20 Best Books On Baseball (2023 Update)

"the ultimate chronicle of the games behind the game."—the new york times book reviewbaseball has always inspired rhapsodic elegies on the glory of man and golden memories of wonderful times. but what you see on the field is only half the game.in this fascinating, colorful chronicle—based on hundreds of interviews and years of research and digging—john helyar brings to vivid life the extraordinary people and dramatic events that shaped america's favorite pastime, from the dead-ball days at the turn of the century through the great strike of 1994. witness zealous judge landis banish eight players, including shoeless joe jackson, after the infamous "black sox" scandal; the flamboyant a's owner charlie finley wheel and deal his star players, vida blue and rollie fingers, like a deck of cards; the hysterical bidding war of coveted free agent catfish hunter; the chain-smoking romantic, a. bartlett giamatti, locking horns with pete rose during his gambling days of summer; and much more.praise for the lords of the realm"a must-read for baseball fans . . . reads like a suspense novel."—kirkus reviews"refreshingly hard-headed . . . the only book you'll need to read on the subject."—newsday"lots of stories . . . well told, amusing . . . edifying."—the washington post

New york times bestseller * winner of the casey award for best baseball book of the year “an instant sports classic.” —new york post * “stellar.” —the wall street journal * “a true masterwork…880 pages of sheer baseball bliss.” —bookpage (starred review) * “this is a remarkable achievement.” —publishers weekly (starred review) a magnum opus from acclaimed baseball writer joe posnanski, the baseball 100 is an audacious, singular, and masterly book that took a lifetime to write. the entire story of baseball rings through a countdown of the 100 greatest players in history, with a foreword by george will.longer than moby-dick and nearly as ambitious,​the baseball 100 is a one-of-a-kind work by award-winning sportswriter and lifelong student of the game joe posnanski that tells the story of the sport through the remarkable lives of its 100 greatest players. in the book’s introduction, pulitzer prize–winning commentator george f. will marvels, “posnanski must already have lived more than 200 years. how else could he have acquired such a stock of illuminating facts and entertaining stories about the rich history of this endlessly fascinating sport?” baseball’s legends come alive in these pages, which are not merely rankings but vibrant profiles of the game’s all-time greats. posnanski dives into the biographies of iconic hall of famers, unfairly forgotten all-stars, talents of today, and more. he doesn’t rely just on records and statistics—he lovingly retraces players’ origins, illuminates their characters, and places their accomplishments in the context of baseball’s past and present. just how good a pitcher is clayton kershaw in the twenty-first- century game compared to greg maddux dueling with the juiced hitters of the nineties? how do the career and influence of hank aaron compare to babe ruth’s? which player in the top ten most deserves to be resurrected from history? no compendium of baseball’s legendary geniuses could be complete without the players of the segregated negro leagues, men whose extraordinary careers were largely overlooked by sportswriters at the time and unjustly lost to history. posnanski writes about the efforts of former negro leaguers to restore sidelined black athletes to their due honor, and draws upon the deep troves of the negro leagues baseball museum and extensive interviews with the likes of buck o’neil to illuminate the accomplishments of players such as pitchers satchel paige and smokey joe williams; outfielders oscar charleston, monte irvin, and cool papa bell; first baseman buck leonard; shortstop pop lloyd; catcher josh gibson; and many, many more. the baseball 100 treats readers to the whole rich pageant of baseball history in a single volume. chapter by chapter, posnanski invites readers to examine common lore with brand-new eyes and learn stories that have long gone unheard. the epic and often emotional reading experience mirrors posnanski’s personal odyssey to capture the history and glory of baseball like no one else, fueled by his boundless love for the sport. engrossing, surprising, and heartfelt, the baseball 100 is a magisterial tribute to the game of baseball and the stars who have played it.

Why are major league pitchers normally limited to 100 pitches per game? why was jack roosevelt robinson the first african-american ever to play as part of an official lineup for a team in major league baseball? why is a baseball field sometimes referred to as a diamond? this book provides over 100 questions and detailed answers concerning the traditions, rules, and history of the national pastime. organized by the sport's five eras–dead ball, live ball, golden age, expansion, and steroid era–it answers questions about hitting, pitching, fielding, base running, managing, scouting and ownership that vex even the most ardent fans of the game. moreover, this book is an appreciation of how baseball's traditions began.

