"Coach's Kid" is the first episode of Win or Lose. It centers on Laurie whose negative thoughts are manifested as a small sweat blob.
Synopsis[]
Laurie may not be the most skilled player on her softball team, but she makes up for it in spirit—most of the time. The 12-year-old struggles with insecurity that manifests into an amorphous, sentient creature called Sweaty that only she can see. Laurie's anxiety mounts as the championship draws nearer—she literally carries an ever-growing Sweaty on her back, struggling under its weight. All she wants is to score a hit and make her dad aka Coach proud.[1]
Plot[]
The episode begins with a prologue of sorts of a softball game that is slowly descending into chaos of what appears to be of an unnatural order. An unusual orange soda drinking child named Odo explains the entire premise:
- “Everyone is chasing the feeling of a win. But if someone wins... somebody has to lose. Or maybe, maybe winning is just a matter of how you look at it.”
- ―Odo
One week earlier, the softball team known as the Pickles are led by a mid-divorced father Coach Dan. The team is actually pretty good as they beat the other team, The Snotters, very easily. One player however, Laurie, is terrible as she is unable to hit the ball or even catch one. The biggest downside being that she is Coach Dan's daughter. While Dan happily congratulates the other players with a high five, he only gives Laurie a casual, "You'll get 'em next time kiddo," making her feel far inferior. Laurie's paranoia and stress causes a small sweat blob named Sweaty to materialize and vocalize every negative thought that is going through her head.
Laurie takes comfort in her best friend, and talkative hustler, Rochelle when Yuwen posts a video of Laurie's failed bat swings. When Rochelle accuses Yuwen of liking Laurie, he deflects that by claiming that he likes Taylor. Despite Dan's unintentional dismissive attitude of Laurie, she still looks up to him and manages to finagle some father-daughter time with him for Friday, agreeing to stay with him for the weekend. At home, Laurie's mother Carole also shows very little attention towards her daughter's sport, explaining her attachment to her dad. Sweaty continues to pester Laurie's insecurities by hyperbolizing them.
Laurie tells Rochelle at school the next day her intent to train extra hard so that she can get a hit and make her dad proud. Despite Rochelle's concerns, Laurie goes to the diamond after school. She continues to train everyday, but doesn't get much better at playing. After texting her dad to come and see her, Kai arrives to train with her. Under her watch, Laurie manages to hit a ball, but it hits Kai in the head. Dan arrives in time to see what happens, disappointingly asking Laurie what she did (in her imagination) before taking Kai home. Laurie returns home where she embraces Sweaty, who increases in size and nearly crushes her.
On the day of the game, Frank Brown is a crying mess, Rochelle and her mother Vanessa are nowhere to be seen, Taylor is angry with Yuwen and annoyed at Ira, Kai is wrestling with a sore ankle, and Dan is distracted. Sweaty has increased in size and now causes Laurie to walk slowly. The game is not going great, but before going to play, Laurie is told by Odo, "Hit or be hit". She predictably misses the first two swings, until Dan calls for a time out. He demands from Laurie to know what is wrong as Sweaty completely envelopes her. She finally asks if she is a good enough player. Dan tells her that it is not about being the best, but about trying your best. This gives Laurie enough self-respect to shrink Sweaty into nothing.
Laurie makes it back to the home base and prepares for one final swing. As the ball flies towards her, Laurie drops her bat, steps in the way, and allows the ball to completely hit her.
Cast[]
- Rosie Foss as Laurie
- Will Forte as Coach Dan
- Chanel Stewart as Kai
- Tom Law as Tom
- Izaac Wang as Yuwen Wang
- Lil Rel Howery as James
- Rosa Salazar as Vanessa Rodriguez
- Dorien Watson as Ira
- Jo Firestone as Sweaty
- Milian Ray as Rochelle Rodriguez
- Rhea Seehorn as Carole
- Josh Thomson as Frank Brown
- Kyliegh Curran as Taylor
- Erin Keif as Kerin
- Santina Muha as Cheryl
- Harlow Hodges as Zane Rodriguez
Additional voices[]
- Dylan Buccieri - Odo
- Ian Chen - Junn
- Akira Evans - Terrence
- Romi Rey Herrada - Luciana
- Rockwell Herron - Martin (Tots Catcher)
- Erin Keif
- Scott Menville - Random Dave
- Emily Ricks - Paula
- Mariah Thompson
- Reagan To - Hannah
- Winston Vengapally - Borna
- Michael Yates - Radio DJ
Trivia[]
- The music heard during the prologue is Franz Schubert's "Ave Maria", which was previously featured in Fantasia.
- The stars on the ceiling in Laurie's bedroom are just like the ones on Riley's from the Inside Out franchise.
- Pizza Planet Truck: Seen during the beginning of the montage of Laurie's run to the softball field.
- Pixar Ball: Seen near a swing set in the same shot.
- The opening sequence for the Night of the Championship scene shows a lot of foreshadowing:
- When we see Frank, he is crying in his car. Later, he mistakenly calls for a second strike even though it was only the first. ("Blue")
- Yuwen and Taylor are arguing over something as Ira tries to get Taylor's attention. ("Steal", "Mixed Signals")
- Kai acknowledges a good luck from someone before looking away sadly, and when she sits in the bleacher, she goes "Ow!" and rubs her ankle. ("I Got It")
- Laurie notices that Rochelle is missing. ("Raspberry")
- James (Kai's dad) attempts to discuss the player lineup with Coach Dan, and later, while doing his pep talk, Coach Dan is briefly distracted by something. ("Home")
- The full episode was posted to YouTube on March 7, 2025. However, it's not available anymore as of April 23, 2025.
