Major League is a 1989 American satire comedy film written and directed by David S. Ward starring Tom Berenger, Charlie Sheen, Wesley Snipes, James Gammon, and Corbin Bernsen. Made for US$11 million, Major League grossed nearly US$50 million in domestic release. The film deals with the exploits of a fictionalized version of the Cleveland Indians baseball team and spawned two sequels (Major League II and Major League: Back to the Minors), neither of which replicated the success of the original film.

This was the only film in the series to be distributed by Paramount Pictures. The others had Warner Bros. as distributor.

Plot

Rachel Phelps, a former Las Vegas showgirl, has inherited the Cleveland Indians baseball team from her deceased husband. She wants to move the team to the warmer climate of Miami, Florida. In order to do this, she must reduce attendance at Municipal Stadium below a total of 800,000 ticket sales, which will void the team's lease with the city of Cleveland. After she moves the team, she would also be able to fire all the current players and replace them with new ones. She instructs her new General Manager Charlie Donovan to hire the worst team possible from a list she has already prepared. The list includes veteran catcher Jake Taylor, who has problems with his knees, incarcerated pitcher Rick Vaughn, the brash but speedy center fielder Willie "Mays" Hayes (who was not actually invited to camp), power hitting outfielder Pedro Cerrano who practices voodoo to try to help him hit curveballs, veteran pitcher Eddie Harris, who lacks a strong throwing arm and is forced to doctor his pitches, and third baseman Roger Dorn who is already under contract but is a high-priced prima donna. As manager, Phelps hires Lou Brown, a tire salesman who once managed the Toledo Mud Hens for several years.