A young baseball player is frustrated beyond belief… and on the verge of choking away a dream… when a mysterious man appears and offers coaching beyond the player s wildest imagination.as the drama unfolds you ll discover… how to make total confidence as easy as abc the hidden law right now governing your success in everything how to eliminate negative thoughts and feelings in 5 minutes or less what really causes you to under-perform… and how to fix it 5 simple steps to breaking through to the next level dr. tom hanson is on the leading edge of sports psychology. his knowledge goes way beyond the conventional and traditional. his teachings have been extremely helpful, not only in my career, but in my life in general. carlos pena, first baseman, chicago cubs

Hernandez provides commentary on two ball games in the 1993 season : a philles-braves match-up and an extra innings battle between the tigers and the yankees. [he] examines the overall strategies of the game and offers good analyses of fielding techniques, base stealing, lineups, umpiring etiquette, double-steal rundowns, hit-and-runs, signals, infield shifts and more. his most intense and incisive analysis, however, is saved for the psychology of the pitcher-hitter duels. all the subtleties of baseball are revealed as the two games unfold. mr. hernandez's opinions and pet-peeves–intentional walks, early-inning sacrifices, throwing fastballs to prevent stolen bases, large gaps in the outfield, pitchers who 'nibble. nibble, nibble,"–are well thought out and clearly articulated. [he] is particularly strong in analyzing the cat-and-mouse game played between pitchers and hitters as the count shifts the odds back and forth."– new york times book review "an mvp of a guide to the national pastime from savvy 17-year veteran of the major leagues who remains an ardent fan in retirement. hernandez came up with an angle that works to near perfection: tellingly detailed start-to-finish accounts of two games played midway through the 1993 baseball season."– kirkus reviews(starred)

A new york times bestsellerthe inside story of how pete rose became one of the greatest and most controversial players in the history of baseball pete rose was a legend on the field. as baseball’s hit king, he shattered records that were thought to be unbreakable. and during the 1970s, he was the leader of the big red machine, the cincinnati reds team that dominated the game. but he’s also the greatest player who may never enter the hall of fame because of his lifetime ban from the sport. perhaps no other ballplayer’s story is so representative of the triumphs and tragedies of our national pastime. in play hungry, rose tells us the story of how, through hard work and sheer will, he became one of the unlikeliest stars of the game. guided by the dad he idolized, a local sports hero, pete learned to play hard and always focus on winning. but even with his dad’s guidance, pete was cut from his team as a teenager—he wasn’t a natural. rose was determined, though, and never would be satisfied with anything less than success. his relentless hustle and headfirst style would help him overcome his limitations, leading him to one of the most exciting and brash careers in the history of the sport. play hungry is pete rose’s love letter to the game, and an unvarnished story of life on the diamond. one of the icons of a golden age in baseball, he describes just what it was like to hit (or try to hit) a bob gibson fastball or a gaylord perry spitball, what happened in that infamous collision at home plate during the 1970 all-star game, and what it felt like to topple ty cobb’s hit record. and he speaks to how he let down his fans, his teammates, and the memory of his dad when he gambled on baseball, breaking the rules of a sport that he loved more than anything else. told with candor and wry humor—including tales he’s never told before—rose’s memoir is his final word on the glories and controversies of his life, and, ultimately, a master class in how to succeed when the odds are stacked against you.

National bestseller – from the new york times baseball columnist, an enchanting, enthralling history of the national pastime as told through the craft of pitching, based on years of archival research and interviews with more than three hundred people from hall of famers to the stars of today.the baseball is an amazing plaything. each pitch has its own history, evolving through the decades as the masters pass it down to the next generation. from the earliest days of the game, when candy cummings dreamed up the curveball while flinging clamshells on a brooklyn beach, pitchers have never stopped innovating.in k: a history of baseball in ten pitches, tyler kepner traces the colorful stories and fascinating folklore behind the ten major pitches. each chapter highlights a different pitch, from the blazing fastball to the fluttering knuckleball to the slippery spitball. infusing every page with infectious passion for the game, kepner brings readers inside the minds of combatants sixty feet, six inches apart.filled with priceless insights from many of the best pitchers in baseball history–from bob gibson, steve carlton, and nolan ryan to greg maddux, mariano rivera, and clayton kershaw–k will be the definitive book on pitching and join such works as the glory of their times and moneyball as a classic of the genre.

