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Based on the novel by Michael Shaara, For Love of the Game brought Kevin Costner back to the world of baseball after his successes with Bull Durham (1988) and Field of Dreams (1989). Billy Chapel (Kevin Costner) is a star pitcher with the Detroit Tigers, standing on the mound at Yankee Stadium and throwing what is shaping up to be a perfect game with the help of his best friend and catcher, Gus Osinski (John C. Reilly). However, Billy is having a hard time keeping his mind on the game; he's come to a crossroads in both his personal and professional lives, and he isn't sure what to do or where to go. He's learned that the Tigers are about to be sold, and the new owners intend to trade him at the end of the season, and that his girlfriend Jane (Kelly Preston) is planning to leave him. For Love of the Game represents a change of pace for director Sam Raimi, best-known for the Evil Dead trilogy and the acclaimed suspense drama A Simple Plan (1998) (although Raimi, a baseball fan born in Michigan, doubtless enjoyed making a film featuring the Detroit Tigers). 1999

Although it doesn't break past the conventions of the romantic melodrama, Basil Poledouris' score for Sam Raimi's Kevin Costner baseball flick For Love of the Game does its job well, delivering solid romantic themes and surging drama when the occasion calls for it. It doesn't stand particularly well on its own, largely because it's a little generic, but it works well in the film and is a reasonably entertaining listen as an album, even though its main strength is how it highlights Poledouris' diversity and professionalism as a film composer.

1 Main Theme 3:33
2 Relationship Montage 3:35
3 Tuttle Knockdown 1:47
4 Jane's Home 4:50
5 Gus Hits 1:09
6 Lemonade 2:08
7 The Apology 1:57
8 No Hits 4:02
9 The Decision 5:13
10 Last Pitch 4:57