2010
Every year in June, nearly 2,000 athletes out of high school and college are chosen from an amateur baseball draft to play in the minor leagues. This inspiring documentary follows the lives of two young players on their arduous journey to launch Major League Baseball careers. As one faces his final year to tryout, another player wrestles with the pressure of keeping his million-dollar first-round draft contract intact. This thrilling and emotional journey illuminates the power determination can have on whether dreams are achieved or lost.
2023
In December 2021, Hideki Kuriyama began devoting his days to one singular goal: hoisting the championship trophy at the 2023 World Baseball Classic. How did he mold his players into one of the best and strongest Samurai Japan teams in history? A close-up documentary that looks back on Samurai Japan's path to becoming world champions, along with valuable behind-the-scenes footage captured by the team's dedicated crew.
2022
Jim Bouton's 1970 book "Ball Four" was groundbreaking, shocking, and controversial. It sold in the millions. 40 years later, Bouton and former teammates spin hilarious stories from behind baseball's cloistered clubhouses, giving a rare glimpse inside Major League baseball in the 1960s. The book's cultural impact is examined by filmmaker and former pro baseball player Ron Shelton ("Bull Durham"), author Jean Hastings Ardell, and David Kipen, former director of literature for the NEA.
2025
In 1985, Star Trek's George Takei joined a group of dedicated fans to make a student film deep in the California forest—only for the footage to mysteriously vanish. Nearly 40 years later, Beam Me Up, Sulu unearths this lost film, revealing not just a piece of fan history but a broader story of representation, resilience, and the ongoing fight for inclusion in media and society.
1920
A serial of short instructional films using footage of Babe Ruth to explain the fundamentals of playing baseball.
Rap Dixon was a legendary African American baseball player who played in what were known as the Negro Leagues. This film chronicles his life and baseball accomplishments while exploring how racism and segregation affect how people are remembered in history.
2019
Chronicling the Mariners' memorable run to their first-ever AL West title in 1995, when a team led by Ken Griffey Jr. and Randy Johnson helped keep baseball in the Pacific Northwest and punctuated the season with a stirring ALDS win over the Yankees.
2012
From its grand opening on April 20, 1912 Fenway has enthralled fans with its quirky shape, playing field oddities including the Pesky Pole, the Triangle, and Green Monster. John Updike called it, a lyric little bandbox of a ballpark, Hitters call it a haven, and the legions of passionate fans who inhabit Red Sox Nation call it home. This official MLB Productions program blends stunning archival footage, rare historic interviews, and all- new exclusive interviews with current and former Red Sox players to tell the tale of this wonderful ballpark. Fenway Park the heart of Boston, New England, and all of Red Sox Nation.
