Plot
In the 1910s Midwest, Roy Hobbs learns baseball from his father Ed, who suffers a fatal heart attack. Lightning strikes a nearby tree, from which Roy makes a bat that he brands with a lightning bolt and the legend "Wonderboy."
In 1923, 19-year-old Roy leaves behind his girlfriend, Iris Gaines, for a tryout with the Chicago Cubs arranged by scout Sam Simpson. On the train, Sam and Roy are snubbed by "The Whammer," a swaggering batter in the mold of Babe Ruth and sportswriter Max Mercy. While stopped at a carnival, Sam bets Max that Roy can strike out the Whammer in three pitches. Roy does so, drawing the attention of Harriet Bird, who has a murderous fixation on athletes. Harriet lures Roy to her Chicago hotel room, shoots him in the stomach, then throws herself out the window. Health complications derail Roy's baseball career.
Despite his age and unknown past, in 1939 the 35-year-old Roy is signed to the New York Knights, Major League Baseball's last-place team. The team's manager and part owner, Pop Fisher, nearly demotes Roy to the Class B league but is impressed by his power hitting during batting practice. During a game against the Philadelphia Phillies, Roy pinch hits for star player Bartholomew "Bump" Bailey. Using "Wonderboy," Roy hits a triple that knocks the cover off the ball, making him an overnight sensation.
News of Roy's growing fame reaches Iris, now living in Chicago. In a game against the St. Louis Cardinals, Bump dies after crashing through the outfield wall while trying to make a catch. Roy becomes the starting right fielder and his hitting pulls the Knights up the National League standings. Assistant manager Red Blow reveals that Pop was forced to sell controlling interest in the team to a new owner, the Judge, but will regain ownership if the Knights win the pennant. Unlike Bump, Roy refuses the Judge's bribe to throw the season.
At practice, Max sees Roy pitch a fastball that almost tears through the backstop's netting, then recognizes him from striking out the Whammer. He introduces Roy to bookie Gus Sands, and Roy begins a romance with Gus's confidante Memo Paris, Pop's niece. Pop believes Memo is bad luck and Roy and the Knights drop into a slump, which continues into a Wrigley Field game against the Cubs. Spotting Iris in the stands, Roy shatters the scoreboard clock with a game-winning home run. They meet briefly and after another win the following day, Roy walks Iris home, and she reveals she has a teenage son named Ted. Their reunion restores Roy's prowess and the Knights surge into first place.
At a party, Roy collapses and is taken to a hospital. A doctor discovers Harriet's silver bullet, shows it to Roy, and tells him it may prove fatal if he continues playing. The Knights lose three games in a row, setting up a one-game playoff against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Knights Field. The Judge offers Roy $20,000 (equivalent to $463,000 in 2025) to throw the game and reveals he has already bribed another player. When Roy refuses, the Judge threatens to reveal photos of Harriet's body and blame Roy for her death. Roy rejects the bribe and is not intimidated by the blackmail.
During the game, Roy deduces that the Knights' pitcher was also bribed but convinces him to play his best. In the dugout, Roy receives a note from Iris, who is attending the game with Ted, and learns that he is Ted's father. With the Knights trailing in the bottom of the ninth inning, Roy hits a foul ball that splits "Wonderboy." He tells batboy Bobby Savoy to choose another bat and Bobby retrieves the "Savoy Special", a bat he made with Roy's guidance. Bleeding through his uniform, Roy smashes a home run into the stadium lights, destroying them in a power surge that cascades into a shower of sparks, winning the game and the pennant for the Knights. Back on their farm, Iris watches Roy and Ted play catch in the same field where Roy and Ed used to play.
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