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Carolyn Kruse

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The Best Baseball Movies

Carolyn Kruse - Midday Radio Chica April 8th

It’s Opening Day for our beloved Red Sox. And, although it may not be the wildly popular sport it once was, there is something so beautifully romantic about baseball. It’s personal, it’s intimate and it’s in the heart of America’s history. From the Civil War to civil rights, the 2013 Red Sox “Boston Strong” World Series win following the darkness of the Marathon bombings, to modern day mathmatics applied and superbly communicated in the movie, Moneyball. As James Earl Jones so eloquently said as his character Terrance Mann in Field of Dreams, “The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It’s been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt, and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game, is a part of our past, Ray. It reminds us of all that once was good, and that could be again.”

Baseball has our heart, which is why so many movies have been made on the subject. What are the best baseball movies? Let’s get some expert assistance to break it down.

MLB ranked the 25 best baseball movies last year, I’m sharing 10 of my favorite of those here, in no particular order.

  • Bull Durham

    I have always loved this movie. It has everything I love in a film; great characters, romance, a good soundtrack, and baseball. Oh, yeah, and Kevin Costner. But it was Susan Sarandon’s performance that was a standout. I recently was part of a podcast and we broke down this 1988 gem.

  • A League of Their Own

    It just so happens MLB’s top 2 are in my top 2. This 1992 fictional movie not only entertained, but enlightened the world on the real-life All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Tom Hanks, Geena Davis, Rosie O’Donnell, Lori Petty and Jon Lovitz help to deliver this important story, in a believable and comedic way.

     

     

  • Field Of Dreams

    I know there’s no crying in baseball, but that is an impossible task for me when watching this 1989 masterpiece. So many great lines from this one, like “have a catch,” “If you build it, he will come,” “Is this heaven? No, it’s Iowa,” and “go the distance.”

  • Moneyball

    This 2011 film was nominated for 6 Academy Awards and was based on the nonfictionbook, Moneyball. It failed to take home Oscars but was a critical and commercial success. It told the story of the 2022 Oakland A’s and their manager’s attempt to put together a winning team. Brad Pitt superbly played manager, Billy Bean, but it was Jonah Hill who shined as assistant GM, Peter Brand, insisting on using a sabermetic approach when analyzing players.

     

  • The Natural

    Barry Levinson’s 1984, The Natural, was based on the book, but altered in order to make a hero out of Roy Hobbs, played by Robert Redford. I mean, it’s baseball…it’s romance. 

  • Major League

    Baseball can create some tense moments, we all need a little comic relief. This is the movie. Charlie Sheen leads the cast, and the ridiculousness, in the 1989  favorite. This movie was made for only $11 million and went on to rack up over $75 million. We won’t talk about the subsequent sequels.

  • Eight Men Out

    I remember watching this one with my dad and being shocked that there was so much more to baseball than on the field. There was a checkered past and a story that had to be told. The story of the 1919 Chicago “Black Sox” covered what is consider one of the worst scandals in baseball history. The movie starred John Cusack, Charlie Sheen, Christopher Lloyd and many more cleverly casted actors. 

  • The Sandlot

    You may not have thought much about this 1993 kids movie when it first came out, but watching it now likely brings back warm fuzzy feelings. It’s the story of Scotty Smalls, the new kid in town who wants to play baseball. Luckily he meets Rodriguez who is the resident baseball expert, and takes Smalls under his wing. You’ve heard the line and see the t-shirts… “You’re killin’ me Smalls.” Yup, it’s from this kids classic. 

  • 42

    In 2013, the late Chadwick Boseman gave us a perfectly played performance as baseball legend Jackie Robinson. Another powerful performance was Harrison Ford as Branch Rickey Rickey who was instrumental in breaking MLB’s color barrier, by signing Robinson. Watch 42. Have your kids watch 42. 

  • The Rookie

    Who doesn’t love a good underdog story? And when it’s based on a true story, it’s even sweeter. This the true story of a high school science teacher, Jim Morris, who makes it to the big leagues at 35 years old. Dennis Quaid’s portrayal gives you all the feels in the 2002 classic. It’s so motivational.

     

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