As much as my brain tries to tell me otherwise, 1989 was a long time ago and a lot has changed since then. This became all too real when I recently revisited Major League, one of the best baseball movies of all time. In the 35 years since the incredible sports underdog story hit the big screen and turned Charlie Sheen and Wesley Snipes into megastars, the sport of baseball has undergone some serious changes, making the movie feel more like a time capsule than anything else.
So, what has changed about baseball over the past few decades? Well, as someone who has followed the sport religiously for as long as I can remember and someone who started watching Major League at a very young age, I’ve come up with a stacked list that is just so wild to think about.
First Of All, The Cleveland Indians Are Now The Cleveland Guardians
It’s wild watching Major League and seeing the Cleveland Indians name and the Chief Wahoo logo all over the place in pretty much every scene, considering the team changed its name to the Cleveland Guardians following the conclusion of the 2021 MLB season.
According to ESPN, the team had used the Indians name since 1915 but decided to undergo an identity change after years of outrage from Native American tribes and other groups who called the name racist and out of touch with modern sensibilities. The team instead wanted a name that had more to do with the city’s history, which in this case, was one inspired by the massive statues on the Hope Memorial Bridge not far from Progressive Field.
There’s A Team In Miami, As Well As One In Tampa
The whole Major League plot centers around team owner Rachel Phelps’ (Margaret Whitton) plan to put together an unwatchable team so that fans won’t show up and she can relocate them to Miami. Less than a half-decade after the film’s release, the Florida Marlins, now the Miami Marlins, expansion team joined the National League and won two World Series titles in its first decade. The Tampa Bay Devil Rays, now known as the Tampa Bay Rays, joined the American League in 1998 and have appeared in two World Series over the years.
The Indians And Yankees Haven’t Been In The Same Division For 30 Years
One thing that makes watching Major League and even kid-friendly sports movies like Angels in the Outfield so much fun for baseball fans is to see how much everything has changed over the years. This is especially true for one of the incredible moments from baseball movies: the final act in which the Cleveland Indians defeat the New York Yankees in a one-game playoff for the American League Eastern Division and a trip to the ALCS. Not only are these two teams no longer in the same division, the playoff format has undergone multiple overhauls.
Since 1994, the Indians/Guardians and Yankees have been in the Central and East divisions, respectively. After more recent changes to the postseason structure, six teams from each league (three divisional winners and three wild card teams) make the playoffs. Long gone are the days of two teams from each league playing in October.
Cleveland Municipal Stadium And The Venue Used In The Movie (Milwaukee County Stadium) Have Both Been Replaced
I have an unhealthy obsession with old baseball stadiums (I blame my dad for having a copy of The Sporting News’ Take Me Out to the Ball Park tome as a coffee table book) and I know way too much about long-gone cathedrals of the sport. That said, it’s crazy to think that both Cleveland Municipal Stadium and Milwaukee County Stadium, which was used as a stand-in during the making of Major League, are both long gone and are now nothing more than historical markers near their replacements.
A Pitcher Wouldn’t Stay In A Win-Or-Go-Home Game After Putting The Go-Ahead Run On Base In The Ninth
I can’t figure out how many pitches Eddie Harris (Chelcie Ross) threw the in final game of Major League, but I can tell you there is no way in hell a coach would let his starter make it that long in game today, especially after putting the go-ahead run on base in the top of the ninth. In the movie, Harris gets the first two batters out but then gives up a double, a single, and a walk in a 2-2 game. Starting pitchers rarely make it to the seventh or eighth inning in playoff games today, let alone the ninth.
Cleveland’s 31-Year Drought Has Since Gotten Longer, Much Longer
When Major League starts, Cleveland hadn’t won a World Series since 1948, which was a 31-year drought at the time. Though the Indians have won the American League pennant thrice since then – 1995, 1997, and 2016 – they were defeated in the Fall Classic all three times. A little more than halfway through the 2024 season, that drought stands at 75 seasons, which is the longest among active MLB teams. The Milwaukee Brewers and San Diego Padres are tied for the second-longest with 55-year droughts.
Jake Taylor Wouldn’t Have To Drive A Beater Or Have A Roommate On A League-Minimum Salary In 2024
Partway through the action, Jake Taylor (Tom Berenger) tells someone that he makes the league minimum despite being one of the best baseball movie players, which was $68,000 in 1989, per ESPN. As noted throughout this story, a lot has changed in baseball since then, and that includes the league minimum. According to Bleacher Report, the lowest salary a professional baseball player can have in 2024 is $740,000, more than 10 times what old Jake was making.
That means he wouldn’t have to drive that beater of a car or be roommates with Ricky Vaughn (Charlie Sheen) and instead could have a condo overlooking Lake Eerie. In fact, he’d be making more than all those snobs giving him a hard time.
Bonus: I Would Say MLB Wouldn’t Let A Team Tank And Relocate, But Look At The A’s
The idea of an owner consciously putting together the worst possible team and cutting corners whenever possible in hopes fans will stop showing up totally seems like something that would only happen in a movie, right? RIGHT? Well, I would say that Rachel Phelps, a horrible boss who had it coming, and her scheme were too unbelievable, but we see it all the time.
This mostly recently happened with the Oakland Athletics, which are currently playing their final season in the San Francisco Bay area and will soon move to Las Vegas (only after a few years in Sacramento where they will simply be the Athletics or A’s, per ESPN). What do they say about life imitating art?
As you can probably tell by now, a great deal has changed about baseball since Major League was released in theaters back in 1989. One thing that hasn’t changed, however, is the fact that it’s one of the best sports movies of all time.