Best Baseball Movies

One of my favorite things in life is baseball. Baseball is America's Pastime. It just is. Football chauvinists: get over it. So even though there are more lists of best baseball movies than the world needs, I've given in and composed one of my own. Because I love baseball. And the best baseball movies capture the poignant tears and tears of joy which baseball evokes in fans.

So for my list, I've selected movies which help people to see why fans love the game, why they want to talk about it the next day, why they sometimes tear up because of it... These are not the best examples of cinematic art, or movies which document important moments in history (although some do). And they're not just movies which I enjoyed because I love baseball and they have baseball as the backdrop. These are movies which remind me why baseball is the greatest sport (and why, to quote the opening line of Bull Durham, "I believe in the Church of Baseball"):

1. Bull Durham (1988) *
2. Field of Dreams (1989) *
3. A League of Their Own (1992)
4. Million Dollar Arm (2014)
5. For Love of the Game (1999)
6. The Pride of the Yankees (1942) *
7. The Rookie (2002)
8. The Natural (1984) *
9. Major League (1989)
10. 42 (2013)
11. Trouble With the Curve (2012)

Bonus lists: some other good baseball movies that didn't make the cut...

Movies based on real events:

• Moneyball *
• Eight Men Out
• Cobb
• 61*
• The Jackie Robinson Story (starring Jackie Robinson)
• Fear Strikes Out
• The Pride of St. Louis
• The Stratton Story *
• The Babe

• The Sandlot
• Angels in the Outfield (1994 remake)
• The Kid from Left Field (the 1953 original)
• The Bad News Bears

• Angels in the Outfield (the 1951 original)
• Bang the Drum Slowly *
• Mr. Baseball
• Fever Pitch
• Kill the Umpire

* - Nominated for one or more Academy Awards.

To index of lists