Baseball Movies

"The Reading's [Pennsylvania] pitcher has just let a Newark [New Jersey] batsman walk to first. Our camera is stationed about twenty feet from the bag, and the satisfied grin of the runner is great as he touches first and gets up on his toes for second. Next man cracks first ball pitched for a two-bagger, and races for the base with a wonderful burst of speed. First baseman just misses a put out. Very exciting. Man on the coaching line yells, and umpire runs up and makes decision. Small boy runs past back of the catcher close to the grand stand, where there is great commotion. A most excellent subject, treated brilliantly."

Miss Street's Seminary for young girls has a very ambitious class of pupils. The young athletes, not content with basketball and tennis, aspire to shine in the great American game, and organize a baseball club. They are so satisfied with themselves that they finally send a challenge to Adair College, which has a crowd of husky young athletes and a club that thinks it amounts to something. When the challenge is received, the boys are first angry, then amused. They decide to accept it, to have fun with the girls. The young women, after some practice, realize that their team, while it may be pretty to look at, is of little real use on the diamond. And the prospect makes them weep. Fortunately for the girls, Jack, the brother of their president, arrives from Harvard. His chum, Jim, is with him. These two young men are baseball stars themselves, and when they are told of the predicament of the girls, they good-naturedly offer to help them out. The University men disguise themselves as girls, act as battery for the young women, and the college boys, who had looked for a laughable victory, are mowed down, inning after inning, because of the work of pitcher Jack and catcher Jim. The other members of the "Girl Team" have nothing to do except to look pretty. When the boy athletes have retired from the field vanquished, the girls reward their battery with one kiss, only one, from each of the other seven players.

Dramatization of the life of real life major league baseball player Mike Donlin.

Casey lives with his sister and works in Hicks' general store and post office. The greatest thing in his life is his love for his little niece. To the people of Mudville, Casey is a hero because of his ability to win ball games for their team. Casey is a slugger of worldwide renown, but off the ball field his uncouth ways deprive him of the friendship of any but a half-wit, who follows him around, and the little children to whom he is a hero. Casey develops a love for Angevine, daughter of Judge Blodgett, but she is in love with Bert Collins, who has just returned from college and has been engaged as a pitcher for Frogtown, Mudville's greatest rival for baseball honors. In the meantime Hicks takes to robbing the mails. Casey becomes suspicious of him and about the time he finds evidence of Hicks' guilt, a stranger comes to town. The second game of the big series between Mudville and Frogtown goes to the latter because Casey, who has burned his hands at a country dance where he carried out an oil lamp that exploded, cannot play. But the final game arrives and Casey is ready. Bert is up against it because Angevine's rather has told him he must be able to show $2,000 before he can hope to win his daughter. He gets his mother to mortgage their home and with the money she lends him, he bets with Hicks on the final game. Just before game time, Casey sends word he can't be there because his little niece has fallen from a tree and is dangerously hurt. Hicks is in despair and rushes to Casey's house, only to be kicked out. In the meantime Frogtown forges ahead and the crowd yells for Casey. Casey finally consents to go and leaves the half-wit to watch at the little girl's bedside. He reaches the grounds in the last half of the ninth inning. Mudville is two runs behind; there are two out and two on base. Casey goes to bat. Just at the moment when the pitcher is getting ready to throw the third strike, for Casey always allowed two strikes to be called, the half-wit enters the grounds. Casey sees him, thinks the little girl is dead and strikes out. But the little girl is better; her father, who has been away, returns. Angevine is happy with her lover; the town turns on Casey as a fallen hero and with nothing to hold him, he packs his effects in a little bundle and trudges down the railroad tracks away from the town that has been his home all the years of his life.

Widely regarded as the greatest baseball player who ever lived, Ty Cobb made his only starring movie appearance in the low-budget six-reeler "Somewhere in Georgia". Based on a story by legendary sports columnist Grantland Rice, the film casts Cobb as "himself", a small-town Georgian bank clerk with a talent for baseball. When he's signed to play with the Detroit Tigers, Cobb is forced to leave his sweetheart (Elsie McLeod) behind, whereupon a crooked bank cashier sets his sights on the girl. Upon learning that Cobb has briefly returned home to play an exhibition game with his old team, the cashier arranges for Our Hero to be kidnapped. Breaking loose from his bonds, Cobb beats up each each and every one of his captors and shows up at the ballfield =just= in time to win the game for the home team.

