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Fox wants "Pitch" to look real, and it's getting help from Major League Baseball.

The new series centers on the first woman to play in the big leagues. The producers and the network hope that baseball fans will watch the whole show (8 p.m., Thursday, Fox/Ch. 13). But they're also hoping that if you happen to tune in in the middle of one of the faux baseball games, you think it's the real thing.

There's never been a successful TV series about baseball before, but "those other shows didn't have Major League Baseball as a partner," said executive producer Kevin Falls. "They've been a great partner, so that helps a lot."

There's no money being exchanged, but MLB is indeed lending its support — providing consultants to the writers as they create this tale of the Ginny Baker (Kyle Bunbury), who's called up by the San Diego Padres. Baler makes her debut in Petco Park against the L.A. Dodgers. All the logos, all the teams are real.

And there are real sportscasters, too. Joe Buck and John Smoltz are in the booth on what looks like Fox Sports 1 — complete with all the correct logos, graphics and camera shots — when Baker takes the field.

As actors, they're not great. Buck and Smoltz are somewhat awkwardly scripted.

Not that they're out of place on "Pitch," which looks real but feels fake. The drama is over-the-top ridiculous, and there's a Big Plot Twist that's beyond manipulative — that's gobsmackingly absurd.

Fox Sports' Colin Cowherd comes across more genuine than Buck and Smoltz, perhaps because he's used to playing a character on his shows. And, quite honestly, actor Cowherd calls out one distinctly offensive aspect of "Pitch" — repeatedly comparing the fictional Ginny Baker to Jackie Robinson, the man who broke the MLB color barrier.

Yes, it would be big news if a woman pitched for the Padres. Yes, women are discriminated against on a daily basis.

But to compare that to the horrific racism Robinson endured does a disservice to his memory — and to accuracy.

"I'm all in on Ginny Baker," acting Cowherd says. "I think it's the biggest sports story since O.J., and, hopefully, has a happier ending. But comparing this girl to Jackie Robinson is preposterous."

"Pitch" requires that you suspend disbelief and accept that a woman can pitch in the Major Leagues. And hit, for that matter — the Padres are in the National League. It might have been easier to accept if the character was, say, a left fielder, but creators/executive producers Dan Fogelman and Rick Singer are going for broke.

They do cut to a faux MLB Network report — again, complete with studio, graphics and anchor Matt Vasgersian — to tell us that while Baker's pitching speed "tops out in the high 80s," she has an "arsenal of pitches" that includes a "nasty screwball."

As if "Pitch" doesn't make it clear how it expects viewers to react, "Garbage Time" host Katie Nolan is brought in to spell it out for us.

"If you want to say she's only getting her shot because she's a woman, go ahead," acting Nolan says. "But let's be real. If you're saying that, you're a man. You're a backwards-thinking, backwards cap-wearing, male pattern baldness-hiding man.

"So bitch and moan all you want, gentlemen, but tonight a girl's going to be the lead sports story in the world. And if that upsets you, well, maybe you're just getting your period. Go get 'em, Ginny."

If only "Pitch" was good enough to make that something other than empty words. It's not.

Scott D. Pierce covers TV for The Salt Lake Tribune. Email him at spierce@sltrib.com; follow him on Twitter @ScottDPierce.