Baseball's Greatest Games [Paperback]

Dan Gutman (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up

Profiling nine of the most memorable games in baseball history, a young fan's treasury provides play-by-play descriptions that bring to life every sensational pitch, hit, catch, and home run. Reprint. SLJ.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Gutman explores nine of the greatest baseball games ever played, from no-hitters to slugfests. Coverage here includes exciting play-by-play commentary and black-and-white photos. Ages 8-12.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 7-9-As even the author acknowledges, choosing the top nine games in the long history of baseball is quite a challenge, and there are those who would probably argue with his selections. However, such disagreements are what make baseball a beloved sport, and there can be no doubt that this book is a lot of fun to read. Gutman's descriptions of the games don't get bogged down in too many details, and he has an old-fashioned, snappy, sportswriter's style that's just right for this type of presentation. Enough information is given on the events leading up to each game for readers to understand its importance. In fact, it's these background sketches that are perhaps the most interesting aspect of the book. While baseball has changed very little over the years, technology has. Thus, the chapters add up to short social histories of the U.S., as different generations received news of the games in different ways. Of course, many young fans have no particular interest in the sport's glorious past, but for those fascinated by baseball lore, this title is just the ticket.
Todd Morning, Schaumburg Township Public Library, IL
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Puffin (April 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140379339
• ISBN-13: 978-0140379334
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,878,712 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

This is hard. I'm a pretty regular Jersey guy who spent fifteen years trying to write newspaper articles, magazine articles, screenplays, books for adults, and just about everything else before I discovered the one thing I'm good at--writing fiction for kids. I aim for kids who DON'T like to read, and hopefully the kids who DO like to read will enjoy my stuff too. For all the gory details about me, check out my web site.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great Games, April 9, 2002

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Baseball's Greatest Games (Paperback)

My book is about great games such as Mets vs Astros. The Astros had 3 points and the Mets had 0 but then the Mets mysteriously came back. It tells about Little Poison and Big Poison. It even tells about the Yankees vs. Cardinals in 1926. I like this book because it talks about baseball and baseball is my favorite sport.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars coverage of nine of the best games in the history of baseball., December 10, 2008

By 

Michael R. Chernick "statman31147" (Holland PA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Baseball's Greatest Games (Paperback)

Any time you write a book on the greatest of anything you are asking for trouble. In this case Gutman covers baseball from its early years up to the year of the book's publication 1997 and I dare say there have been games since that could go on the list. But making it even harder on himGutman freely admits to not being qualified to pick such a list but he did extensive research and consulted with several experts. Gutman narrows it down to 9 games. He doesn't even have a top 10! gutman defines a great game as a game with dominant pitching or long home runs or spectacular catches or great strategy or any combination of the above. But for Gutman the one prerequisite is tension. A sense of excitement drama and suspense that is what makes baseball our national pastime. In the preface he mentions that his main regret is that he could not include many others due to page restrictions. He mentions Johnny Vander Meer's second no-hitter, Reggie Jackson 3 home run game on consecutive pitches in the 1977 World Series, Don Larsen's perfect game and Babe Ruth's called shot in the 1932 World Series against the Cubs. This book is very well written and holds your interest.

He devotes an entire chapter to each game. They go by "The Shot Heard 'Round the World," the Dodger-Giant final playoff game of 1951, the Fisk Game, Game 6 of the 1975 World Series, "the Haddix Game where Harvey Haddix pitched 12 perfect inninngs against the Milwaukee Braves but because his Pittsburgh Pirate teammates could score 1 run he lost in the 13 th inning, "the Mazeroski Game" , the game when Bill Mazeroski hit a walkoff homer to defeat the Yankees in the seventh game of the 1960 World Series, "The $15,000 'Slide'", a game from the 19th Century, "the Houston Marathon", a 16 inning game between the Mets and the Astros that desided the 1986 NL pennant, "The Homer in the Gloamin'", a game that ended with a home run in darkness (no lights back in 1938) with the pennant on the line, "The Alexander Game", a confrontation between pitcher and hitter in the tense 7th game of the 1936 World Series, and "the Gibson Game", game 1 of the 1988 World Series where a Dodger comeback was climaxed by a home run by a hobbled Kirk Gibson and hit off Dennis Eckersley a Hall of Fame relief pitcher for Oakland.

I can't complain about the stories that were picked but I do quibble about 2 that were left out. I don't see how Don larsen's perfect game is left out. it was a crucial game 5 on the 1956 World Series. Larsen and maglie dueled in a great pitchers battle and Sal Maglie was only lifted for a pinch hitter in Dale Mitchell, who made the final out of the game on a called third strike. The game went rapidly so quick that as a child in elementary school as I rushed home to watch the end of the game just past 3 PM on a school day the game was already over! The final score was 2-0 and both pitchers pitched complete games. There was also the drama of two defensive play that preseved the no-hitter. One was a great catch by Mickey Mantle of a hard hit fly ball into the left center power alley by Gil Hodges. The other was a fluke play where an alert Gil McDougald fielded a ground ball in the shortstop hole that had been deflected off the glove of thirdbaseman Andy Carey.

The other game would be the Blue Jays World Championship in 1993 where Joe Carter hit the walkoff homerun to defeat the Philadelphia Phillies in game 6 of the World Series. Just like Mazeroski's home run it decided the series. But it was not in a winner take all seventh game.

This is a very enjoyable book to read for children and adult baseball fans alike.