Bill and Pen Points arrive in a new town being thrown from a boxcar. Bill leaves Pen to go to the ball game. A lunatic comes up and hands him money, which Bill decides to use for clothes. Pen Points finds a detective badge and decides to become a detective. Bill goes to the ball game, meets an heiress is accused of theft and taken to jail. It was a mistake, for the girl finds her purse. She withdraws her charge and asks Bill to see her home. Bill meets her father and mother. Pen Points decides to get revenge. Bill leaves the home of the girl, watched by Pen Points, who decides to tell the girl he is crazy. The girl faints at the news. Bill gets a contract from the manager of the ball team. Pen Points arrests Bill, takes him to the lunatic asylum and they put Bill in a padded cell.

A young baseball pitcher in the bush leagues is discovered by a big-league manager and given his chance in the major leagues. But will he be up to the challenge?

The "true story" of baseball great Babe Ruth; Ruth plays himself.

Jack Donovan, a pitcher for the Chicago Cubs, refuses to throw a game for gambler Mike Moran. Moran retaliates by breaking up Donovan's family. Believing that his wife and son died in the sinking of an ocean liner, Donovan stays in baseball and, 20 years later, becomes manager of the New York Giants. What he doesn't know is that his family isn't dead and his son, Jack Jr., is now grown and looking for revenge against his father for what he believes was his abandonment of them.

A young barber's girlfriend falls into the clutches of a shady nightclub owner and his cohorts, who plan to get her involved in their nefarious schemes. When his efforts to rescue her prove futile, he enlists the help of his father, who was at one time a professional baseball player, and his former teammates to save her.

Tom Kelly, a small-town baseball pitcher, is sent to a minor-league team in Florida, and fails to make the team. He starts dabbling in real estate, in the midst of the Florida land boom (in which a lot of the land sold was under water), makes a fortune and buys into the team that cut him from its roster.

Casey is a slovenly junk man in a turn of the twentieth century hick town who has a remarkable ability to play baseball. An unscrupulous New York scout signs him up, so Casey and his equally dishonest manager go to the big leagues. Eventually, the scout and manager conspire to get him drunk and bet against him for a crucial game with the pennant at stake.

Jim Kelly, an arrogant smart aleck and pitcher loses his girlfriend Sally and his teammates, but wises up in time to save the day.

Bert, a pitcher for a baseball team in a small town, is given the opportunity to try out for a team in the big leagues. Unfortunately, he incurs the enmity of McRae, the league's leading home-run hitter. In addition, he falls for the team owner's daughter, who McRae has designs on.

One player on a baseball team lets his ego run his life and ends up losing the girl he is dating--who happens to be the team manager's daughter. Another player on the team is a great pitcher but a terrible catcher, is more of a comic relief, and is dating a somewhat odd girl.

When Jack and Jerry are not playing professional baseball with the Blue Sox, they are packing them in on the Vaudeville circuit. Jack is engaged to Mary, but a gold digger named Daisy has worked her way into his confidence. When Mary sees Jack and Daisy together, she leaves Jack and Jack marries Daisy the next day. When Daisy decides that she wants into the Vaudeville act, she has Jack dump both Jerry and his baseball contract. But Jack soon finds that - no act - means no money - means no Daisy.

When paroled trustee Steve and former inmate Judy who try to put their criminal lives behind them are blackmailed, two career criminals come to their rescue.

Joe Grant is an inventor, fireman and baseball player in his small home town. He gets an offer to play in a big team, he hopes to get more money for his inventions. But he is invited to present his invention to a fire-extinguisher company at the same time when he is supposed to play. Will he be able to show the effectiveness of his invention and win the game ?

Country bumpkin Elmer Kane joins the Chicago Cubs as the greatest hitter in baseball. His skill with a bat takes the team to the World Series, but on the way to the championship he has to deal with gamblers and crooked pitchers.

