Top 3 baseball movies that deserved to win an Oscar

From Moneyball to Field of Dreams, these are the best baseball films that have received Academy Award nominations and deserved to win.

America's favorite game has returned after a tumultuous 99-day lockout. After months of tense talks, MLB team owners and the players' union have reached an agreement to allow for a complete season to begin on April 7.

Every MLB fan has been placing bets to see the American game, so why not prolong the excitement with a baseball-themed movie fest from now until Opening Day. Here's a list of the top three finest baseball movies that are sure to keep all MLB fans entertained:

Best movies ever made about baseball

#3 Field of Dreams (1989):

The poster of the movie-Field Of Dreams' poster.

Most sports dramas have a fantastical element to them, with characters overcoming unfathomable difficulties and peaking at a magical time to win the game. Based on W.P. Kinsella's novel Shoeless Joe, Field of Dreams isn't a narrative about physical brilliance or triumphing over adversity. It's a narrative about trusting in sports' charm. The feature film was released in 1989 and earned an Academy Award nomination for "Best Picture of the Year." Even though it didn't win a statue it has inspired numerous people since its release. It's an engaging film that utilizes baseball as a springboard for reflections about human aspirations, righting wrongs, and going the extra mile.

Ray Kinsella (Kevin Costner) and his wife Annie (Amy Madigan) reside on a farm in modern-day Iowa with their little daughter (Gaby Hoffman). Ray creates a baseball field in his cornfield after hearing a strange voice say, "If you build it, he will come," so that shoeless Joe Jackson, who was banned from the sport after the notorious 1919 Chicago Black Sox incident, can play baseball again. Even though it puts his family's finances in jeopardy and earns him the scorn of the conservative community, Ray obeys the voice's orders and returns to Iowa with a burned-out 1960s novelist (James Earl Jones) and a Minnesota doctor (Burt Lancaster). With great emotional intensity, director Phil Alden Robinson makes this Capraesque drama work, and the performances are all deserving of applause.

In 1990, Field of Dreams was nominated for three Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Original Score (Horner). It didn't bag awards in any of the categories.

Available On: Amazon Prime Video

#2 Bull Durham (1988):

The poster of the movie- Bull Durham.

Bull Durham is a romantic comedy sports film released in 1988 in the United States. It's the story of Crash Davis (Kevin Costner), a Walt Whitman-quoting minor league catcher enlisted to aid Nuke LaLoosh (Tim Robbins), a not-so-talented rookie pitcher. Along the way, siren Annie Savoy (Susan Sarandon), an obsessive baseball fan and philosopher of sexuality, steps in and offers Nuke an extensive (and detailed) sexual education, which she feels will lead him to baseball success. Bull Durham is a gritty mash-up of romance, athletics, and satire. Because of his personal experience as a minor league baseball player, writer/director, Ron Shelton gives a semblance of credibility to this tale of baseball and sex. Even though most of the film takes place in dugouts, locker rooms, and on the pitch, it will appeal to any audience.

The movie was nominated for the Academy Award under the category of Best Original Screenplay. Shelton, though, was unable to secure the victory. Rain Man, written by Ronald Bass and Barry Morrow, won the award.

Available On: Amazon Prime Video

#1 Moneyball (2011):

Brad Pitt on the poster of the movie- Moneyball (2011).

Moneyball is based on Michael Lewis' best-selling nonfiction book. It tells the story of Billy Beane (Brad Pitt), the Oakland A's general manager. Billy Beane was a once-promising professional player who reshaped baseball by relying on statistical analysis rather than traditional recruiting methods. With the assistance of a Yale-educated statistics specialist named Peter (Jonah Hill), he pursues this brave and controversial decision. There aren't many other options for identifying untapped, inexpensive potential with more prominent, deeper-pocketed organizations like the Yankees to snag the best players from the A's and elsewhere. Moneyball's unpredictable rhythms are reminiscent of the sport it is based on. Certain sections took their time to unveil the story, but it quickly picked up the speed and suspense in others. Solid storytelling and a script that extracts the emotional arc from Beane's groundbreaking technique provide excellent content. Pitt performs brilliantly in the movie. Ditto for Hill, who sheds his stoner demeanor and delivers a credible performance as an economics major looking for a place in baseball. Moneyball works because the movie concentrates on a quiet revolution that altered America's pastime rather than relegating its most important moments to the action on the field, as we've seen before. Who knew numbers could be so visually captivating?

Moneyball had six nominations at the 84th Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actor for Pitt, Best Supporting Actor for Hill, and Best Adapted Screenplay for Sorkin, Zaillian, and Chervin, but won none of them.

Available On: Netflix