From the acclaimed #1 bestselling author . . . a riveting journey through the world of minor-league baseball “no one grows up playing baseball pretending that they're pitching or hitting in triple-a.” —chris schwinden, triple-a pitcher “if you don't like it here, do a better job.” —ron johnson, triple-a manager john feinstein gave readers an unprecedented view of the pga tour in a good walk spoiled. he opened the door to an ncaa basketball locker room in his explosive bestseller a season on the brink. now, turning his eye to our national pastime, sports journalist john feinstein explores the colorful and mysterious world of minor-league baseball—a gateway through which all major-league players pass in their careers . . . hoping never to return. baseball's minor leagues are a paradox. for some players, the minors are a glorious launching pad toward years of fame and fortune; for others, a crash-landing pad when injury or poor play forces a big leaguer back to a life of obscure ballparks and cramped buses instead of fenway park and plush charter planes. focusing exclusively on the triple-a level, one step beneath major league baseball, feinstein introduces readers to nine unique men: three pitchers, three position players, two managers, and an umpire. through their compelling stories, feinstein pulls back the veil on a league that is chock-full of gifted baseball players, managers, and umpires who are all one moment away from getting called up—or back—to the majors. the stories are hard to believe: a first-round draft pick and pitching ace who rocketed to major-league success before finding himself suddenly out of the game, hatching a presumptuous plan to get one more shot at the mound; a home run–hitting former world series hero who lived the dream, then bounced among six teams before facing the prospects of an unceremonious end to his career; a big-league all-star who, in the span of five months, went from being completely out of baseball to becoming a star in the alds, then signing a $10 million contract; and a well-liked designated hitter who toiled for eighteen seasons in the minors—a record he never wanted to set—before facing his final, highly emotional chance for a call-up to the big leagues. from raleigh to pawtucket, from lehigh valley to indianapolis and beyond, where nobody knows your name gives readers an intimate look at a baseball world not normally seen by the fans. john feinstein gets to the heart of the human stories in a uniquely compelling way, crafting a masterful book that stands alongside his very best works.

From babe ruth to joe dimaggio, satchel paige to dizzy dean, see all the greats step up to the plate in baseball legends alphabet. written and illustrated with all-star quality, this book is sure to hit a home run with every lover of baseball.

An unorthodox history of baseball told through the enthralling stories of the game's objects, equipment, and characters.no sport embraces its wild history quite like baseball, especially in memorabilia and objects. sure, there are baseball cards and team pennants. but there are also huge balls, giant bats, peanuts, cracker jacks, eyeblack, and more, each with a backstory you have to read to believe. in the 34-ton bat, sports illustrated writer steve rushin tells the real, unvarnished story of baseball through the lens of all the things that make it the game that it is.rushin weaves these rich stories–from ballpark pipe organs played by malevolent organists to backed up toilets at ebbets field–together in their order of importance (from most to least) for an entertaining and compulsive read, glowing with a deep passion for america's pastime. the perfect holiday gift for casual fans and serious collectors alike, the 34-ton bat is a true heavy hitter.

A new york times bestsellerforeword by doris kearns goodwinthe longtime commissioner of major league baseball provides an unprecedented look inside professional baseball today, focusing on how he helped bring the game into the modern age and revealing his interactions with players, managers, fellow owners, and fans nationwide. more than a century old, the game of baseball is resistant to change–owners, managers, players, and fans all hate it. yet, now more than ever, baseball needs to evolve–to compete with other professional sports, stay relevant, and remain america's pastime it must adapt. perhaps no one knows this better than bud selig who, as the head of mlb for more than twenty years, ushered in some of the most important, and controversial, changes in the game's history–modernizing a sport that had remained unchanged since the 1960s. in this enlightening and surprising book, selig goes inside the most difficult decisions and moments of his career, looking at how he worked to balance baseball's storied history with the pressures of the twenty-first century to ensure its future. part baseball story, part business saga, and part memoir, for the good of the game chronicles selig's career, takes fans inside locker rooms and board rooms, and offers an intimate, fascinating account of the frequently messy process involved in transforming an american institution. featuring an all-star lineup of the biggest names from the last forty years of baseball, selig recalls the vital games, private moments, and tense conversations he's shared with hall of fame players and managers and the contentious calls he's made. he also speaks candidly about hot-button issues the steroid scandal that threatened to destroy the game, telling his side of the story in full and for the first time.as he looks back and forward, selig outlines the stakes for baseball's continued transformation–and why the changes he helped usher in must only be the beginning. illustrated with sixteen pages of photographs.

Focusing on the ten most influential baseball books of all time, this volume explores how these landmark works changed the game itself and made waves in american society at large. satchel paige's pitchin' man informed the dialog surrounding integration. ring lardner's you know me al changed the way americans viewed their baseball heroes and influenced the work of hemingway and fitzgerald. bill james's baseball abstract transformed the way managers–including those in fields other than baseball–analyzed numbers. pete rose's my story and my prison without bars exposed and deepened a cultural divide that paved the way for donald trump.

