all the way back to home plate.

* ArtisticLicenseMedicine: In case it isn't clear, no, we cannot currently make people into superhuman pitchers via surgery, accidentally or otherwise.

'''Cliff''': ''The'' season, why would you think this would be ''the'' season? When we haven't won a pennant in over fifty years! When we haven't won a World Series since, uh...\\

* BigBad: The closest thing there is to one is a player named in the credits as "Heddo", a hard-hitting slugger who plays for the New York Mets.

-->'''Henry''': Forget it, guys. She doesn't like me. And besides, she's not that hot. \\
'''George:''' Not that hot? She's stacked! Just look at her sipping that milk. Milk's done that body good.

* CustomUniform: Henry's Little League team allows him to wear jeans and sneakers rather than proper the proper stirrup pants and cleats. {{Hand Wave}}d by saying he never gets to play in the first place.

* GameBreakingInjury: [[spoiler:Steadman's surgically repaired shoulder finally gives out in the final game of the film. Henry also resets his tendons accidentally after taking a fall similar to the one earlier in the film, and loses his superhuman velocity for the final inning.]]

''(The women stare at him expectedly.)''\\

''(Confused, the women leave, to reveal a pinball machine behind them.)''

** When Henry hears his surgically repaired arm making a creaking noise as he's about to throw the baseball back in the field.

* PintsizedPowerhouse: Henry is just a kid, but he can throw fastballs at over 100 miles an hour because of his surgically repaired arm.

* PublicSecretMessage: Down to the final out vs. Heddo, Henry [[spoiler: without his superhuman velocity]] is out of ideas, but his catcher has one of his own, putting down a fastball sign to Henry and stresses aloud "''He can't hit your fastball.''" Henry understands and throws [[spoiler: his kid-level "velocity", completely fooling Heddo, expecting a 100+ mph fastball and flails wildly for strike one. The bench and announcers believe Henry purposefully threw a changeup]].

* TheReveal: Henry peeling back the masking tape on his glove to reveal [[spoiler:it was his mother's, figuring out that [[WasItAllALie all the stories she told allegedly about his "father"]] [[FromACertainPointOfView were actually about her]].]]

* SaveOurTeam: The Cubs have to sell out every game for the rest of the season, or else MLB will seize control of the franchise. This is what gives Fish the impetus to sign Henry (as Carson was planning to hand the reins over to him), but then the subplot is essentially dropped.

* SuicidalOverconfidence: Played with. A man in the stands who failed to throw back a home run gets angry when Henry throws it from the nosebleed section of center field to Home Plate, thinking it was to show him up. He tries to go after Henry, but his friend stops him, saying simply "He'd kill ya" if he tried to fight a kid with such a strong arm.

* TookALevelInJerkass: Mary's boyfriend Jack goes from a dorky, if well-meaning guy to a complete and total ass as soon as he gets a taste of big money. Also becomes jealous when Mary and Steadman are becoming a couple.

* WasItAllALie: DoubleSubverted. Mary told Henry stories of how his dad was a great baseball player. [[spoiler:She later admits that he walked out on them when she was pregnant with Henry and was never a baseball player. However, Henry confessed that he knew all along, his grandmother told him the truth when he was in the 2nd grade. He never said anything because he thought [[IJustWantMyBelovedToBeHappy his mom liked it when she tells him stories about how "great" his dad was]]. Near the end of his last game, he discovers that [[TheReveal his mom was the great baseball player all along]].]]

'''George:''' Not that hot? She's stacked! Milk's done that body good.

After a startling demonstration of this newfound ability at Wrigley Field, he is signed on as a pitcher for the Chicago Cubs, where he learns that being a professional baseball player is a lot harder than it looks. Needless to say, HilarityEnsues.

Was the big acting break for future ''Film/AmericanPie'' star Creator/ThomasIanNicholas. Also featured Creator/GaryBusey, Albert Hall, Creator/DanielStern (who also directed), Creator/EddieBracken, Creator/DanHedaya and Creator/AmyMorton. It also features Creator/JohnCandy in an uncredited supporting performance as Cubs announcer Cliff Murdoch.

** Everyone’s reaction when the last player Henry needs to strike out is Heddo, the exact same person whom he pitched against at the start of his career and who scored a home run off him. Heddo summarizes it by telling Henry, "I'm your worst nightmare!"

* OhCrap: When Henry's about to throw the baseball back in the field.

* PintsizedPowerhouse: Henry is just a kid, but he can throw fastballs at over 100 miles an hour.

* UnskilledButStrong: Henry is signed because of his blazing fastball, but his first few outings on the mound go badly because he's so raw; he struggles to find the strike zone, gives up home runs, and has to be bailed out the rest of the team's fielding.

** Like a similar goof-up in ''Film/MajorLeague'', Heddo is the last batter Henry faces in the climactic game after setting down eight in a row. However, that would've meant Heddo should've been the last batter Steadman faced before leaving (even weirder, everyone acts surprised Heddo is even coming to bat, as if he just materialized into the game). This one could, however, be adequately explained if Heddo were coming in as a pinch-hitter. Thus is likely since Heddo was not shown fielding during the game.
*** Heddo also would likely have been ejected for throwing his bat at the ground after his foul ball.
*** While it's technically possible, does anyone really think the Mets would leave a slugger like Heddo on the bench until the ninth inning of the playoff game for the division championship?

*** [[JustifiedTrope Of course]] the main point of bringing Henry directly to the Cubs was as a publicity stunt designed to fill the stadium to avoid forfeiting the franchise.

*** Of course the main point of bringing Henry directly to the Cubs was as a publicity stunt designed to fill the stadium to avoid forfeiting the franchise.

** Everyone’s reaction when the last player Henry needs to strike out is Heddo, the exact same person whom he pitched against at the start of his career and who scored a home run off him.

Was the big acting break for future ''Film/AmericanPie'' star Thomas Ian Nicholas. Also featured Creator/GaryBusey, Albert Hall, Creator/DanielStern (who also directed), Eddie Bracken, Creator/DanHedaya and Amy Morton. It also features Creator/JohnCandy in an uncredited supporting performance as Cubs announcer Cliff Murdoch.

--> "What did he call me?"

-->'''Ernie''': I think this is gonna be ''the'' season for the Cubs!
-->'''Cliff''': ''The'' season, why would you think this would be ''the'' season? When we haven't won a pennant in over fifty years! When we haven't won a World Series since, uh--
-->'''Ernie''': 1908!

* cut to Carson looking at his Cracker Jack prize*\\

-->Did he say "funky butt-lovin'"?

* MilkingTheGiantCow: Stephen Altman ''goes for it'' during Jack's VillainousBreakdown.

* MilkingTheGiantCow: Stephen Altman ''goes for it'' during Jack's VillaniousBreakdown.