AloneOnTheMound

“Alone on the Mound – The Tortured Life of Eric Show” is a documentary about the pitcher who threw the ball that Pete Rose hit in 1985 to break Ty Cobb’s hit record. It’s a powerful exploration of the career and controversies surrounding the winningest pitcher in San Diego Padre’s history, Eric Show (pron. like “how’). 

When Pete Rose eclipsed Ty Cobb as Major League Baseball’s all-time hits leader exactly 40 years ago, no one stopped to think about the pitcher who served it up, who never wanted to be a baseball player to begin with, who was so conflicted and anguished that he sat down that night on the pitching mound. 

The film asks how he became one of the most star-crossed players in big league history. The answer—encompassing him as the victim of the Rose hit, an abusive childhood, and a beanball collision with Andre Dawson that left him “public enemy No. 1”— is a case study of being at the wrong place at the wrong time. A case study of being all alone.