This used book is in acceptable condition. now with complete fielding statistics for all players and pitchers, the baseball encyclopedia is bigger and better than ever. all the major league players are covered–from aaron to zuverink–and a new section highlights the stars of the old negro leagues. colorful and comprehensive, the baseball encyclopedia is recognized by major league baseball as the official record of the game and its players.

The cup of coffee club shares the stories of eleven men who played in just a single major league baseball game and how they responded to the heartache of never making it back. featuring exclusive interviews with each of the players, their insight provides a unique look into the struggles of being a professional ballplayer. reaching the major leagues is a pipe dream for most young baseball players in america. very few ever get to live it out. while many that do make it to the big leagues stay there for a long time, there are just as many that are only there for a brief moment. a select few of those players face the elation and frustration of getting to play in just one major league game. the cup of coffee club: 11 players and their brush with baseball history tells the stories of eleven of these players and their struggles to reach the major leagues, as well as their struggles to get back. they include a former major league baseball manager, the son of a baseball hall of famer, and two different brothers of hall of famers. exclusive interviews with each of the players provide insight into what that single seminal moment meant and how they dealt with the blow of never making another major league appearance again. spanning half a century of baseball, each player's journey to major league baseball is distinct, as is each of their responses to having played in just a single game. the cup of coffee club shares their unique perspectives, providing a better understanding of just how special each major league game can be.

"what is your favorite memory connected to baseball?" is the simple question asked by author eric gray that launched the book bases to bleachers, a collection of personal memories. with over 1250 tales collected from around the world, it became evident that one volume of stories would not be enough. and they kept coming. the stories are all different…but the heart and soul of the book are the same. they all have in common that tribute to why baseball remains the american pastime, how it connects friends, families, communities. these memories, often more human interest than play-of-game in nature, all have baseball as a setting, but speak to how baseball provides joy and anguish, nourishes family traditions, creates friendships and can profoundly affect you. whether the stories are about befriending hank aaron because of a mixed music tape, catching or not catching that prized ball, re-telling the memory your grandpa passed down to you, or finding out some life-changing news while at a game, these are stories that will make you laugh, or tear up, and allow you to remember similar events in your life. if you like baseball – great. if you don't, it doesn't matter. you will love these stories. little leagues to the big leagues, you will find them all in backyards to ballparks.

Baseball continues to be a popular game both as a spectator sport and as a pastime. since the publication of baseball for dummies, 3rd edition, baseball teams have changed, new mlb stadiums have been built, and rules have been updated. this updated 4th edition brings you the latest information on the players, the places, and above all, the game. baseball for dummies is for baseball fans at all levels, from players and coaches to spectators who love the game. baseball hall of fame player joe morgan explains baseball with remarkable insight, using down-to-earth language so everyone from the casual observer to the die-hard fan can gain a fuller appreciation of the sport. ● improve your hitting, pitching, and fielding ● find a baseball team to play on, from little league on up ● evaluate stats, players, and records ● coach baseball or umpire effectively complete with morgan's personal lists of top-ten toughest pitchers, smartest players, and most strategic managers, baseball for dummies gives you all the inside tips, facts, and stats so you can have major league fun!

During the golden age of baseball, as many as 59 minor leagues operated in a single season, and hundreds of g.i.s returning home from world war ii competed in them for the big break that would land them one of only 400 spots on 16 teams in the majors. these were truly the days when athletes played purely for the love of the game, motivated by goals that seemed always just beyond their fingertips. among the many men who endured shocking extremes in pursuit of that diamond-plate dream was first baseman ed mickelson. this book relates the entirety of his 11-year struggle against the odds of success. a talented athlete from his early youth, mickelson followed the game he loved across continental america, winning some and losing some, but always persevering. while a recruit for lynchburg in the class b piedmont league, mickelson maintained a league-leading .393 batting average. when traded to the southeastern league in montgomery, alabama, he scaled his previous statistic to achieve an average of .417. in his first major league start, an ailing stan musial provided the opportunity for ed to get one of only two hits against hall of famer warren spahn. after batting .335 and driving in 139 runs at shreveport, louisiana, in the texas league, ed was honored to become first pick among 8500 players in the minor league draft in 1954, making him a portland beaver in the pacific coast league. this book captures the fierceness of his struggle throughout his career before the man who drove in the last run of the st. louis browns would eventually hand over his bat and go home. despite his impressive statistics–the second highest batting average in the pacific coast league and the best fielding percentage among first basemen–mickelson traded in professional baseball for a career of high school counseling and coaching young athletes, some becoming professionals themselves. his story is told here for veterans, scholars and fans alike, revealing first-hand the both difficult and rewarding challenges of the big game.

