Could an Amateur From India Have a 'Million Dollar Arm'?

Becoming a professional baseball pitcher is an against-all-odds endeavor, even for those given a mitt before a rattle. But getting to the Bigs is a far greater challenge if you've grown up having never seen a baseball.

Such was the case with Rinku Singh and Dinesh Patel before they entered the "The Million Dollar Arm," a 2008 reality TV competition seeking to find the fastest, most accurate hurler in India. Singh and Patel beat out over 37,000 competitors to earn a cash prize as well as a trip to America, where USC pitching coach Tom House would train them for a Big League tryout.

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If you're thinking this story has all the makings of a Hollywood movie, you aren't alone. Disney is releasing "Million Dollar Arm" on May 16, starring Jon Hamm as J.B. Bernstein, the sports agent who masterminded the contest with the hope of converting a billion cricket-loving people to the sport of baseball.

Our exclusive clip above shows the moment when Singh (Suraj Sharma of "Life of Pi") and Patel (Madhur Mittal of "Slumdog Millionaire") meet Coach House for the first time. It's not pretty. Neither Singh or Patel can hit the broadside of a barn.

On top of their pitching problems, Singh and Patel are thrown into another world they are thoroughly ill-prepared to navigate: America. Having no knowledge of the language or customs, Singh and Patel are portrayed as fish out of water, fully reliant upon their host, Bernstein, to help guide them — a position the self-centered sports agent is even less prepared for. 

SPOILER ALERT

But Disney wouldn't make a movie without a happy ending, right? And since we know this is based on a true story, we're not spoiling much by noting that Singh and Patel become the first two Indian athletes ever to sign a professional contract with a major American sports team. Go Pirates!

The real story here isn't the happy ending; it's the journey that connects lands as different as Mumbai and Los Angeles by showing that regardless of the circumstances you're born into, the Big Leagues are always within reach.

See the "Million Dollar Arm" theatrical trailer: