5 baseball movies to binge-watch during the MLB post-season – USA TODAY

It’s time to play ball. Or, at least, press play on a good baseball movie. 

The MLB post-season is underway, and soon two teams will be facing off in the 2017 World Series. If you’re like us and you’re living and breathing baseball this October, you can fill in the time between playoff games with these five baseball movies that are available to stream or rent. BYO Cracker Jacks. 

If you like rooting for the underdog: Major League

Baseball has seen its fair share of underdogs and “lovable losers” overcoming championship droughts and expectations to win the World Series. But no real story has come close to the fun of Major League. The 1989 film follows a team put together by its owner specifically to be the worst baseball team in the league, which begins winning streak just to spite her. 

Stream it on Starz. 

If you want a more mature flick: Bull Durham

Kevin Costner is one of Hollywood’s baseball film all-stars. Field of Dreams remains a classic in the genre, but we’re also partial to Durham, which is a frank look at the world of minor league ball. 

Stream it on Amazon or Hulu. 

If you want an epic: The Natural

Robert Redford grounds the film as Roy Hobbs, the titular “natural” baseball player in the film, which is based on the Bernard Malamud novel. Hobbs’ long life saga is examined in the film, from the death of his father at a young age to his against-the-odds resurgence as a professional baseball player on the fictional New York Knights. The film has one of the most exciting at-bat scenes in any baseball film. 

Stream it on Amazon. 

If you’re nostalgic for childhood sports: The Sandlot

Films like It and series like Stranger Things are capitalizing on our current nostalgia for a childhood in the 1980s. The Sandlot similarly captured nostalgia for a ’60s childhood when it premiered in 1993. The film’s endurance as a baseball and childhood classic is due to its strong themes of friendship and youthful innocence.  

 Stream it on HBO Go/Now. 

If you love sports documentaries: Four Days in October

ESPN’s 30 for 30 documentary series is an absolute treasure for sports fans who love digging into the history and cultural effects of their favorite players, coaches and games. (The epic installment O.J.: Made in America went on to win an Oscar.) This episode chronicles how the Boston Red Sox came back from a 3-0 deficit against the Yankees in the 2004 World Series and went on to break their “curse.” 

Buy the 30 for 30 episode on Amazon or iTunes. 

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FILE – In this undated file photo provided by Twentieth Century Fox, as John Smith, played by Brad Pitt, and Jane Smith, portrayed by Angelina Jolie, do a sexy tango, more of their secrets are uncovered in “Mr. & Mrs. Smith.” Jolie and Pitt were married Saturday, Aug. 23, 2014, in France, according to a spokesman for the couple. (AP Photo/Twentieth Century Fox, Stephen Vaughn, File) ORG XMIT: NY118 
Stephen Vaughn, AP

ADVANCE FOR MONDAY, DEC. 23 – FILE – In this Feb. 22, 1994, file photo, American figure skaters Nancy Kerrigan, left, and Tonya Harding work out during an Olympic practice session at Hamar Olympic Amphitheater in Hamar, Norway. it’s been nearly 20 years since Kerrigan was clubbed after practice in Detroit by a member of a bumbling goon squad hired by Harding’s ex-husband with the hope of eliminating his former wife’s top competition for the U.S. Olympic team. The assault led to a soap opera that practically created tabloid television journalism, taking what had for decades been a niche sport and putting it squarely into the media mainstream. By the time a recovered Kerrigan and a besieged Harding reached Lillehammer, their saga was front-page news and can’t-miss TV. (AP Photo/Doug Mills, File) ORG XMIT: NY165 
Doug Mills, AP

Handout for documentary motion picture “Batkid Begins.” Five-years-old Miles Scott, from Tulelake, Calif., is dressed in a Batman costume in San Francisco, Friday, November 15, 2013. Miles, who wants to be a Batman, will embark on a series of crime-solving adventures when San Francisco is converted into “Gotham City” as part of a Make-A-Wish Foundation event. He is in a fight on his own in his battle against leukemia since he was a year old. He is now in remission. Credit: Paul Sakuma, Make-A-Wish Foundation [Via MerlinFTP Drop] 
Paul Sakuma, Make-A-Wish Foundation

GREY’S ANATOMY – “Grey’s Anatomy” concludes the season with a shocking two-hour telecast, THURSDAY, MAY 14 (9:00-11:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network. In the second part, “Now or Never” (10:00-11:00 p.m.), George delivers stunning news to Bailey, sending shockwaves throughout the hospital, and Izzie’s friends anxiously await her recovery from surgery. Meanwhile Bailey is surprisingly displeased after being accepted into the pediatric fellowship program, and the victim of a near-fatal traffic accident brings the talents of Seattle Grace’s doctors together. (ABC/SCOTT GARFIELD) ELLEN POMPEO, PATRICK DEMPSEY (Via MerlinFTP Drop) 
Scott Garfield, ABC

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