Idiosyncratic new recruit Francis "Ike" Farrell tries to help the Cubs to the pennant with his pitching and hitting.

A losing baseball team starts losing its players to strange killings, and the team's new pitcher takes a swing at finding the killer.

Foy Harris (John Gallaudet) is a bootlegger selling illegal booze and also running a girl's professional softball team and is romancing the team's catcher Sue Collins (Rita Hayworth). The murder of one of the team members gets a police detective, Lieutenant Flannigan (Guinn "Big Boy" Williams and Jimmy Jones (Charles Quigley) a dim-witted, cub newspaper sports reporter involved. The reporter also has a romance going with the team's ace pitcher Ann Casey (Julie Bishop as Jacqueline Wells.)

The story of the life and career of famed baseball player Lou Gehrig.

A washed up baseball player (Lloyd Nolan) returns to Brooklyn to manage his old team but ends up clashing with the beautiful new owner (Carole Landis)

A top baseball pitcher "loses" his pitching skills whenever he falls in love. His teammates try to get him to settle down with one woman so they can start winning some games.

William Bendix suits up in Yankee flannels as the renowned pitcher-turned-outfielder Babe Ruth in a sports biopic that mixes facts with fiction.

A scientist discovers a formula that makes a baseball which is repelled by wood. He promptly sets out to exploit his discovery.

Star major league pitcher Monty Stratton loses a leg in a hunting accident, but becomes determined to leave the game on his own terms.

Two turn-of-the-century baseball players, who work in vaudeville during the off-season, run into trouble with their team's new female owner and a gambler who doesn't want them to win the pennant.

Baseball team (the Cleveland Indians) helps a troubled teenaged fan.

An umpire-hating ex-baseball player loses many jobs because of his passion for watching ball games during working hours, but he decides to combine business with pleasure by becoming an umpire himself.

Biography of Jackie Robinson, the first black major league baseball player in the 20th century. Traces his career in the negro leagues and the major leagues. Restored in original Black and White.

The Pittsburgh Pirates' brash and abusive manager receives the help of an angel to win games and become a better person in the process.

Rich, eccentric T.J. Banner adopts a feral cat who becomes an affectionate pet. Then T.J. dies, leaving to Rhubarb most of his money and a pro baseball team, the Brooklyn Loons. When the team protests, publicist Eric Yeager convinces them that Rhubarb is good luck. But Eric's fiancée Polly seems to be allergic to cats, and the team's success may mean new hazards for Rhubarb.

The story of Jerome "Dizzy" Dean, a major-league baseball pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs in the 1930s and 1940s.

Nebraska farmboy Grover Cleveland Alexander achieves baseball stardom before war injuries and alcoholism derail his career, but through his wife's faithful efforts he gets a chance for a comeback and redemption.

Former ballplayer Larry Cooper secretly and unofficially manages a struggling major league club, the Bisons, through his nine year old son, Christie, who is a bat-boy for the team.

John Lobert runs a training camp in Florida for the New York Giants. Every year, he evaluates the hopefuls to pick the best for a minor league contract. They all have dreams and talent, but the elimination whittles them down to a lucky few who'll get the $150 a month contract. This year John's niece comes down from the home office in New York and is attracted to tall quiet Adam.

A young boy who loves baseball develops a strange bump on his arm. The bump has such an effect on his pitching arm that he soon finds himself playing for a major league baseball team.

Bruce Hallerton becomes coach of the Panthers, a little league baseball team. The fact that an attractive widow has her son in the team causes problems with his wife.

True story of the life of Jimmy Piersall, who battled mental illness to achieve stardom in major league baseball.

A frustrated fan of the hopeless Washington Senators makes a pact with the Devil to help the baseball team win the league pennant.

Legendary Hall of Famer Mickey Mantle stars with his Yankee teammate Roger Maris in this good-natured story of dreams that really do come true.

The story of the friendship between the New York Mammoths major-league baseball team's worldly-wise pitcher Henry "Author" Wiggen and half-wit catcher Bruce Pearson as they cope with Bruce's terminal illness during a baseball season.

