The Story of Long Gone Summer
Long Gone Summer tells the unforgettable tale of the most storied home run chase in baseball history. In the summer of 1998, two sluggers—Mark McGwire of the St. Louis Cardinals and Sammy Sosa of the Chicago Cubs—captivated a nation by pursuing Roger Maris's 37-year-old single-season home run record of 61. What began as a statistical race became something far larger: a collective moment when baseball seemed to matter more than it had in decades, when casual fans and die-hards alike tuned in not to see their team win, but to witness history. Director AJ Schnack's 104-minute documentary doesn't just chronicle the numbers—it examines what that summer meant, and what it means now that we know what came after.
Behind the Making of Long Gone Summer
Released in 2020, Long Gone Summer arrived at a peculiar moment: more than two decades removed from the events it documents, yet still wrestling with their shadow. AJ Schnack directed the film with a journalist's eye, assembling archival footage from that sweltering summer alongside interviews with the principals who lived it. McGwire and Sosa themselves appear, offering reflections that carry the weight of hindsight—especially given the steroid-era revelations that would eventually complicate both men's legacies. The cast also includes legendary broadcaster Bob Costas, who narrated much of that 1998 season, alongside figures like George Will, the Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist who covered the race with characteristic wit, and Kerry Wood, the young Cleveland Indians pitcher who watched from the dugout. The film doesn't carry major awards recognition, but it found an audience on Disney+, where it remains accessible to anyone wanting to revisit or discover that particular moment in sports history. The runtime of 104 minutes gives Schnack room to breathe—to linger on the crowds, the tension, the way an entire country seemed to hold its breath each time McGwire or Sosa stepped to the plate.
Why Long Gone Summer Resonates
What's striking about this documentary is how it captures something that feels almost impossible to convey: the genuine innocence of that summer, before everything got complicated. The film doesn't shy away from the elephant in the room—the doping scandal that would later taint both players—but it doesn't lead with it either. Instead, Schnack lets you experience the race as people did in real time: as pure, uncomplicated joy. There's a sequence early on where you see the crowds in Chicago and St. Louis, the way entire cities seemed to pause. That's the thing nobody mentions when they talk about 1998: it wasn't just about two guys hitting home runs. It was about a country that desperately wanted to believe in something again after a difficult decade. The performances—and yes, these are performances, in the sense that McGwire and Sosa are reflecting on their own lives—carry an almost melancholic quality now. They're not defending themselves so much as trying to explain who they were then to who they are now. Bob Costas, whose voice anchors the film, brings the gravitas of someone who was there, who called the moment as it unfolded. The documentary works because it doesn't pretend to have easy answers about what the 1998 home run chase meant, or what it means in retrospect—it just shows you the footage, lets you hear from the people involved, and trusts you to sit with the contradiction.
Where to Stream Long Gone Summer Online
If you're looking to watch Long Gone Summer, you'll find it on Disney+, where the film is currently available for streaming. The platform makes it easy to revisit this slice of baseball history whenever you want—no need to hunt through multiple services or wait for a cable rerun. For the most current information on where titles are streaming, Movie OTT tracks availability across all major platforms, so you can see at a glance what's on Disney+, Netflix, Prime Video, and other services. Since streaming rights shift regularly, checking the Where to Watch widget at the top of this page ensures you've got the latest information before you settle in.
Frequently asked questions
Q: Who directed Long Gone Summer?
AJ Schnack directed the documentary. He brings a measured, journalistic approach to the material, letting the archival footage and interviews speak for themselves rather than imposing a heavy narrative hand.
Q: Is Long Gone Summer based on a true story?
It's not based on a story—it's a documentary about actual events. The film chronicles the real 1998 home run race between Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa, drawing on archival footage and interviews with the people who lived through it.
Q: Where can I watch Long Gone Summer?
The film is currently available on Disney+. You can check the Where to Watch widget on this page or visit Movie OTT for real-time streaming availability across all platforms.
Q: How long is Long Gone Summer?
The documentary runs 104 minutes, giving director AJ Schnack ample time to explore not just the statistics of the home run chase, but the cultural context and emotional weight of that 1998 summer.
Q: Does Long Gone Summer address the steroid era?
Yes, though not as its primary focus. The film acknowledges the doping revelations that would later emerge, but it's more interested in capturing what people felt during that summer before those complications came to light.
Final Thoughts on Long Gone Summer
Long Gone Summer won't answer all your questions about 1998, and maybe that's the point. What it does is transport you back to a moment when baseball felt urgent and alive, when two players from rival cities—the Cardinals in St. Louis and the Cubs in Chicago—gave us something to rally around. It's a film about memory, about how we construct narratives around sports, and about what happens when those narratives collide with inconvenient truths. Whether you lived through that summer or you're discovering it for the first time, there's something worth sitting with here.
