The top five baseball-related movies

A rundown of the best baseball films for MLB season

The Major League Baseball season kicked off last week, and to celebrate the seemingly timeless sport—and the summer that it brings—here are five great baseball movies to watch while waiting for the next game.

Field of Dreams (1989)
“If you build it, he will come.” If you’ve heard that phrase before, that’s great! That means that you’ve probably seen Field of Dreams. If you never have, that’s tragic and you need to watch the film. Now. The film stars Kevin Costner as a farmer who hears voices telling him to build a baseball diamond in his field. It’s an incredibly heartwarming film (yes, hearing voices can be heartwarming), and it’s well deserving of its position on this list.

The Sandlot (1993)
As American as apple pie and baseball itself is The Sandlot. The film takes place in the ‘60s and follows a group of kids who spend their summer playing baseball and dealing with various aspects of growing up. It’s a coming-of-age film that invites both warm feelings of nostalgia and laughter.

Moneyball (2011)
Based on Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game by Michael Lewis, this flick stars Brad Pitt as Billy Beane, the general manager of the Oakland A’s, who puts together his team based on computer-assisted analyzing. At over two hours, it’s a longer movie, but it goes by fast and has a happy ending, not to mention that Jonah Hill and Chris Pratt both have roles in the film as well.

Major League (1989)
After he was in Ferris Buller’s Day Off and before he starred in The Three Musketeers, Charlie Sheen was a rookie baseball player in Major League. This ‘80s flick follows a team of quirky baseball players assembled by the new owner of the Cleveland Indians for the sole purpose of losing so that the team, and its owner, can relocate to Florida. The film is a bit dated (just see how young Sheen looks), but it’s still a fun one.

42 (2013)
Like Moneyball, which is also based on a true story, 42 takes liberties with history, but it still captures the essence of the Jackie Robinson story as it follows his signing with the Dodgers and his experiences as the first African American player in Major League Baseball. This film easily beats out Field of Dreams for the most inspirational film on this list.

Photo: CC BY 2.0 by Mr. Littlehand