I always have thought about The Natural as a superheroe movie. We have the regular guy who discovers a secret power at the begining of the movie (he has a supernatural talent to play baseball), the supervillain (the Judge), the mentor/father figure (the team coach), the girl of which the hero iis secretly in love (Glenn Close), the femme fatale (Kim Basinger), the sidekick (the ballboy), the fall from grace in the second act (when his talent seems to abandon him because of his hubris), and the unavoidable confrontation in the third act (the final game of the series). Of course it MUST have a happy ending!

Agree with OP. Best thing about this story is that it touches multiple genres, noir, hero's journey, Greek and Arthurian Legend. Also love how it completely "baseball" it is. It takes the childhood fantasies about the game (striking out Babe Ruth, hitting the cover off the ball, the ending hit) and just goes for it, and it's never cheese. Kind of makes me wonder, after this and Field of Dreams why have we made a shift towards sports films that were based on a true story? Easier to market?

My all-time favourite denouement. 3 camera shots - Roy's son catching the ball/Mother watching/Roy continuing to play ball with his son. Beautiful.