Baseball is America’s pastime, but it has also been a godsend for writers and directors. It’s no surprise that Poker Face would take its hijinks to the minors, but “Hometown Hero” spoils us. It’s not only an incredibly specific kind of murder (which is very easy to solve), but it also lets the cast get very silly. With guest stars Simon Rex, Carol Kane, and Brandon Perea, “Hometown Hero” is another win for Poker Face.

At a Montgomery Cheesemongers game, Russ Waddell (Simon Rex), a hometown hero pitcher, returns home to the minor leagues. The fans are thrilled to see him on the mound, but the mood turns after the opposing team hits several home runs. The Cheesemongers have lost 29 games in a row, and Russ is just the latest casualty of their losing streak. Lucille (Carol Kane) brings him soup to make him feel better, unaware that Russ has not been told by his coach, Skip (Gil Birmingham), that he got cut.

Russ joins the guys at the bar and admits it might be time for him to hang it up. He’s got one more start to go, but their goodbye celebration is killed when a fan admits he bet against the team and won $200 doing it. This gives Russ an idea: What if they lose five games in a row and make money on the way out the door? Everyone agrees, and they quickly lose four games in a row.

On the day of Russ’ final game, a younger pitcher named Felix (Brandon Perea) has been promoted to their roster. He’s getting the start over Russ, which stands to ruin the team’s plan. Russ tries to corrupt the young pitcher, but he seems poised. The guys decide to do something to stop the kid. However, one of the guys gave him acid, which somehow makes Felix even better. (You Dock Ellis’d him!) Late in the game, the other players help sabotage the perfect game to complete their fifth loss.

As they celebrate, Russ realizes they have not gotten rid of the spiked gum. He sneaks into the locker room and finds Felix with a notebook. Inside, one of Russ’ guys wrote down all the players’ names involved and how to split up the money. Felix knows they threw the game, and his drug trip has sent him on a spiritual quest. However, Felix blackmails Russ for all $3 million. When he insults Russ, the older pitcher throws a fastball and hits him in the head. The impact kills Felix. Russ quickly sets up a frame job and leaves the pitching machine on to serve as the culprit.

Charlie sits in an office and changes out the printer toner. When she speaks with “Good Buddy” (Steve Buscemi), she blames watching The Office, but she wants to quit the job now. She finally gets the printer working, but suddenly a baseball flies through the window and hits her. She goes down to the field and gives the ball back to Lucille. Instead of suing, she agrees to be a ball girl for the team.

As Lucille breaks down the new responsibilities, she shows Charlie how to use the pitching machine. It does not work well, and the balls shoot out of control. As the team prepares for a game, Charlie spots Russ getting attention. She asks the fans about his story, and they agree Russ has a classic case of the yips.

Charlie meets Russ at the bar, and he admits that while baseball is a game, it’s the only thing he’s ever been good at. It’s hard to lose a skill when it’s the only one you have. A few days later, Felix takes the mound. That night, Felix talks to Charlie about his visions on the mound. She wishes him good luck as he comes down off his drugs. He hands her some of the bubble gum as she heads out.

Charlie has a trip of her own while Russ tries to sneak out of the clubhouse. In her vision, she has a vision of Hiriam (B.J. Novak), the inventor of the Velvety Canned Cheese Company that sponsors the baseball team and stadium. The next day, Charlie wakes up in the press box, and Lucille reveals that Felix is dead. They think he just got hit with the fastball.

If Lucille gets hit with a wrongful death lawsuit, the team could shut down. Charlie suggests that his gum might have been laced, but the cops confirm that no drugs were found in the gum. Charlie asks around the clubhouse and eventually discovers a couple of the guys are sporting new clothes and grills.

When Charlie approaches the cop about the obvious plan to stop Felix so the players could cash in their bet, he admits it sounds plausible, but they don’t have evidence for a warrant. The cop confirms the blunt force trauma killed Felix, with the autopsy noting the ball that hit Felix was going 100 MPH.

Charlie runs some tests with the pitching machine, but it never gets over 83 MPH. Russ arrives, and she asks him some questions about who can throw that fast. At first, they seem to get along well, but then she realizes he’s lying about his fastball being gone. The next day, she asks more questions about what got his fastball back. She puts the pieces all together, and when she calls him a loser, he shows he’s still got it.

Russ tells Charlie she’s got nothing, and he will prove he has nothing left. However, his demeanor changes when she mentions that a scout might be in the crowd. Unsure whether the scout is real, he starts off poorly but slowly puts together his old speed. After throwing a 101 MPH fastball, the cops cover the exits. The scout was an undercover cop, and before he’s taken into custody, Russ decides to give it his all.

If you’re a fan of baseball, or even just the Savannah Bananas, “Hometown Hero” should make your watchlist. It’s a great approximation of life in the minor leagues and the kinds of people who intersect in the sport at that level. While some are on the come-up, looking to make their mark in the big leagues, others struggle to hang on with everything they have. As Bull Durham, Major League, and Brockmire have proven in the past, baseball is a perfect place to set your ridiculous sports comedies.

The easter eggs to baseball (Dock Ellis) and pop culture (B.J. Novak showing up in a trippy sequence after mentioning The Office) are nice touches by the Poker Face team. Ego Nwodim kills it as the color commentary announcer, straight out of the Bob Uecker (RIP) playbook of ridiculous side conversations. Jimmy Conway would be furious at the amount of spending that Simon Rex’s crew does immediately after their heist. Even “Glory Days” from the Boss is the most obvious yet perfect baseball song for them to drop in the mix. Using all the small moments of Americana to further bolster the episode, “Hometown Hero” gets a fun boost.

While Brandon Perea gets a couple of good scenes, he thrives when playing up the ridiculous stoner energy. Due to many of his previous roles, seeing him as the straight-edge character is a fun turn on his feature film persona. Perea also plays well as a spaced-out athlete, which a comedic director should use to their advantage in the future (see Wyatt Russell). Finally, hats off to Gil Birmingham for his absurd one-liners that also feel like they have unlocked a comedic persona we never knew existed.

Carol Kane brings out her traditional manic character in “Hometown Hero.” There are few projects where this does not drastically improve the product. Finally, Simon Rex taps into the heart of the role, turning the former superstar into a man driven by anger and regret. When paired up with Lyonne, he’s an excellent foil for Charlie’s usual schemes. Yet “Hometown Hero” needs that regret that Rex has continued to bring to roles years after Red Rocket. Speaking of which, the not-so-subtle nickname was not lost on us, so hats off to “Hometown Hero” for even including that subtext.