Other mistake: In Roy Hobbs' last at bat of the movie he takes the 1st pitch for a called strike (confirmed by closed captioning). The 2nd pitch is called a ball. The Pittsburgh manager then decides to change pitchers with the count at 1-1. The relief pitcher's 1st pitch is fouled into the press box making the count 1 ball and 2 strikes. The 2nd pitch from the relief pitcher is swung on and missed, and should be strike 3. Hobbs stays in the box and hits a long fly ball foul and hits a HR on the next pitch. Roy Hobbs should have struck out. (02:06:20 - 02:12:05)
The Natural (1984)
Directed by: Barry Levinson
Starring: Robert Duvall, Robert Redford, Glenn Close, Kim Basinger
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Suggested correction: Like most umpire calls, the ump's wording of "Ball" on the first pitch isn't obvious until you hear the difference in the first "Strike" call. The count was not 1 and 1 when they brought in the new pitcher, it was 2 and 0.
If the umpire called the first pitch a ball then why does the closed captioning say strike?
Mistake in captioning and also by the announcer. If you look at the ball as it passes Roy, it is head high and the catcher has to reach to his left to catch the ball. Clearly, Levinson called for the pitch to be a ball. Ball one.
It's not a mistake in captioning because after the Umpire calls it a Strike, you can hear the announcer say "Strike One", it's low because of the crowd noise but he says it. It's even in the Director's Cut, then magically on the next pitch the count changes and the announcer says "Ball Two"
You can also hear the radio announcer say strike.
The man calling the game over the radio said it was a strike. However, the pitch was up at eye level and a ball. The ump sounds like he's saying "ball" and the Pirates' coach looks upset at the pitcher, which seems fitting for a pitched ball.
The "Strike!" closed captioning is wrong, and later the announcer's audio (although not shown on closed captioning) says "Ball two," which is why the manager calls for a pitching change.
The closed captioning always gets words wrong! Always! Gotta watch that. That being said I'm here bc I thought he had 4 as well.
The mistake seems valid. It does look like the ump says strike on the first pitch. The announcer even says "strike one" and then goes on to talk about how Hobbs has already struck out twice, so this has nothing to do with subtitles. Watching this on Netflix you can tell the word "ball" has been dubbed over the word strike on the first pitch. In the book, Hobbs strikes out on his final at-bat. It seems like the film makers were going to have him strike out, which a strike on a 1-2 count after the foul would have done, but decided to change it (maybe the ending tested poorly with audiences). Rather than reshoot the whole thing, they just dubbed over the ump to make it a 2-1 count.
Makes more sense that the manager would pull the pitcher on 2-0 count vs 1-1.
The announcer also said it was a strike.
Closed captioning gets it wrong sometimes. I notice it a lot.
The closed caption not only has the umpire calling a strike, but also has the commentary saying "strike one."
Suggested correction: When the pitcher is changed, the count is 2-0.
That is not correct. It's 1-1.
Continuity mistake: When he hits the ball off the clock, everyone leaves the park after his home run. Why should they? Roy Hobbs' team is the visiting team, so the Chicago Cubs still have their turn at bat in the bottom of the ninth.
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Suggested correction: They were playing at Knight's Field in New York. Plus the scoreboard has them batting last.
He's talking about the first game in Chicago when Iris stood up.
Suggested correction: Not everyone starts to leave, it's just a few guys sitting next to Iris that start to leave their seats. And all the photographers and reporters are crowding around Hobbs not because New York won, but because he hit such a big home run. Then the scene ends and cuts to the locker room to save time since we don't need to see the Cubs last at bat.
Continuity mistake: In many of the newspaper clippings of Hobbs' feats, the words under the headlines talk about tennis or the society page - not baseball.
Iris Gaines: You know, I believe we have two lives.
Roy Hobbs: How... what do you mean?
Iris Gaines: The life we learn with and the life we live with after that.
Roy Hobbs: Pick me out a winner Bobby.
Ed Hobbs: You've got a gift Roy... but it's not enough - you've got to develop yourself. If you rely too much on your own gift... then... you'll fail.
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