The Best Biographical Baseball Films Ever Released

If you’re a fan of baseball, the chances are you enjoy everything about it. Whether it’s MLB betting, watching the games or heading to the park to play with your kids, there’s no doubt that it’s a lot of fun. 

You can even enjoy baseball when you’re just chilling at home. When it’s time to relax in front of a movie, why not pick a baseball-themed film for an evening of entertainment?

There are plenty of films based on fictional baseball teams, but there are plenty that are biographical. Blockbuster hits Field of Dreams and Bull Durham are two of the most famous films loosely based on real-life events, but here are three others that are a must for any MLB fan.

Starring Jonah Hill and Brad Pitt, Moneyball was released in 2011 and was based on the 2003 book written by Michael Lewis. 

The film tells the story of Oakland Athletics, with Pitt playing the GM, Billy Beane. Unable to compete financially with other clubs due to constraints placed on him by the club ownership, Beane turns to a young economics student (Jonah Hill) to help him form a new strategy. 

Despite being an unusual partnership, the new approach - known as Sabermetrics - is a success and Oakland Athletics go on to win 20 consecutive games. Spoiler alert: Billy Beane is headhunted by the Boston Red Sox at the end of the movie, but he turns them down to take up a partial ownership share in the A's.

Another film from 2011, Ballplayer: Pelotero, is very different from the usual feel-good baseball stories. A documentary film, it's been lauded as one of the very best insights ever made into the sport. 

It starts out in the Dominican Republic, and it's a tough, dark story that follows the fortunes of two local players: Jean Baptista and Miguel Sano. About to turn 16 years old, they will be eligible to sign for MLB teams, and they're hoping to make their fantasies a reality. 

However, the process of joining the MLB isn’t as easy as they expect, and they must navigate corrupt individuals and shady deals if they want to achieve their goal. Narrated unapologetically by John Leguizamo, there are no attempts to disguise the sordid underworld of baseball that exists away from the bright lights.

Made in 1942, this film is just as worth watching today as it was when it was first made. Telling the tale of one of the most iconic baseball players of all time, Lou Gehrig, it’s a poignant tribute.

The Pride of the Yankees follows the life of Lou Gehrig, including his time at the New York Yankees. Gehrig's story is raw and heartbreaking, playing in 2130 consecutive games while battling a deadly, crippling disease. Nicknamed the Iron Horse, during his career, Gehrig was MVCP twice, an All-Star seven times and won the Triple Crown. He still holds the record for the highest ratio of runs scored and runs batted per 100 appearances on the plate. 

Such was his stature, Lou Gehrig was the first MLB player to have his shirt number retired. 

Keen baseball fans will spot another famous face; Babe Ruth appears in the movie, playing himself. Babe Ruth was a close friend of Gehrig’s, and when he died, Babe Ruth and his wife were the first to go to his house to support his wife.