The Hill

In a small Texan town, Rickey Hill wears leg braces due to a degenerative spinal disease but still loves playing baseball. His strict pastor father, James, dissuades him from the sport and urges him to focus on preaching. The clash between faith, family expectations, and Rickey's dream sets the film's emotional stakes.

The Hill family is evicted from their home and forced to relocate to Oklahoma. When their car breaks down, they are helped by a kind family who offers James a position at a local church. This act reshapes Rickey's world and introduces him to a new community.

Rickey struggles to adapt and finds a group of children playing baseball. A bully harasses him about his disability until he connects on a pitch. He tries to join the town team, but parental permission is required, so his brother Robert forges their father's signature.

James discovers the forged signature and lectures both Rickey and Robert for lying, though he stops short of beating Robert at the last moment. The incident exposes the fear of failure and a father's protective instinct over Rickey's dream.

Rickey reassures his brother that he is capable of both preaching and playing baseball, bridging the conflict between faith and sport. He expresses confidence that the two paths can coexist.

Several years later, Rickey has become one of the top high school baseball players. His talent draws attention, but Major League Baseball scouts have not yet taken notice.

Ray, his boss at a part-time job who watched Rickey as a child, invites scout Red Murff to his upcoming game. This connection sets up the chance Rickey needs to be seen by the right people.

Rickey faces off against the bully from his youth and hits the go-ahead home run, but trips on a sprinkler while catching the game-winning out. The moment shows both his raw talent and the fragility of the play.

A doctor diagnoses Rickey with a fractured ankle and severed leg tendons, declaring his playing days over. The news is devastating and threatens to end his dream before it can really begin.

Fundraising efforts fail to cover his treatment costs, but Ray helps him by providing rest to recover in time for an MLB tryout. James forbids him from taking part, creating tension and doubt within the family.

Rickey's grandmother falls ill and urges James to let him pursue baseball before dying. A renewed determination leads Rickey to remove his cast and begin training again with Robert.

On the first day of the tryout, Rickey runs drills with other prospects in front of scouts, often struggling with fielding and baserunning. A scout nearly dismisses him but decides to let him bat, providing the chance to prove himself.

In the prospects game, Murff pressures pitchers to strike out Rickey, but he collects hit after hit, proving his batting prowess. Most of his hits land near Murff in the adjacent park, and Murff summons major leaguer Jimmy Hammer to pitch against him. Rickey stays in, and after Hammer hits him in the rib, he connects on the next pitch for a crucial success.

After the game, Rickey and James reunite in the outfield. James admits that he will have to get used to Rickey's dual dream of preaching and baseball, signaling a new, supportive stance toward his son's ambitions.

In the epilogue, Rickey signs with the Montreal Expos in 1975 and spends four seasons in the minor leagues before his spine gives out. The closing scenes celebrate perseverance and the balance of faith and sport in his life.