Best Baseball Movies

A guide to baseball movies and movies with and about the game of baseball.

The Bad News Bears (1976)

The best pure baseball comedy, this movie reminded everyone what Little League was really like. Walter Matthau and Tatum O’Neal were perfect in their roles, and all of the foul-mouthed kids fit together beautifully.

The Pride of the Yankees (1942)

This classic is about baseball. It’s a sentimental movie, but it was made in a different age and is the best of the baseball melodramas. And at the end, when Cooper gives the “luckiest man on the face of the earth” speech, You’ll shed a tear in spite of yourself. Bonus points for appearances by actual Yankees, including Babe Ruth and Bill Dickey.

Eight Men Out (1988)

This movie does not romanticize baseball’s history and captures the time of the Black Sox scandal in an authentic way. John Sayles wrote and directed the movie, based on a book by Eliot Asinof, and does a great job of bringing the complexity of the story to the screen.

Bang the Drum Slowly (1973)

This movie started a period of great modern baseball movies and is still regarded by many as the best of the bunch. The movie helped launch the careers of Michael Moriarty as the star pitcher and Robert DeNiro as the dying catcher. It’s a truly touching film.

Field of Dreams (1989)

Kevin Costner and the rest of the cast are great in this adaptation of W.P. Kinsella’s novel “Shoeless Joe.” It seems that everyone latches on to something different as their favorite part or as the message of the film. Like baseball itself, it’s a simple movie that also proves beautifully complex.

Bull Durham (1988)

First, “Bull Durham” is far and away the most authentic portrayal of the game, both on and off the field. Baseball is treated with casual reverence: It’s a great game, and we love it, but it is a game. Costner is at his best, and Tim Robbins and Susan Sarandon are perfect complements. The romance between Costner and Sarandon is also just right.

The Sandlot (1993)

It’s probably the least known of any of the movies on our list, but It’s by far the most charming of all the baseball movies featuring kids that followed “The Bad News Bears.” A cast of unknowns, except for James Earl Jones, creates a fond remembrance of what it was like to play neighborhood ball together. It is Amy’s(finds editor) favorite movie to watch with her children. “Smalls you’re killing me.”

A League of Their Own (1992)

The movie is more about women fighting for their rights than the game on the field, but the women are credible as baseball players. The movie also brought attention to a forgotten piece of baseball history, and it gets extra credit for adding the line “There’s no crying in baseball” to the vernacular.

The Natural (1984)

Another movie that tends to divide peoples opinions, It’s a sentimental view of a slugger and the game. It’s based on a novel by Bernard Malamud and features a strong cast led by Robert Redford. Baseball romantics love it and see it as a fable. Either way, It’s a lovely and influential movie.