Curious About Did Kevin Costner Play Baseball? [Answered]
Kevin Costner has starred in many baseball movies, but a common question in the minds of his fans and baseball fans “Did Kevin Costner play baseball?”
To answer the question, we must first know who Kevin Costner is and why the question “Did he play baseball?” is the topic of discussion among the fans.
Contents
Who Is Kevin Costner?
Kevin Michael Costner is an American actor, born on 18 January 1955 in Lynwood, CA, USA. He made his debut in the film Sizzle Beach, USA. Throughout his career, he starred in many movies and played various roles, like a bodyguard, soldier, cowboy, and many more.
He also starred in 3 baseball–centric films, which caught much of the fans’ attention, which are: Bull Durham(1988), Field of Dreams(1989), and For Love of the Game(1999). He starred in 2 more films based around baseball: Chasing Dreams(1982) and The Upside Of Anger(2005).
The actor has been an avid baseball fan lifelong but has not played baseball professionally. Though, he has taken professional training to play baseball for his films.
In detail, let’s look into each of Kevin Costner’s baseball films and his role in them.
Bull Durham
Ron Shelton directed this 1988 American rom-com baseball film. The film is based on the director’s experience with the players and fans of the minor league baseball team, Durham Bulls.
Kevin Costner stars as Crash Davis, a veteran catcher of the AAA Richmond Braves, assigned to coach a rookie to prepare for major leagues.
In high school and college, Kevin used to play baseball but was never really great at it. But due to his starring in this film, he practiced with the athletes and improved his game significantly. He worked so hard for this that even behind the cameras, he could throw out the runners.
Bull Durham was a commercial success and was ranked “#1 Greatest Sports Movie of all time” by Sports Illustrated.
For Love Of The Game
It is a 1999 American sports drama movie that Sam Raimi directed. The same–titled 1991 novel by Michael Shaara served as the basis for the film.
The actor Kevin portrays Billy Chapel. He’s an old-fashioned baseball pitcher who has to contend with the stress of playing in Yankee Stadium.
For the film, the pitching coach who prepared Costner was a former middle reliever of the New York Yankees.
During this film, Costner shared that he was in a lot of pain and had to take a lot of medications during the shoot.
The film received many reviewers, a few good ones, others not so much, and was a disappointment at the box office. Costner was nominated for the “Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actor.”
Field Of Dreams
“Field of Dreams” is an American sports fantasy drama directed by Phil Alden Robinson in 1989. It is based on the novel Shoeless Joe written by W.P. Kinsella in 1982. In the film, Kevin plays the role of a farmer who has a cornfield and, later on in the movie, builds a baseball field on it.
Both the public and the critics gave the movie favorable reviews. Three awards were put out for it. Each of the three was an Academy Award:
- Best Picture
- For the Best Original Score
- Best Adapted Screenplay award
Chasing Dreams
Therese Conte and Sean Roche collaborated on the 1928 release of the American sports drama “Chasing Dreams.” The protagonist of the tale is a young man who, as he matures, discovers a deep love for baseball. Kevin plays a small role as the hero’s older brother in this film.
The Upside of Anger
Danny Davies is portrayed by Kevin in “The Upside of Anger.” In the movie, he has a supporting part to perform. Danny played a former Detroit Tigers player in the film. Mike Binder directed the movie, which was released in 2005.
The film did receive good critics and earned well at the box office, but it is not one of the films people generally associate with while talking about baseball.
Did Kevin Costner Play Baseball?
Costner never played baseball professionally, but he has always been a long-time follower of the game and even took baseball classes in his college.
In 2002, Kevin Costner was invited to an exhibition game for the Inland Empire 66ers of the California League. He started at shortstop and finished the game by pitching an inning. While pitching, he was opposed to the Seattle Mariners manager Lou Piniella.
Leading The Yankees
Costner being a huge baseball fan, occasionally participates in many baseball events. The MLB invited him as a special guest to the “Field of Dreams Game” on August 12, 2021. Chicago White Sox and the New York Yankees squared off in the game. He spoke briefly before leading the pre-game entrance.
He was a co-owner of the independent North American League baseball team Lake County Fielders.
Sports Movies Kevin Costner Starred In
In the 1980s and 1990s, Costner was one of the biggest movie stars. Apart from baseball, Kevin has starred in many other movies involving different sports:
| MOVIE NAME | SPORTS | YEAR RELEASED |
|---|---|---|
| SStacy’sKnights | Poker | 1983 |
| American Flyers | Bicycle Racing | 1985 |
| The Art of Racing in the Rain | Formula One Racing | 2019 |
| MMolly’sGame | Poker | 2017 |
| Draft Day | Football | 2014 |
| Fastball | Fastball | 2016 |
| Tin Cup | Golf | 1996 |
| McFarland, USA | Running | 2015 |
| Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves | Archery | 1991 |
| Play It to the Bone | Boxing | 1999 |
FAQs
Did Kevin Costner ever play minor-league baseball?
Costner was invited to an exhibition game, where he played the match for minor league Inland Empire 66ers, in the year 2002.
Did Kevin Costner play baseball at CSUF?
Kevin attended college at Cal State Fullerton; though he had a keen interest in baseball, he never played at Fullerton. When asked why he did not play, he said, “I wasn’t that good.”
How many movies did Kevin Costner make about baseball?
Chasing Dreams, Bull Durham, Field of Dreams, For Love Of The Game, and The Upside of Anger are the five baseball-related films in which Costner has appeared as an actor. Chasing Dreams was released in 1982.
What movie was Kevin Costner, a baseball pitcher?
Costner played the role of a pitcher in the mo”ie “For Love of the G”me,” released in 1999.
