Taking a look at the five best baseball movies ever made.
The world of film is able to take any topic and attach a great meaning, allowing anyone to be able to relate to things in so many different ways.
The game of baseball also holds great meaning for millions for different reasons.
The two worlds have come together often and have produced some truly magical works of art.
From covering the business side of the game to a man who got to play one last game of catch with his father, films featuring the game of baseball are well-known by people of all ages.
It is hard to rank movies in terms of which ones are “better” than others as it is purely subjective, but there are certain movies that stand out above the rest in terms of storytelling and how often they are referenced in everyday life/on the internet.
So let’s take a look at five movies that stand out and make individuals love the game of baseball that much more. Unfortunately, Rookie of the Year does not make the list, but in honor of the Chicago Cubs’ great start to the 2016 season, it will be added as an honorable mention.
Next: An alternate Cleveland history
The Cleveland Indians struggled from about 1955-1993, failing to give fans much of anything to cheer about. That was until a certain movie came out.
Major League was released in 1989 and depicted just how bad the Indians were, but featured a happy ending that gave Indians fans something to cheer about while the team continued to struggle in real life.
As an Indians fan myself, I can attest to how easy it is to get lost in the movie and wish it was real when the Indians hover around the .500 mark every season.
From an evil owner trying to move the team to the band of misfits coming together to make some magic on the field, the film features both comedy and exciting, baseball-related drama.
The film holds a place in many hearts, as it is not uncommon to see a “Vaughn” jersey in the stands at Progressive Field any given day.
The role is one of Charlie Sheen’s best, before he went insane, and also features a hilarious Wesley Snipes as the base stealing phenom, “Willy Mays Hayes.”
The film also signaled what was to come in Cleveland, as the Indians made World Series appearances in both 1995 and 1997.
Next: Life in the minors
(Depending on where your work, the above clip features some NSFW language)
Kevin Costner makes his first appearance on this list as the veteran ballplayer known as “Crash” Davis in Bull Durham.
The film features Costner as a veteran sent down to the minors to coach up Tim Robbins’ character, who is a pitcher with a great deal of potential.
The film also stars Susan Sarandon, who is the love interest of both Costner and Robbins, although Costner’s character eventually wins out.
Bull Durham finds itself on countless lists of not only great baseball films, but sports films in general. Sarandon was nominated for a Golden Globe for her performance, while the film itself was nominated for an Academy Award for best original screenplay.
The goal of any minor league baseball player is to reach the majors, and the film captures that struggle. Costner’s character wants nothing more than to get back, which is a situation going on in countless small towns and baseball fields all over the country right now.
The mix between baseball-related problems and those off the field makes this a great film in general, and not just a great sports film.
Costner cemented himself as someone who could be relied upon to be in a sports movie, and his most famous role in that category finds itself on this list a few slides from now.
Next: Robert Redford the folk hero
In one of the most iconic scenes in any sports movie, Roy Hobbes hits a towering walk-off home run that shatters the lights, leaving him to round the bases as sparks fall onto the field.
Robert Redford stars as Hobbs in The Natural, a film about a star prospect whose career is seemingly cut short after being shot, only to come back and help a team later on in his career.
The baseball movie trope of the veteran player finding redemption is not rare, but it is always fun to watch it play out in so many different ways.
Hobbs was a top prospect before being shot by a woman at the beginning of his career, and has to fight back to relevance. He is faced with bribes and lies along the way, but fights on as an honest man and hits the memorable home run at the end of the film.
The film does a great job of capturing the game of baseball before World War II, when players would stroll up to the plate with no batting gloves or helmets, while fans dressed in their finest clothes as they sat cramped in the stands.
The song at the end of the film, featured in the clip, is one of the most memorable in any sports film, and fits perfectly with the nature of the scene and the film as a whole.
The Natural is a fantastic baseball movie, but is still overshadowed by a few others.
Next: Costner is Iowa
Field of Dreams finds itself on nearly every list ranking great sports movies, and always on lists of great baseball movies.
Kevin Costner followed up his great work in Bull Durham by starring in Field of Dreams as Ray Kinsella, a man who builds a baseball field on his farm that harbors the power of time travel, or being baseball heaven.
The film was nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards, showing how it is more than just a film for baseball fans.
The drama of ruined careers, possible financial ruin and a father-son relationship carry this movie and make it one that shows just how important the game of baseball can be to some, and how it can also be therapeutic.
Baseball is seen as just a game by some, but means much more to the characters in the film, including Costner’s character.
The film glorifies the game and makes any viewer want to go outside and toss the ball around.
The final scene of Kinsella playing catch with a younger version of his father is a legendary scene, with viewers suspending disbelief in order to enjoy the moment.
Field of Dreams is often considered the best baseball movie ever made, but a more recent baseball movie is able to challenge for that title.
Next: Brad Pitt: Major League GM
Talk about glorifying the game of baseball.
Moneyball is a great film based off an even better book by Michael Lewis, and is required watching for any fan of analytics and the new way of sports business.
Brad Pitt gives an amazing performance as Oakland Athletics GM Billy Beane, who revolutionized the business of baseball. He took concepts that were viewed as crazy and made them work.
Like Field of Dreams, Moneyball was nominated for Best Picture, while Pitt and Jonah Hill each were nominated for Academy Awards as well.
The film is unique in that it depicts a single baseball team’s season as one of the most captivating seasons in sports history. Watching Beane put faith in players who others wrote off, such as Scott Hatteberg, shows what is great about professional sports, as everyone loves an underdog.
Watching the scouts get angry at Beane for his methods is comical, but also shows the mindset of some in sports, who focus on personal traits of a player instead of their on-the-field value in determining who to sign and draft.
Moneyball is a film for diehard baseball fans, and one that can inspire the younger generation to embrace the use of analytics in baseball and use them to change the way the business works.
