History Film / MajorLeague

-->''(Harris throws him a curveball that Cerrano whiffs at by a good foot and a half)''

-->''(Harris throws him a curveball that Cerrano whiffs at by a good foot and a half)

* CallingYourShots: Invoked, lampshaded and then subverted. Early in the first film when he first gets to the Indians' stadium, Jake Taylor (Creator/TomBerenger) steps up to the plate and imagines successfully calling a home run. Near the end of the movie he pulls out this ChekhovsGun during the BigGame, apparently emulating the famous occasion where Babe Ruth did this. [[spoiler:[[CrowningMomentOfFunny Then he bunts, and the Yankees are completely unprepared for it]]]].

** He should be solid. It's mentioned by Phelps that he'd been coach of the Toledo Mud Hens for ''thirty years''! For comparison, as of this writing (August 2018), only two MLB managers have been been with the same team for more than ten years (Mike Scioscia, with the Los Angeles Angels since 2000 and retiring after the 2018 season; and Bruce Bochy, with the San Francisco Giants since 2007) and only three have been MLB managers longer than thirty years (Connie Mack with the Pittsburgh Pirates for three seasons and the then-Philadelphia Athletics for ''50 seasons'' [he also owned the A's]; John [=McGraw=] for 34 seasons, mostly with the then-New York Giants; and Tony La Russa, with the Chicago White Sox, Oakland A's, and St. Louis Cardinals for a total of 33 seasons). The only reason he hadn't managed in the big leagues before was because he didn't want to have to deal with a bunch of overpaid prima donnas and overbearing owners.

The film spawned a sequel in 1994, changing leadoff men (Hayes is still there; he's just played by Omar Epps) and leading men (Berenger for Sheen). Here, Vaughn has let the fame of the previous year go to his head, mostly seeking lucrative endorsement deals. This is elaborated by having to choose between two LoveInterests, publicist Rebecca Flannery (AllisonDoody), and philanthropist Nikki Reese (MichelleBurke). One wants to build his image, the other to keep him down-to-earth.

* CheckPlease: Vaughn uses it when Dorn's wife seduces him

** He should be solid. It's mentioned by Phelps that he'd been coach of the Toledo Mud Hens for ''thirty years''! For comparison, as of this writing, only one MLB coach has been been with the same team for more than ten years (Mike Sciosia of the Los Angeles Angels) and only one has been an MLB coach longer than thirty years (Connie Mack of the Oakland A's). The only reason he hadn't managed in the big leagues before was because he didn't want to have to deal with a bunch of overpaid prima donnas and overbearing owners.

** Taylor's neutering threat to Dorn

* HypocriticalHumor: When Cerrano interrupts Harris' locker room prayer, Harris yells out in frustration, "Jesus Christ, Cerrano!" Harris is also reading a Hustler magazine on the airplane while mocking Cerrano's self-crossing during the turbulent flight.

* IReadItForTheArticles: Rube actually does read Playboy for the articles... which Taylor uses to help him overcome his throwing problems. When those problems suddenly return at the end of the movie, Taylor gives him a Frederick's of Hollywood catalog.

In 1998, another sequel, ''Major League: Back to the Minors'', came out, which focused on a minor league team (The Salt Lake Buzz) with a new manager (played by Scott Bakula) and a pretty much all new cast of characters. The only carryovers from the original movies are Dorn (who now owns the Minnesota Twins, who the Buzz are the AAA farm team), Cerrano, Tanaka, Baker (who are players on the team), and Harry Doyle (Bob Uecker, the announcer). This one focuses mostly on Bakula's manager, especially with his teaching methods with a hot batting prospect and a pitching prospect who has a blazing fastball but no other pitches, and his battles with the manager of the Twins (played by Creator/TedMcGinley, signifying the moment the series was JumpingTheShark).

* GloryDays: Jake Taylor is a former All-Star whose skills have depleted thanks to age and chronic knee injuries.

* SequelReset[=/=]SequelEscalation: They celebrated like they'd won the World Series in the first movie, only to lose the ALCS after.

* Willie Mays Hayes (Wesley Snipes), a leadoff man with Rickey Henderson-like speed on the basepaths who meekly pops out whenever he's at bat (thanks to his delusions of being a power hitter).
* Pedro Cerrano (Dennis Haysbert), a voodoo-practicing power hitter who can't hit a curveball.

