August is already an exciting month for baseball fans. Mid-season trades are finding their footing with their new clubs. Teams are hitting their strides and preparing for post-season play. But if you’re a baseball fanatic, regular-season play might not be enough for you. If that’s the case, check out these four baseball documentaries on ESPN+ to sate your craving for America’s favorite game.
The Captain
Widely considered one of the best baseball players of all time, Derek Jeter played his entire career (much of it as team captain) with the New York Yankees – an astonishing feat with any major league team, let alone the Yankees. Jeter capped off his storied career with a near-unanimous first-round vote into the Hall of Fame, but as a notoriously private player, his stats were still his best-known traits.
The Captain makes up for that by giving us a closer look at Jeter’s life and career, showing anyone unfamiliar exactly why he’s so beloved.
Yankees-Dodgers: An Uncivil War
Historically two of the most lucrative teams in major league baseball, the Yankees and the Dodgers are also two of the best teams. And they have been for a very long time.
Yankees-Dodgers: An Uncivil War takes viewers back to the 1970s when these teams faced off in back-to-back World Series, interviewing some of the most famous names in the game. If you thought the east coast-west coast hip hop rivalry was intense, just wait until you see this.
Four Days in October
October is one of the best months for a variety of reasons. Fall foliage, Halloween, apple cider – the list goes on. But if you’re a baseball fan, October is special for a different reason: playoffs.
Documenting the 2004 American League Championship Series when the Red Sox came back from behind to take the title from the Yankees (and go on to win its first World Series in 86 years), “Four Days in October,” an episode of ESPN’s 30 for 30 series, captures what’s so magical about October for baseball fans.
The Day the Series Stopped
Another installment in the 30 for 30 series, “The Day the Series Stopped” will captivate even the biggest baseball haters in the world. Recapping the events of game three of the 1989 World Series, which had to pause due to an earthquake in Northern California, this quick documentary is riveting and emotional, and it reminds audiences that some things are more important than sports.
Each of these baseball documentaries is streaming now on ESPN+.