In "Eephus," a group of middle-aged men gather to play one last game on their hometown baseball field before it's paved to make way for a new school.

And that's it. There's nothing fancy about this comic sports drama, nothing over-the-top. It's an authentic, unfussy tribute to the romance of baseball, its traditions, its pacing and those who swear by its rituals, and it's as lived-in as a well-worn catcher's mitt.

In Douglas, Massachusetts, Soldier's Field is on its way out, and the Riverdogs are facing team Adler's Paint for one last time before the field, like so much of baseball, becomes history.

There's nothing on the line, no league championship, no trophy. There's one dedicated fan, Franny (Cliff Blake), who keeps track of balls and strikes on an old-school score card. Other than that, it's just a group of guys playing for nothing more than the love of the game.

The characters, a group of actors you likely don't recognize (Keith William Richards, Frederick Wiseman and former Boston Red Sox pitcher Bill "Spaceman" Lee among them), have lives at home, but we don't learn much about them. Nor are any of them well-defined enough to stand out. They're just there to lace up their cleats and hang out, and maybe drink a beer and shoot off some fireworks after the ninth inning.

They're not great athletes, but they're the kind of guys who grew up playing baseball and still enjoy the camaraderie of team sports. Their uniforms sort of match, but not always. Some of the guys have beer guts, some of them are in pretty good shape. None of them are good runners. But they're the type of guys who are still willing to dive head first into second while stealing a base.

Co-writer and director Carson Lund, working from a script he wrote along with Nate Fisher and Michael Basta, goes out of his way to avoid sports movie cliches. There's no lights out home run (a la "The Natural") or sexed-up side story (a la "Bull Durham") or hot shot wildman pitcher (a la "Major League"). Instead, he's steadfastly dedicated to the rhythms and poetry of baseball, the casual conversations between teammates, and the quiet beauty of an umpire cleaning off home plate in between batters.

Lund fills in the gaps between innings with quotes from baseball legends including Rickey Henderson, Babe Ruth and Yogi Berra. The ghosts of the game loom large over "Eephus," which is named for a high-arched pitch known for catching batters off guard.

Like kids staying out too late past dark, the game goes on a bit long. That's one of the things about playing baseball in the summertime, you can only play as long as you can still see the ball. But Lund is like his group of players: he just doesn't want to let go. Everyone who's ever played the game understands the feeling.

———

'EEPHUS'

Grade: B

No MPA rating (language)

Running time: 1:38

How to watch: Now in theaters

———

©2025 www.detroitnews.com. Visit at detroitnews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.