It’s mid-summer, and there has already been a hard-hitting lineup of baseball movies released for the 2019 season. So find yourself a nice quiet morning, a weekend night, or a rainout day, and kick back a relax with a new baseball movie.
10. Benchwarmers 2: Breaking Balls
Neither David Spade, Jon Heder, nor Rob Schneider returned for the the sequel to the 2006 flick, The Benchwarmers. But 13 years later, Chris Klein, Jon Lovitz, and Chelsey Reist attempt to bring back the laughs.
Ben McGrath had major league potential playing professional baseball, but his hopes to play ball literally get crushed. Down on his luck, Ben gets another swing at redemption as a lawyer. His unorthodox boss, Mel, convinces him to manage their eclectic softball team full of misfits and strikeouts. Together, will they have enough spirit to rally and win it all?
9. Young Again
Young Again is the third installment of the AmerAsian Trilogy written by, directed by, and starring Roger Lim as a follow-up to AmerAsian (2009) and Great American Dream (2013). This movie’s release keeps getting pushed, but 2019 should see the film reach base. Eric Young (Lim) returns to the college baseball field one time to try out for the Volcanos, a Division II ballclub.
The catch? Young is posing as a college student and claiming to be 10 years younger than he is. The Irony? Old is how the viewer will feel if they’ve watched this entire trilogy released over more than a decade.
8. Throw Like a Girl
Written and directed by Cami Kidder, Throw Like a Girl follows Team USA baseball stars Kelsey Whitmore, Nylah, and Jade Gortarez as they pursue their goals. Each girl dreams of being the first to break the gender barrier in Major League Baseball.
Society dictates that boys play baseball and girls play softball. This film is about what happens when girls say “No” to traditional gender roles. Kidder takes us on a journey around the world to answer the question: “Why aren’t women supposed to play baseball?”
Check out these women playing in the Cooperstown Women’s Baseball Classic.
7. Extra Innings
Extra Innings is set against the enduring magic of the 1960s. The movie is a coming of age story of a young man, David Sabah, caught between pursuing his dream of becoming a professional baseball player and the pressures of his conservative Syrian-Jewish family and religion. On top of this, the family must deal with the reality of mental health.
6. High & Outside
High & Outside is about a man obsessed with the game of baseball since the day he was born to Len Harding, a legend in the game. Now, at 33, Phil continues to try to make it to the big leagues and escape the shadow of his famous and domineering father. Meanwhile, his marriage is breaking down, he’s broke, and he’s just been released by the last team he thought could give him a chance to make the majors.
5. Chance
This family drama stars Matthew Modine, Amanda Leighton, and Tanner Buchanan and is based on a true story. Follow the journey from age 6 to 16 of Chance Smith, an anxious young baseball player, who has a promising future until it is cut short by the silent pressures of text bullying.
Chance struggles to find happiness and success guided by the relationship with his baseball coach (Modine), who ultimately can’t protect him from the forces that take his life.
4. Bottom of the 9th
A once-aspiring ballplayer returns to the Bronx after serving 17 years in prison for a violent crime as a youth where a confrontation with a local gang results in an accidental fatality. After getting out of the pen, he seeks redemption, gets a job assisting his former minor league baseball coach, rebuilds relationships and perhaps even getting another chance to work his way back to the major leagues.
3. 90 Feet From Home
In this hard-hitting and powerful movie, Scott Conway, a former major league baseball player, devises a plan to hurt his father as revenge for a shattered childhood. WWE legend Shawn Michaels plays the abusive stepfather.
First, this film follows the life of Scott, a teenager with pro ball aspirations. His life is tough from the abuse he receives, physically and mentally, from his drunk stepfather. Then, it follows adult Scott when he returns home to face his father who caused him so much harm after playing in the Major and having his career cut short.
2. Twelve
A 12-year-old boy, with help from his dad, stops at nothing to make it to the Little League World Series. Kyle Cooke, an 11yo baseball player moves to a new town where he is unfairly cut from its All-Star team. He stops at nothing to make it to the World Series the following year.
Kyle’s father, realizing his son may never get a chance to pursue his dream, finagles a way to get Kyle on a team in an opposing district. Understanding this is his one and only shot, Kyle uses the rejection as motivation to become the best 12 year-old player in the state. Ultimately, Kyle faces the team that cut him and, with the state championship on the line, discovers a greatness even he didn’t know he possessed.
1. The Unauthorized Bash Brothers Experience
Sorry, not sorry to put this Number One. It’s fantastic. The Lonely Island comedy troupe released this 30-minute Netflix musical tribute featuring Oakland Athletic sluggers Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire. It is simultaneously the worst 30 minutes of screen time you will spend this year, and the most phenomenal.
Featuring Andy Samberg and Akiva Schaffer as “the Bash Brothers,” you just can’t stop watching. It kinda reminds me of a Flight of the Conchords episode without the dialogue. The lyrics are clever, the music is catchy, and the on-film action is definitely NSFW.
These baseball movies account for just a sampling those that can be found in the Baseball Movie Directory. Grab some popcorn and stay a while.
Brett Rudy is a trailblazer in the world of baseball. As the founder of Baseball Is My Life and co-founder of Charity Hop Sports Marketing, he’s dedicated to elevating the sport and supporting the athletes who play it. With a passion for making a difference, Brett has created successful philanthropic initiatives like Charity Wines and 100 Innings of Baseball for ALS. He’s also the mastermind behind the Corked Bat Collection, Cooperstown Classic at the Baseball Hall of Fame, and Winterball for Toys for Tots. When he’s not working to improve the game, Brett can be found playing outfield in the Boston Metro Baseball League, living and breathing the sport he loves.