After reading the pilot script, The Major League Baseball Corporation and The New York Yankees team declined a request for a cooperative licensing arrangement that would have allowed the series to use established team names and locations. "There were particular elements we weren't comfortable being associated with", MLB spokesman Carmine Tiso said. This necessitated the creation of fictional leagues, teams, and stadiums. The show was also forced after filming the pilot to quickly abandon the pinstripes on the Empire uniforms as they were too similar to the Yankees. The pinstripes were even digitally erased from promos for the series premiere.
When the show was cancelled, they were in pre-production on a twelfth episode. Titled "Second Place", the synopsis was as follows: Conrad prepares to take second place in "most consecutive games played", and is worried when his rebellious son Max arrives. He asks Pete to hang out with him and to try to keep Max out of trouble. John Patrick Amedori was cast as Max Dean.
Eleven episodes were filmed. The first five episodes aired on CBS in the fall of 2004. The five episodes the CBS aired were the pilot, "Breaking the Slump", "Chin Music", "Trade Talks", and "Spectator Interference". In 2005, all eleven episodes were purchased by the HDNet cable channel and were aired.
The series is based on a book Matthew McGough wrote about his years as a New York Yankees bat boy. The book is titled "Bat Boy: My True Life Adventures Coming of Age with the New York Yankees".
When the pilot aired, Mare Winningham received first billing in the opening credits and Dean Cain was credited last with the special billing "And Dean Cain". There was also another series regular, Marc Donato, who played Rich, a fellow bat boy. Donato was dropped after the pilot, and beginning with the third episode, Dean Cain received top billing, and Winningham credited last as "And Mare Winningham".