Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
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SALT LAKE CITY — October baseball is back along with the thrill of a pennant race.
The MLB playoffs began Tuesday night with the National League Wild Card game between the Chicago Cubs and Colorado Rockies and continue Wednesday with the New York Yankees and Oakland Athletics in the American League Wild Card game.
With playoff baseball back, we thought we’d share the best five best baseball movies or documentaries related to the teams that qualified for this year’s postseason. That unfortunately eliminates such beloved gems as “For the Love of the Game,” “The Rookie,” “Angels in the Outfield,” and “Eight Men Out.”
However, it does leave some good movies out there to pump fans up about the teams in the playoffs. We also used IMDB ratings to sort out the five best movies to eliminate bias.
Baseball
Year(s) released: 1994, 2010
Rating: TV-PG
IMDB Rating: 9.2/10
Playoff team involved: All of them
OK, fine, I get it, this doesn’t involve just one team, it’s all of baseball and this Ken Burns docu-series is also long — like, Boston Red Sox-New York Yankees "Sunday Night Baseball" long. However, it’s chock-full of fascinating information about the history of the great American pastime from its origins in the 1800s through the 1990s. Burns returned to add the Tenth Inning addendum in 2010, which was released to cover baseball’s steroid era.
Year released: 2011
Rating: N/A
IMDB Rating: 7.9/10
Playoff team involved: Chicago Cubs
This ESPN "30 for 30" documentary centered on perhaps the most controversial Chicago figure of the 2000s: Steve Bartman. It focuses on the infamous fan interference situation during the 2003 National League Championship Series. Chances are you know what happened next. Bartman interfered with Moises Alou’s attempt at catching a foul ball, the Florida Marlins rallied to win Game 6 and ultimately won the series, and the Cubs’ woeful streak without a title continued.
Bartman instantly became the scapegoat for that collapse and the documentary centered on what happened and the fallout from it. Of course, all is forgiven now. The Cubs won the World Series in 2016 after a 108-year title drought. Still, the movie brings fans back to what it was like playing under a curse.
The Pride of the Yankees ========================
Year released: 1942
Rating: N/A
IMDB Rating: 7.7/10
Playoff team involved: New York Yankees
Gary Cooper stars as Lou Gehrig in this movie about Gehrig’s rise as one of the greatest baseball players of all time until he was forced to retire because of ALS, the motor neurone disease that most people know as Lou Gerhig's disease. The film was released just one year after his death and was nominated for 11 Oscars, including best picture.
Year released: 2011
Rating: PG-13
IMDB Rating: 7.6/10
Playoff team involved: Oakland Athletics
In 2002, the A’s went from cellar dweller to playoff Cinderella using a baseball sabermetrics and a team of misfits. It made for a fascinating book that eventually was converted to a box office hit featuring Brad Pitt as general manager Billy Beane that received an Academy Award nomination for best picture.
Year released: 2013
Rating: PG-13
IMDB Rating: 7.5/10
Playoff teams involved: Los Angeles Dodgers
Jackie Robinson changed baseball and the nation forever when he became the first player to break the sport’s color barrier in 1947. His journey and that major hurdle was depicted in this movie starring Chadwick Boseman as Robinson. Of course, it’s named after Robinson’s jersey number, which is the only number retired by the league.
Honorable mention: "61" (New York Yankees), "Rookie of the Year" (Chicago Cubs), "Four Days in October" (Boston Red Sox)