An aging, down-on-his-luck ex-minor leaguer coaches a team of misfits in an ultra-competitive California little league.

The story of former Brooklyn Dodger catcher Roy Campanella, whose career was cut short when he lost the use of his legs in an auto accident in January of 1958.

In the late 1930s during racial segregation, a star of the Negro League Baseball, Bingo Long, leaves his team and convinces other stars of the league to join him as free agent players touring the towns of the Midwest.

A disturbed young man, who had tried out for the Houston Astros baseball team and been rejected, plots to take his revenge by a series of kidnappings.

A troubled, rebellious teen drives his rambunctious baseball team out to Houston where they play an exhibition game and the boy meets his estranged father, and hires him as the teams coach.

True story of Ron LeFlore, a troubled Detroit youth who rose from Michigan prisons to star in Major League Baseball.

Legendary ballplayer and humanitarian Lou Gehrig and his relationship with his stalwart wife, Eleanor are portrayed in this film that focuses on the Hall of Famer's life off the baseball field. Featuring unflinching looks at the Gehrig's relationship, as well as Lou's feud with Babe Ruth. This film is for anyone interested in baseball.

A small-time hustler takes the pint-sized baseball team to Japan for a match against the country's best Little League baseball team, sparking off a series of adventures and mishaps.

Jackie Robinson "J.R." Cooper is a kid who loves baseball, and also the son of a former major leaguer now down on his luck (and now a vendor working the stands at games).

A disabled woman starts a Little League baseball team to help the children in her poverty-stricken neighborhood.

A male softball team is challenged by a female softball team to see who is best.

A down and out former minor league ballplayer finds romance and a renewed zest for life when he takes a job coaching a group of underprivileged kids.

Story of Leroy "Satchel" Paige, star pitcher in the Negro Leagues, and later in the major leagues. Traces his life from his troubled youth, including his life in a detention school for Negroes, to his highs and lows in baseball, and in his personal life.

Actor, Paul Winfield narrates a program that documents a time when men were denied access to the major leagues because of their race. The program includes interviews with players such as: Satchel Paige, Roy Campanella, Buck Leonard, Jimmy Crutchfield, David Malarcher, Effa Manley, and Quincy Trouppe.

A hard-hitting, fast, sure-handed baseball player tries to break into the sport by applying for a spot on a major-league-league team. The only problem is that the player is female, which engenders resistance and resentment among many players and officials.

Alex and his father are Detroit Tigers Fans. The team is not doing well and Alex's favorite player "Billy Young" isn't either. The team's and Billy's luck turn around after Alex experiences a tragedy that hits close to home.

A middle-aged unknown comes seemingly out of nowhere to become a legendary baseball player with almost supernatural talent.

A minor-league baseball player must spend $30 million in 30 days in order to inherit $300 million. However, he's not allowed to own any assets, destroy the money, gift it, give it to charity, or tell anyone about the deal.

A major league star who is on the verge of breaking a record, meets a singer and they get married, but they have different goals, so they separate, jeopardizing his opportunity in sports and the possibility of making up with his wife.

Fact-based story of a young boy who lost his right arm in a childhood accident, but went on to fulfill his dreams of playing major-league baseball. Pete Gray had to overcome the early taunts of his childhood playmates. With the support of his Pennsylvania coal mining father and his brother, who dreams of being a boxer, he learns to battle for what he wants. Finally in 1943, he is hired to play for a minor league team - the Memphis Chicks in the Class A Southern Association. Initially considered a freak and a box office attraction, he survives the taunts of his teammates and bats .333 his rookie year, steals 63 bases and led the league' outfielders in fielding percentage. Ultimately he won the league's MVP award. In 1945, the St. Louis Browns brought him into the major leagues. A parallel story is also told about the ball player's friendship with a young boy who had also lost his arm and dreamed of one day playing baseball. In fact the idea for the movie came from co-producer James Keach whose brother had gone to school with the younger boy and became aware of the events involving the ball player and boy.

