10 Funniest Peanuts Comics About Baseball

A huge running gag that lasted for decades in Peanuts was Charlie Brown’s abysmal baseball team. As a result, there is a plethora of baseball-related comic strips in the Peanuts catalog. Given that the Peanuts gang’s team has no coach and Charlie Brown is the one creating all their game plans, it makes sense that the team is so bad. As a result, it also ensures an endless number of sidesplitting strips.

From Snoopy’s oversensitive shortstop tantrums to Lucy being the worst player in the history of baseball, there are many favorite baseball-centered comics to choose from. While the team has few wins, that doesn’t stop them, especially Charlie Brown, from being positive about their chances, making the funny strips optimistic as well.

10

“A Slice Of Bread”

Published In 1953

An early Peanuts comic, this strip sees Snoopy hanging around Charlie Brown while he’s trying to play baseball. However, this has more to do with the piece of bread in Charlie Brown’s mitt than Snoopy wanting to be close to his owner. Charlie Brown being the resourceful kid he is, he resorts to a piece of bread to protect his hand when he can’t find a sponge for extra padding in his glove. Yet, the decision has unintended consequences, like Snoopy hanging around. When handling a powerful bat, it makes sense that someone would be cautious to have a dog so close by. However, that is no deterrent for Snoopy, who has no qualms about interfering in the baseball game. While Snoopy is involved in the game in this 1950s strip, albeit in a marginal way, he would go on to be an actual member of the baseball team in later comics.

9

“Infielders Get Pretty Sensitive”

Published In 1965

Snoopy may have an alter ego called Joe Cool, but Snoopy is quite prone to losing his cool from time to time. He can be stricken with anxiety from hanging icicles to having temper tantrums, showing that as much as Snoopy tries to act nonchalant, he is actually not all that different from his neurotic owner. Likewise, the pooch can take criticism badly, as this strip shows. When Charlie Brown complains about how badly the team is doing, Snoopy goes out of his way to catch the ball in the field and aggressively spits it out at him. While Charlie Brown may have had a point about how bad the team is, with Snoopy around, he should choose his words to be a little more diplomatic next time unless he wants a grumpy beagle on his hands.

8

“Chase It Yourself!”

Published In 1971

One of the many possible reasons for the dreadful performance of Charlie Brown’s baseball team is the lack of teamwork exemplified in this strip. When Charlie Brown’s pitch results in a fly ball, instead of his outfielders going to catch the ball, Lucy instead demands that he catch it himself since he threw it. Only Lucy would be so bold as to be the worst player but still make ridiculous demands. Regardless of Lucy’s lack of sportsmanship, the ball flies so far out that Charlie Brown ends up getting roped into a completely different baseball game. Had Lucy just tried to catch the ball like a team player, Charlie Brown would still be playing with his actual team. Maybe being on a different team will see Charlie Brown win for once, even if it is in a separate game.

7

“Pow!”

Published In 1973

Charlie Brown is not particularly exceptional at things. Baseball would be included in the list of things that he is not great at, despite him being the team’s manager and player. When a ball comes hurtling towards Charlie Brown, it is so powerful that it knocks Charlie Brown’s clothes off and onto his teammates. Either he is playing against some MLB-worthy players or he is super easy to be thrown around. Regardless, on top of the other team no doubt scoring a home run, Charlie Brown has to deal with the embarrassment of standing on the field without his clothes in front of everyone. A running gag of Peanuts, Charlie Brown getting egg on his face is a tried and true tenet of the beloved comic strip that has had many variations in its decades-long history.

6

“You Drive Me Crazy”

Published In 1955

Snoopy has always had a mind of his own, even in the earlier Peanuts strips. He has always liked to march to the beat of his own drummer, always staying true to himself, even if it does ruffle some feathers. An example being during a baseball game, when Snoopy grabs hold of the ball and refuses to let go, causing Charlie Brown to resort to treating Snoopy like the ball itself. Things get a little rough and tumble for the beagle turned baseball, but it’s nothing the tough cookie can’t handle. Likewise, Charlie Brown and Snoopy get into a row over the baseball, which, as mischievous as Snoopy is, would not be the last time that he would be in a tug of war and wills with his owner.

5

“A Little Rain Never Hurt Anybody”

Published In 1962

Anyone who was an outdoors-dwelling kid knows that when rain came, it usually meant packing it in and going home, ending any sports games. When inclement weather interferes with Charlie Brown’s much needed baseball team practice, everyone wants to call it quits for the night. Charlie Brown sees no good reason to stop playing just because of some rain when Snoopy comes sailing down on a large puddle with his mitt as his boat. Charlie Brown, being the dogged team manager he is, is determined to have practice, regardless of the fact that their field is flooding and Snoopy is able to sail on land. It is hard to see how the team will be able to practice in the difficult weather, but given the lack of success for the gang’s games, it probably won’t do much good anyway.

4

“Throw Anything You Want”

Published In 1976

A pitcher and their catcher have to have good communication. It can make or break the game if they are on different pages, necessitating Charlie Brown to have a game plan with his catcher, Schroeder, before he pitches. What ensues is a long list of hand signals and pitches to Charlie Brown’s annoyance that end up getting thrown out anyway. Many of the wins the team has gotten rely on forfeits from other teams, which suggests that the kind of pitch thrown is a moot point to begin with. However, props go to the catcher for trying. The fact that Schroeder is trying is more than can be said for some players (ahem, Lucy). Nevertheless, readers likely already know the outcome of Charlie Brown’s game even without seeing it, given the team’s lackluster stats.

3

“Fault Of The Manager”

Published In 1968

After Snoopy leaves the team when Charlie Brown scords him during a baseball game, Charlie Brown is desperate to keep him on the team and offers Snoopy the manager position. Thrilled at the prospect of adding “World Famous Baseball Manager” to his long list of alter egos, Snoopy jumps at the opportunity and is manager for a short amount of time in a March 1968 storyline. It is during Snoopy’s time as manager that one player takes the opportunity to complain about the manager. Despite being one of the worst players on the team, Lucy is not scared to point fingers about why their team is so bad and always loses, insisting that it’s all the manager’s fault. This gets her a kick to the backside from new manager Snoopy, who refuses to take any slander on his managerial abilities.

2

“Insults”

Published In 1966

Charlie Brown is no stranger to disrespect. He is constantly the butt of the joke and even in times when he is giving his all, Charlie Brown can’t escape somehow getting maligned. As a result, he may be the baseball team manager, but that doesn’t mean that he still doesn’t get some insults hurled his way. When Charlie Brown is injured by a ball hit to the head, Lucy takes the opportunity to insult Charlie Brown’s head size, suggesting that a bedsheet is more appropriate for his head than a handkerchief. Not only has he had the misfortune of being hit in the head by a baseball, but he also gets a dig at his appearance courtesy of Lucy. Charlie Brown truly can’t ever catch a break.

1

“A Little Trouble”

Published In 1968

Charlie Brown has the chance to actually look cool for once when Lucy offers to carve his name on his bat like a Major Leaguer. Naturally, he doesn’t hesitate to accept. Of course, this is Charlie Brown, so things end horribly for him and his poor bat. Instead of seeing his name etched on his bat, he sees it burned to a crisp thanks to Lucy. The dream that he once had of looking intimidating on the field is as incinerated as his bat. Lucy may try to be nice, but it, of course, ends up going sour. Meanwhile, Charlie Brown may be the most knowledgeable about baseball on the team, but he is not the best player. The fact that his bat is charred beyond recognition is not going to help matters for him either, making for a classic and humorous baseball-centric Peanuts comic.