The Demon of the Dugout is the seventh episode of the original half-hour Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo series.
Summary
A mysterious demon known as the Dragon Beast interrupts an international baseball game in Tokyo, scaring everyone away.
At the Japanese airport, the gang was getting ready for tomorrow's game. The coach of the American team, Willie Turner, told Fred, Daphne and Velma that no one had won tonight's game because of the Dragon Beast. So they decided to investigate.
The gang interviewed the stadium owner, Mr. Husai who told the gang that as long as the Dragon Beast was around, Mr. Husai will be selling the stadium. Of course, Mr. Husai has other businesses around Tokyo that needs his attention.
At the locker room, Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo found the Dragon Beast in locker 13. When the Scrappy opens the locker, the Dragon Beast vanished.
Moments later, Velma noticed some extra bright bulbs. Then the Dragon Beast followed the gang to a nice Japanese Hotel. When the gang noticed the Dragon Beast in the hotel, the Beast escapes.
During a chase, Daphne noticed the Dragon Beast going into a fireworks factory. The gang split up and look around. Fred, Daphne and Velma noticed crates of fireworks that look like that they're all going to America. But Velma thought it might mean something else.
Velma thought this mystery was finally starting to make sense, so she decided to go back to the stadium because she thought the Dragon Beast might be after the Baseball Diamond trophy. Mr. Husai was filling out forms for the sale of the stadium. Velma asked Mr. Husai to make sure that the Baseball Diamond was still in the vault. Then Velma almost dropped it. Mr. Husai told the gang to get back to work.
When Scrappy opens the same locker the Dragon Beast was in, there was nothing. The Scooby leans in to the locker and it turns out to be a secret tunnel. While Shaggy and the dogs were investigating, Fred and the girls were menaced by the Dragon Beast. Scrappy opened a way out that the Dragon Beast was standing on.
The Dragon Beast chased Shaggy and the dogs. Scooby and Shaggy, disguised as baseball players, told Scrappy to fire baseballs at the Dragon Beast while Fred and Daphne released one of the stadium nets. When the net falls on the Dragon Beast, that wraps up the mystery.
A member of the Japanese authorities came. Fred, Daphne and Velma explained how the culprit used fireworks to create smoke and a projection of a giant Dragon Beast. The Beast is unmasked as Mr. Husai. Fred remembered that Mr. Husai told him and the gang that Husai had other businesses around Tokyo. And Fred figured the fireworks factory was one of them. Velma told Shaggy and Scooby when she dropped the Baseball Diamond near its glass case, she was certain that it didn't scratch the glass which means it was a fake diamond. Husai had stolen and forged the real diamond years ago. But he was afraid if the American team won the game and took the trophy home, they would discover the theft. So Husai dreamed up the whole Dragon Beast idea to disrupt the game.
As the gang prepare to head back to the hotel to rest, Scooby and Scrappy light up two fireworks; the former sets one off in his image, but the latter accidentally creates a dragon, scaring the fireworks Scooby away.
Trivia
- This episode, and the other episode Mark Evanier wrote, have been noted as having better animation than the episodes that weren't written by him.
- Since its introduction in the late 19th century, baseball is one of the most popular sports in Japan.