Story of the Tampico Stogies, a low minor-league baseball team, and its star player and manager, Stud' Cantrell, as they battle for the league championship amidst the corruption and racism of the American south.

A baseball-loving small girl decides to hook up her favorite down-on-his-luck baseball player and her mom, a down-on-her-luck lounge singer. Then her controlling rich granddad tries to force her mother to send the girl to live with him.

A little league player named Chuck refuses to ever pitch again until nuclear weapons are disarmed. Basketball star "Amazing Grace" Smith follows the boy's example, and starts a trend.

A fan who has an affair with one minor-league baseball player each season meets an up-and-coming pitcher and the experienced catcher assigned to him.

A dramatization of the Black Sox scandal when the underpaid Chicago White Sox accepted bribes to deliberately lose the 1919 World Series.

Ex-baseball player Billy comes home to receive his childhood darling's ashes.

Incompetent police Detective Frank Drebin must foil an attempt to assassinate Queen Elizabeth II.

Iowa farmer Ray Kinsella is inspired by a voice he can't ignore to pursue a dream he can hardly believe. Supported by his wife, Ray begins the quest by turning his ordinary cornfield into a place where dreams can come true.

The new owner of the Cleveland Indians puts together a purposely horrible team so they'll lose and she can move the team. But when the plot is uncovered, they start winning just to spite her.

A Texas police detective ties pitcher's strikes to a serial throat slasher.

Unhappy Larry Burrows sees what his life could have been like if he had made that winning home run as a teenager.

An uptight advertising exec has his entire life in a Filofax organizer that mistakenly ends up in the hands of a friendly convict who poses as him.

Pastime is a story of an aging, white pitcher on a minor league baseball team who takes a young, talented, black pitcher under his wing in 1957.

A film about the early life of the baseball star in the army and in particular his court-martial for insubordination regarding segregation.

Virgil Sweet is on the verge of losing his job as a talent scout with the California Angels when he discovers Sammy Bodeen, a country boy with no pro ball experience, but with a pitching arm no one has seen the like of.

Babe Ruth becomes a baseball legend but is unheroic to those who know him.

To teach a team of Russian wanna-be baseball players the finer points of the all-American game is no easy task, but for a grudgingly resentful, recently fired baseball manager from the States, the task is formidable. In fact, there are many times when he considers chucking the whole thing and going back home and forgetting baseball entirely. But he perseveres... to the point where he finally believes that his players may be good enough to represent the Soviet Union in the upcoming Olympics in America. However, performing in this Country under such pressures not only shows these Russian players something about themselves, it also makes their American manager aware of something rather special about himself, as well.

During World War II, sisters Dottie and Kit join the first female professional baseball league and struggle to help it succeed amid their own growing rivalry.

Jack Elliot, once a great baseball player, is forced to play in Japan where his brash, egotistical ways cause friction with his new teammates and friends.

When an accident miraculously gives a boy an incredibly powerful pitching arm, he becomes a major league pitcher for the Chicago Cubs.

After taking a job managing a little league team, a homeless man inspires the kids to reach for it all and they inspire him to reclaim his life.

In the summer of 1962, a new kid in town is taken under the wing of a young baseball prodigy and his rowdy team, resulting in many adventures.

A baseball pitcher who never had quite the professional career he dreamed about is visited by the ghost of his former catcher, for whom he always harbored a secret jealousy. The spirit of the catcher gets him to revisit people and places from his past and gives him a new perspective on his life.

A documentary on the history of the sport with major topics including Afro-American players, player/team owner relations and the resilience of the game.

When a boy prays for a chance to have a family if the California Angels win the pennant, angels are assigned to make that possible.

A reporter hired to write the 'official' biography of Ty Cobb discovers just how dark the baseball legend's real story is.

A young boy is bequeathed the ownership of a professional baseball team.

The Cleveland Indians are now a World Series contender. But last year's hunger is now replaced with complacency, and bad decisions by the team's new owner Roger Dorn threaten to tear the team apart.

The story of a baseball scout who discovers a talented but troubled baseball player.

The life and career of the great baseball champion, Hank Aaron.