For more than a hundred years, the red sox have meant all sorts of things to all sorts of people, often all at once — elation, frustration, nostalgia, nausea, amazement, bewilderment, love, and loss. but one thing is certain: the boston red sox are the most interesting team ever to take the field. red sox century tells the red sox story in its entirety for the first time, from the team's inception in 1901 and its early peak in 1918, when it won its fifth and last world series; to the glory years, which saw the rise of such greats as cy young, babe ruth, teddy ballgame, and yaz and witnessed the "impossible dream" of 1967; to the near misses in 1975, 1986, and 2003. the sox are still chasing that elusive sixth world championship — a championship that fate seems not to want them to have.now updated through the 2003 season, and including new writing from tom boswell and 275 photographs, red sox century is the “definitive look at fenway’s finest . . . artistic, well researched, and elegant” (boston globe). this is a book that no self-respecting red sox fan should be without.

Babe ruth remains the most popular player in the history of baseball. the slugger for the new york yankees established a home run record in the 1927 season, just a year before joining the league of authors. babe ruth's own book is a who's who of old-time greats-lou gehrig, ty cobb, rogers hornsby, and many others. it describes the babe's rise from poverty to stardom, catching his image and voice as freshly and permanently as pen and ink can. in a no-nonsense style, the babe describes the ins and outs of the game, touching all bases and loading up the reader with priceless information and advice. the surprise is that so little about the sport has changed except the size of the players' salaries. jerome holtzman, in a lively introduction, tells some good stories about babe ruth. the senior sports columnist for the chicago tribune, holtzman is the author of no cheering in the press box.

Just mention the word baseball and a huge smile beams across his cherubic face. ask him about the grace of ken griffey, jr.; the power of frank thomas; and the precociousness of alex rodriguez and he'll delight you for hours with tales of the beauty of the game. the golden days of baseball are now, he'll tell you, and then he'll go on to prove it. he's jon miller, and in this candid, funny, forthright volume he tells us why baseball is the greatest game and why — despite the counterproductive comments of owners and players — it will continue to be well into the twenty-first century. he brings to life the emotion of the night cal ripken broke lou gehrig's consecutive games played record, the history-soaked drama when the giants and dodgers faced off in a crucial pennant-race series in september '97, eddie murray's fitting return to the orioles to hit his 500th home run, and the day edward bennett williams — owner of the orioles — approved the plans for the creation of camden yards. but jon doesn't shy from pointing a finger at the darker forces at work in the game: the insanity of not having a real commissioner; the follies of radical realignment and excessive reliance on novelties like widespread interleague play; the old-time players and broadcasters — including his good friend and partner joe morgan — who don't accept that today's players are bigger, faster, stronger, and better; players who denigrate the game, not realizing that by doing so they're insulting their own fans; and owners and general managers who can't make a move without discussing the economic ramifications, even though that's the last thing their fans (or, to use the owners' term, their customer base) want to hear about. with charming candor and disarming wit, miller takes us from the broadcaster's booth into the stands and down onto the field and into the dugout. he pays tribute to his heroes and his partners, who include some of the classic voices that shaped his love of the game: russ hodges and lon simmons, vin scully, hank greenwald, chuck thompson, and joe garagiola and tony kubek. he tells about the opening day rain delay that launched a second career as an after-dinner speaker in boston, as his partner ken coleman led him into doing his now-famous vin scully impersonation; the maddening experience of working for charles o. finley, an owner who managed the remarkable feat of building a world championship team that finished next-to-last in the league in home attendance; and the pleasure of being a part of the growth and development of espn sunday night baseball into the game's weekly showcase for a nationwide audience. he profiles some of his favorite baseball personalities, from reggie jackson and kirby puckett to alvin dark and charles steinberg; shares inside stories from the broadcast booth about the secrets of phil rizzuto's scorebook ("ww" means "wasn't watching") and what to do when your partner is knocked cold by a foul line drive; and tells, for the first time, the story behind his leaving the baltimore orioles after fourteen years doing the team's games. true to the broadcaster's art, confessions of a baseball purist calls the game the way jon miller sees it: with wit, with style, and with absolute candor. for the baseball purist in all of us, miller provides a rallying cry, some warm memories, and reasons to keep believing in the