Top 10 Baseball Movie Scenes

Everyone loves a rags-to-riches story…but the Bears give new meaning to the word “rags”. A makeshift team consisting of various misfits including a vulgar shortstop, a heavy catcher, and a boozy manager, the Bears somehow make it to their league’s championship game. With a chance to tie the game, the Bears’ best player, Kelly Leak, smacks a pitch to the wall, clearing the bases. Unfortunately, Leak is thrown out at home on a close play, and the game ends. In classics Bears’ fashion, the underage players enjoy some beer despite the loss.

While Benny “The Jet” Rodriguez stealing home as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers was entertaining, this is without doubt the most memorable scene from the film. When a rival baseball team rides up to the field, a defiant Ham and the rest of the boys hold their ground. Ham and Phillips trade several insults, including accusations of mixing Wheaties with your mother’s toe jam and bobbing for apples in the toilet. Ham throws down the gauntlet, however, with this epic insult: “You play ball like a girl!”

It’s not often a player gets an entire film dedicated to them, but that is exactly what happened for Lou Gehrig. The first baseman for the New York Yankees, Gehrig was tragically diagnosed with ALS, and died at 37, one year before this biographical drama’s release. The film acts as a tribute to one of the most beloved sports figures of all-time. Of course, the most famous scene occurs at Yankee Stadium on Lou Gehrig Day, when Gehrig proclaims that “today, I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the Earth”.

It seems like some umpires are just asking to be mocked, what with their ridiculous “out” and “strike” calls and gestures. Leslie Nielsen takes it to a whole other level in this classic comedy, as he goes undercover as the home plate umpire to search each player for a weapon that could be used to kill the Queen. This hilarious montage shows how baseball has the possibility to be incredibly comedic.

Ever wonder what is said during those mound visits during a baseball game? According to “Bull Durham,” the mound visit is a great time to discuss wedding gifts, which is exactly what occurs during this hilarious scene. As Crash Davis attempts to calm down Nuke Laloosh, other members of the team join the conversation, and begin complaining about the various ailments facing them. Eventually the coach comes out, and recommends candlesticks and a place setting. No wonder the game takes so long!

While many athletes are superstitious, it seems to be a common feature of baseball players. Billy Beane, the general manager of the Oakland Athletics, refuses to watch the game live. With the A’s on a 19 game win streak and up 11-0 against Kansas City in the 3rd inning, Beane’s daughter convinces him to attend the game. He arrives just in time to watch the A’s fall apart, as the Royals come back to tie the game at 11. The day is saved, however, when underdog Scott Hatteberg hits a walk-off home run to win the game, giving Oakland the record for the longest win streak in American League history.

A great relief pitcher needs an epic entrance song, which is exactly what Ricky Vaughn has. As Vaughn enters the game in the ninth inning, “Wild Thing” roars on the loudspeaker, sending the Cleveland crowd into an absolute frenzy. While “Major League” had some great moments, including Jake Taylor beating out a bunt on two weak knees to win the game, Charlie Sheen’s “Wild Thing” is without doubt the most memorable.

What do you get when you mix Tom Hanks and women’s baseball? A quote for the ages. Hanks plays Jimmy Dugan, the reluctant, tobacco chewing manager of the Rockford Peaches, one of the teams in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Dugan absolutely lays into Evelyn for throwing home with a two-run lead, causing her to burst into tears, leading to this classic line: “There’s no crying in baseball!” He ends up getting ejected by the umpire moments later, much to the delight of the Peach players.

One of the best baseball films ever made, “Field of Dreams” is full of memorable scenes, such as when James Earl Jones gives a passionate speech about the importance of baseball. It is the final scene of the film, however, that is the most iconic, as Ray Kinsella finally discovers who the whispering voice has been referring to – his father. Frustrated that he can’t join the players in the cornfield, Ray is shocked to discover that the catcher is actually his father as a young man. After introducing him to his family, Ray utters the lines that made grown men across America cry: “Dad… you wanna have a catch?”

Before we unveil our number one pick, here are a few honorable mentions:
- Float It
“Rookie of the Year” (1993)
- Shoeless Joe Jackson
“Eight Men Out” (1988)
- We Don’t Stink Right Now!
“For Love of the Game” (1999)
- Harry Doyle’s Colorful Description of Rick Vaughn
“Major League II” (1994)

Roy Hobbs is arguably the greatest fictional athlete of all-time, and his last at-bat truly cements his legacy. With the season on the line for the New York Knights, a wounded Hobbs comes to the plate with a chance to win the game. Things look bleak after Hobbs breaks his bat Wonderboy on a foul ball. Hobbs tattoos the ensuing pitch, however, directly into the overhead lights, winning the Knights the pennant and creating his own firework show in the process as the iconic music plays in the background.

Do you agree with our list? What is your favorite big screen baseball scene? For more home run-hitting Top 10s published daily, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.