Baseball "Super Fan" Dorf goes to the East-West all star game. While enjoying the game, Dorf daydreams about being on the diamond himself and inspiring a baseball team to greatness as their coach (ala General Patton). Alas, even in his daydreams he's not entirely successful. Between daydreams, Dorf has his hands full coping with a bratty kid, a smart aleck peanut vendor, and his uncooperative car.

A trained chimpanzee plays third base for a minor-league baseball team.

An all-star baseball player becomes the unhealthy focus of an obsessive salesman.

Black baseball greats, Satchel Paige and Josh Gibson, vie to be the first afro-American major leaguer, only to see the outspoken rookie, Jackie Robinson, be chosen.

Joe Torre after failing to win a championship when he was a professional baseball player and as Manager to three teams is named Manager of the Yankees. And he finds himself having players like Dwight Gooden, Wade Boggs and Daryl Strawberry who are considered has beens. And players like David Cone who are ill. But nevertheless thinks he can win with them. At the same he deals with the loss of one brother and another brother battling the same condition that killed his brother.

The life and career of Hank Greenberg, the first major Jewish baseball star in the Major Leagues.

The classic love story between the famous actress and the plain ordinary man.

A lousy minor-league baseball team bursting with diverse personalities gets a new manager: an aging minor-league pitcher.

After 19 years of playing the game he's loved his whole life, Detroit Tigers pitcher Billy Chapel has to decide if he's going to risk everything and put everything out there.

An eleven-year-old boy finds a way of overcoming life's obstacles with the help of a grumpy coach who aids him in having the best summer of his life.

A group of angels try to help a baseball team win a championship game, while at the same time helping to reunite the pitcher's family.

Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle race to break Babe Ruth's single-season home run record.

A gambling addict and ticket scalper living an aimless life reluctantly agrees to coach a Little League team from the Chicago projects as part of a loan agreement.

A rich girl whose family summers on Cape Cod has a romance with a local poor boy who hopes to become a major league baseball player.

Josh has gone to college and his little sister Andrea enlists their dog Buddy in her baseball team just as Buddy's puppies are kidnapped by Rocky the Raccoon.

A Texas baseball coach makes the major league after agreeing to try out if his high school team made the playoffs.

A day in the life of a group of gambling buddies, as they sit in on their beloved baseball team game.

Battlefield Baseball is a tough game--it doesn't end until all the members on the opposing team are dead. In this game the Gedo High team is composed of blue-faced zombies, and their opponents on the Seido High team know they don't have a chance at beating them unless they can bring back a star pitcher who has a lethal pitch called the Super Tornado, but who has hung up his cleats and has no desire to return to the game.

The creators of Visas and Virtue (1997) (1997 Academy Award Winner, Best Live Action Short Film) bring you another important historical narrative. This dramatic film, set in a Japanese American internment camp during the World War II, explores one family's experience and examines the sacrifices and triumphs of those who endured and survived through perseverance, courage, and the all-American game of baseball. During World War II, President Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, ordering the forced removal and incarceration of all people of Japanese ancestry living on the West Coast. These people, most of whom were American citizens, were taken from their homes and sent to "relocation" camps in desolate, isolated areas. These camps were surrounded by barb wire and guard towers. There were no charges, nor due process. The internment of 120,000 innocent people was a dark moment in the history of this country.

An addiction to gambling dims baseball legend Pete Rose's star.

A widowed lawyer wanted by the IRS assumes a new identity and signs his now-too-old son up for one more year of Little League. However, this may have been a mistake, as his son's dominance captures the media's attention as his team careens toward the Little League World Series.

Aging baseball star who goes by the nickname, Mr. 3000, finds out many years after retirement that he didn't quite reach 3,000 hits. Now at age 47 he's back to try and reach that goal.

Jeff Santo explores the life and career of his father, Chicago Cub great Ron Santo.

The absurd true story of the legal battle over the "Million-Dollar Baseball." Barry Bonds' record setting 73rd home run ball sparks a melee in the stands at Pac Bell Park in San Francisco. One guy caught the ball, another guy ended up with it. Who is the rightful owner? The lawyers can't agree; the fans can't agree; even the wisened professors of property law can't agree. This is a story documenting the hilarious lengths to which someone will go for a baseball, and the few fans that will put their lives on hold for years, staking everything on one judge's decision.