** He should be solid. It's mentioned by Phelps that he'd been coach of the Toledo Mud Hens for ''thirty years''! For comparison, as of this writing, only one MLB coach has been been with the same team for more than ten years (Mike Sciosia of the Los Angeles Angels) and only one has been an MLB coach longer than thirty years (Connie Mack of the Oakland A's).

-->'''Hayes''': I told you I wasn't gonna slide!

* CallingYourShots: Invoked, lampshaded and then subverted. Early in the first film when he first gets to the Indians' stadium, Jake Taylor (Tom Berenger) steps up to the plate and imagines successfully calling a home run. Near the end of the movie he pulls out this ChekhovsGun during the BigGame, apparently emulating the famous occasion where Babe Ruth did this. [[spoiler:[[CrowningMomentOfFunny Then he bunts, and the Yankees are completely unprepared for it]]]].

* Jake Taylor (Tom Berenger), a catcher a decade past his prime and who never got over the one he let get away (Creator/ReneRusso);

In 1998, another sequel, ''Major League: Back to the Minors,'' came out, which focused on a minor league team (The Salt Lake Buzz) with a new manager (played by Scott Bakula) and a pretty much all new cast of characters. The only carryovers from the original movies are Dorn (who now owns the Minnesota Twins, who the Buzz are the AAA farm team), Cerrano, Tanaka, Baker (who are players on the team), and Harry Doyle (Bob Uecker, the announcer). This one focuses mostly on Bakula's manager, especially with his teaching methods with a hot batting prospect and a pitching prospect who has a blazing fastball but no other pitches, and his battles with the manager of the Twins (played by Creator/TedMcGinley, signifying the series' JumpTheShark moment).

** Anyone with knee problems can tell you there's no way Jake could do what he does and still be standing.

* Jake Taylor (Tom Berenger), a catcher a decade past his prime and who never got over the one he let get away (Rene Russo);

* ArtisticLicense: Even if they are nobodies, they're playing in the big leagues, and in real life the players' union would never tolerate the indignities the Indians are subjected to (bus travel, no training equipment, etc.)

** In ''Back to the Minors'', the AAA Buzz play at a tiny field and barebones clubhouse akin to a low class-A team (indeed, the film was shot at Charleston's College Park, home of the then-class-A River Dogs). In real life, AAA stadiums and teams are often crown jewels for cities who often do not have pro teams of their own, and sport fields and facilities not too far off quality-wise from their big-league counterpart (after all, they want their up-and-coming players to be in the best shape when called up). This is the 10,000-seat stadium the Twins' AAA affiliate, the Rochester Red Wings, actually [[http://www.milb.com/assets/images/7/9/4/162273794/cuts/FF_dwunaet2_ic3cjbnn.jpg play in]] compared to where the Buzz [[http://ballparkreviews.com/charlsc/college2.jpg played]].
* ArtisticLicenseSports:
** In some places; in the second movie, Cerrano kills a bird with a swing; he goes into the outfield to mourn the bird and has to be tagged out. In Major League Baseball rules, he's out once he abandons his effort to run to the next base.

** In ''Back to the Minors'', the AAA Buzz play at a tiny field and barebones clubhouse akin to a high school or non-powerhouse college team (indeed, the film was shot at the College of Charleston). In real life, AAA stadiums and teams are often crown jewels for cities who often do not have pro teams of their own, and sport fields and facilities not too far off quality-wise from their big-league counterpart (after all, they want their up-and-coming players to be in the best shape when called up). This is the 10,000-seat stadium the Twins' AAA affiliate, the Rochester Red Wings, actually [[http://www.milb.com/assets/images/7/9/4/162273794/cuts/FF_dwunaet2_ic3cjbnn.jpg play]].

** In ''Back to the Minors'', the AAA Buzz play at a tiny field and barebones clubhouse akin to a high school or non-powerhouse college team (indeed, the film was shot at the College of Charleston). In real life, AAA stadiums and teams are often crown jewels for cities who often do not have pro teams of their own and sport fields and facilities not too far off from their big-league counterpart (after all, you want your up-and-coming players to be in the best shape to be called up). This is the 10,000-seat stadium the Twins' AAA affiliate, the Rochester Red Wings, actually [[http://www.milb.com/assets/images/7/9/4/162273794/cuts/FF_dwunaet2_ic3cjbnn.jpg play]].