What makes the best baseball movies? Some are funny baseball comedy movies, others are inspirational. Some really good baseball movies even find a way to straddle both sides of the baseline.
In this post, we’re going to give you a list of the best baseball movies of all time so that you and your loved ones can watch some of the great baseball movies that have lived deep within our hearts and souls.
Good Baseball Movies
10. Eight Men Out (1988)
Eight Men Out is one of those great baseball movies that focuses on the dark side of sports. It’s set against the backdrop of the years immediately following World War I, which was a hard time for most people.
Eight Men Out • Trailer
This famous baseball movie illustrates a predicament where the players were underpaid, swindled by the gamblers, and eventually remorseful for their decisions. It’s definitely one of the best baseball films ever.
Best Baseball Movies
Conclusion
Might be higher on the list if the baseball was a bit better. The players also get narratively crucified too much.
Great Baseball Movies
9. Cobb (1994)
Cobb is very different from most sports movies. It mostly follows Ty Cobb in his later years while he lives out his life alone, unwanted by his friends and family while suffering from addictive substance abuse.
Cobb • Trailer
Best Baseball Movies
Conclusion
The movie was never supposed to be about Cobb playing baseball, but there isn’t a lot of it in the film which automatically places it behind films with more.
Old Baseball Movies
8. Bang the Drum Slowly (1973)
Bang the Drum Slowly is an old baseball movie that follows an athlete with a terminal medical condition. This baseball movie shows how a life in the sport can benefit someone suffering from medical complications because it builds character, but it also provides a support system via teammates.
Bang the Drum Slowly • Trailer
Best Baseball Movies
Conclusion
There isn't a ton of baseball in this film, and while the film was made in the 1970’s there still isn’t enough filmmaking techniques applied to make the film rank higher.
Top Baseball Movies
6. The Sandlot (1993)
The Sandlot follows a young man in a new town who needs to find a way to make friends. He finds a group of friends through baseball as well as connecting with the early days of baseball and the Great Bambino.
The Sandlot • Trailer
This was a personal favorite growing up. There are a lot of great ideas explored in this film like growing up middle class in America, building camaraderie through baseball, and the value of bravery.
Best Baseball Movies
Conclusion
While some scenes don’t age very well, this movie will always live in the hearts of millennials who grew up watching this movie. A deep love for baseball and America lives in this film.
Famous Baseball Movies
5. A League of Their Own (1992)
There is no crying in baseball, a point made abundantly clear by Tom Hanks’ character is A League of Their Own. This famous baseball movies was directed by the great Penny Marshall, and stars Geena Davis, Lori Petty, Rosie O’Donnell and Madonna.
The Sandlot • Trailer
Best Baseball Movies
Conclusion
This movie is absolutely hilarious and grabs the gender aspect by the horns. It is a near perfect film apart from some of the more corny moments, but the only thing holding this film back is that there are incrementally better baseball films.
Best Baseball Movies of All Time
4. Field of Dreams (1989)
Field of Dreams is one of the top baseball movies because it focuses on the effect baseball has on the lives of those who love the sport. It shows how baseball is often bigger than a nine inning affair, but rather a life long relationship with the aspects that make the sport and life so complicated.
Field of Dreams • Trailer
With plenty of nostalgia, some great lines, and a nod to DIY sensibilities, this baseball movie is known for bringing grown men to tears. Apart from a love of the game, this famous baseball movie focuses on the father/son relationship and how our greatest regrets can be our biggest motivation.
Best Baseball Movies
Conclusion
Field of Dreams is one of those movies that every parent should watch with their children. It is a film about hard work and about connecting your past with your future. It also has one of the most quoted lines in movie history.
Funny Baseball Movies
3. Major League (1989)
Major League is a great baseball movie. The story follows a group of troubled professional baseball players intentionally assembled to lose as many games as possible so the attendance drops and the team can relocate to Miami, Florida. It’s a funny baseball movie to be sure, but the performance given by Tom Berenger is one of the best of all time.
Major League • Trailer
Best Baseball Movies
Conclusion
Major League takes a somewhat screwball plot and created an earnest film about second chances, living life to the fullest, and overcoming personal differences and the odds.
Comedy Baseball Movies
2. Bull Durham (1988)
Bull Durham follows three people. A journeyman catcher with a dream of making it to the majors, a young hot shot starting pitcher on his way up to the show, and a lifelong fan and baseball… enthusiast.
Bell Durham • Trailer
Best Baseball Movies
Conclusion
As the George Brett of movies, this is the purist’s baseball film, and while the characters, script and acting are all top notch, the only thing this film could have done better was find ways to take advantage of the medium of cinema.
Best Baseball Movie
1. The Natural (1984)
The Natural follows Roy Hobbs as he rises and falls within the great American pastime. If you’ve never seen this film, it is absolutely essential to understanding American sports culture, and quite possibly has one of the greatest endings of any film ever made.
The Natural • Trailer
So many things make this a great baseball movie, most of which has either been referenced, parodied, or borrowed for other films. Many of the stadiums across the country use the theme music and speeches from this film to remind fans of why they come out to the ball game.
BEST BASEBALL MOVIES
Conclusion
When you combine a great book adaptation that stars one of the greatest actors of all time and combine it with the score and then you consider the filmmaking techniques applied to this film you come out with the greatest baseball movie.
UP NEXT
All-Time Best Sports Movies
Now that we've swung at some memorable baseball films, here's a list of the greatest sports movies of all time. Raging Bull, Rocky, and Remember the Titans, are some of the classics that are covered. Take a look through our ultimate list — which ones have you seen?
Up Next: Best Sports Movies of All Time →
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