A young lad dreams of playing with the great Honus Wagner in his 1909 World Series duel with hall-of-famer Ty Cobb.

Lindsay is stuck in the middle of her relationship with Ben and his passion for the Boston Red Sox.

Combining real and fictional events, this movie centers around the historic 1986 World Series, and a day in the life of a playwright who skips opening night to watch the momentous game.

A grizzled little league coach tries to turn his team of misfits into champs.

A film about a group of young baseball-enthusiasts who test the terrifying myth of Mr. Mertle owning a freakishly large and dangerous dog in his backyard.

A trio of guys try and make up for missed opportunities in childhood by forming a three-player baseball team to compete against standard children's Little League squads.

A boy begins a grand journey to return Babe Ruth's baseball bat before the deciding game of the 1932 World Series comes to a close.

An unemployed slacker inspires his softball teammates to improve their game so they won't get kicked out of the local league.

An aging, disillusioned alcoholic (Nolte) gets a younger friend (Morgan) and wants him to pose as his son at a school reunion.

Chiben Academy is a private, powerhouse baseball academy led by Japan's most legendary tough-as-nails coach, Takashima-kantoku. Over 35 years, Takashima has led his teams to Koshien a record 21 times, and won 3 National titles. Through extensive interviews we reveal the mindset of the man many Japanese consider a "living Samurai". His training regimen focuses not on technique, but rather on developing fighting spirit . In blistering heat or driving rain, the team trains at least 8 hours a day, 360 days a year. At Chiben, two young recruits, Maeda and Hashimoto, explain their lives as aspiring professional players. They have chosen to put aside their education and their families in pursuit of their baseball dreams. But they can't go pro unless they make it to Koshien. The Chiben Cheer Squad is also legendary throughout Japan, and their senior leader, Furukawa, explains why they too must train so hard. Whenever Chiben plays a game, they bring the cheer squad, the brass band, cheerleaders, and the entire school (one thousand strong). Chiben enters the Wakayama tournament as defending champions and coasts through their first few games. But in the world of high school baseball, there are no "sure things". Tennoji is one of the top public schools in Osaka, and students must pass a rigorous exam to get in. Their baseball coach, Masa-sensei, explains how high school baseball will train his students' hearts for life outside baseball. All the same, everybody dreams of Koshien. With such an intense focus on academics, baseball is squeezed into the early morning or late afternoon. They do not have the funding or the scholarships to recruit players, so their chances of making it to Koshien are microscopic. They have not made it to Koshien since 1949. Nevertheless, they practice year-round, six days a week -- before and after school hours -- as well as during vacations, with financial support from their alumni. Senior third baseman Daisuke wakes up at 4 a.m. to travel to morning practice, with lunch from his mom and a ride to the station from dad. Maeda, the team's senior captain, faces great pressure not only as leader, but also as the team's best hitter and ace pitcher. Maeda's father skips work to see his games. Haruki has worked hard and shown improvement for three years, but isn't a great player. When it is time for the team to be announced, Haruki faces the prospect of watching from the stands as his last chance to play in the tournament slips away. Manager-girl Misaki explains her role and gives insight into the role of women in the male-dominated world of high school baseball. Tennoji enters the Osaka summer tournament - Japan's toughest - where 190 schools compete for just one spot at Koshien. Feeling the pressure, Tennoji plays hard through adversity when star second-baseman Kadoya breaks his nose at practice and can't play. But for Tennoji, Koshien is an impossible dream...or is it?

Kent Stock disrupts his life to become coach of the Norway High School baseball team and try to lead them to victory.

Successful, arrogant baseball superstar Tommy "Santa" Santorelli travels back in time to 1976 and relives his boyhood days on the sandlot baseball team, and has the chance to this time choose friendship over glory.

A look at the New York Yankees attempt to win the 1977 World Series. Based on Jonathan Mahler's book "Ladies and Gentlemen, the Bronx Is Burning."