The Best Game Ever: Pirates vs Yankees: October 13, 1960 [Bargain Price] [Hardcover]

Jim Reisler (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2007

October 13, 1960: The hardscrabble Pirates were a hungry squad, led by Roberto Clemente, Bill Mazeroski, and a colorful bunch of overachievers who hit singles and rode solid fielding and pitching to the franchise's first World Series appearance in 35 years. The Yankees, lordly and corporate, were making their 12th trip to the World Series in 15 years and, through the managing of Casey Stengel, power hitting, and immense talent, usually found a way to win. Featuring such legends as Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, Whitey Ford, and Roger Maris, the Yankees had outscored the Pirates 46–16 through six games — only to go down, 10–9, when Mazeroski became the only player ever to decide a World Series Game 7 with a walk-off home run. From extensive personal interviews with those who were there, along with newspaper, radio, and television accounts, Reisler reconstructs this fall classic pitch by pitch, from analysis of managerial tactics and the chatter of the players on the field to the lively atmosphere within the ballpark and throughout the country. The result is the feeling of being right there from the seemingly predictable start to the truly unbelievable finish of the best game ever.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The nine innings of 1960's World Series' seventh game provide baseball historian Reisler with all the framework he needs to paint an exciting and detailed picture of a sport and its milieu. Reisler (Babe Ruth: Launching a Legend, among others) calls a good game, deftly intertwining the dramatic backstories and subplots of the World Series showdown between each pitch. With cinematic flourish, Reisler breaks from the game's action to zoom in on all the bit players and supporting cast of the competition, including the announcers, children playing hooky, the photographers, random spectators, and the individuals who pillaged the field for souvenirs. Reisler puts together a visually nuanced account without the aid of a video record (the tapes have been lost). As the drama mounts, each pitch and swing takes on greater meaning as Reisler illuminates the events leading up to the game and follows its reverberations into the future. He delivers an account that succeeds in creating suspense when the outcome is already known, and by the time Mazeroski's home run sails over the wall at Forbes Field, each Pirate and Yankee player feels like an old friend. As evidenced by the faithful who still congregate at what used to be Forbes Field's left field wall every October to listen to the rebroadcast, this is a story worth hearing. (Oct.)
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From Booklist

*Starred Review* The black-and-white clip is grainy and dated. For older fans, it rekindles the excitement of seeing it live, watching on television, or listening on the radio; younger fans know it as one of history's greatest baseball moments. The "it" is Bill Mazeroski's dramatic, walk-off homer in the bottom of the ninth inning of the deciding seventh game of the 1960 World Series to give the underdog Pittsburgh Pirates a world championship against the era's most dominant team, the New York Yankees. Veteran sports journalist Reisler, a Pittsburgh native, was only two at the time, but the moment resonated throughout his life as a young baseball fan. Employing the detailed, digressive style of Daniel Okrent's classic Nine Innings (1983), Reisler breaks the game down inning by inning—almost pitch by pitch—and along the way profiles the key personnel for both teams, recounting how they migrated through baseball to arrive at that historic moment. Reisler has written a number of books about baseball (A Great Day at Cooperstown, 2006), but whatever good work he has done in the past, this is a true labor of love—and it shows. Relying on interviews with nearly two dozen participants or observers as well as secondary sources, he re-creates the excitement of what may well have been baseball's most exciting game. A truly memorable account of an iconic sports moment. Lukowsky, Wes

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Carroll & Graf Publishers (November 1, 2007)
• ISBN-10: 0786719435
• ASIN: B001H31NI2
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,669,529 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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46 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars the best for Bucs fan but most disheartening for Yankee fan's, May 11, 2008

By 

Michael R. Chernick "statman31147" (Holland PA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Best Game Ever: Pirates 10, Yankees 9: October 13, 1960 (Hardcover)

I guess this is a great game to relive on tape. It seesawed back and forth. The Yanks were in control until the easy DP ball hit Kubek in the adam's apple. He had to leave and Hal Smith followed with a three run home run to turn the game around. In the top of the ninth the Yanks scored and they were trailing 9-8 with runners on first and third. Mantle was on first and Berra was at the plate. Yogi hit a hard line drive to frist the Rocky Nelson scooped up and was going to turn into a game ending and series winning double play. He was so close to the bag that he stepped on the bag first and Mantle was frozen just a few feet off the bag because he thought Nelson would catch it on a fly and double him off the bag. After Nelson made the play at first he whirled around to throw to the shortstop to get Mantle out. Well in was no longer a force play and if they didn't tag Mantle out quickly the tying run was coming in from third base. Mantle reacted by diving back safely into first to tie the game. That was all they could muster but it looked like if they could get the Pirates out in the 9th they would surely win in extra innings even though they were in Pittsburgh.

I was in my 8th gade social studies class and my teacher let me listen on the radio. I got so excited that I dropped the radio. I couldn't get the game back and I thought I had broke it. When we finally got it back on the game was over. Mazeroski was the first batter in the bottom of the ninth and he hit Terry's second pitch (I think) over Berra's head in left field and the ivy cover wall for the game winning home run. It took me a while to figure out what happened but it was the greatest let down of my life.

This may have been the best World Series game ever because each team got breaks and capitalized on them. Neither team gave up and it went right down to the bottom of the ninth with all the drama left in the hands of Mazeroski and Terry.

As I never really saw the game it is neat to see it for the first time. The Mazeroski home run I had seen manu times and the ground ball to Kubek was shown often too. But the rest of the game I only heard on radio and only for the late innings of the game.

This was also Casey Stengel's last game as a Yankee manager. Ralph Houk took the helm in 1961 and that Yankee team was dominant and brought the World Championship back to the Bronx where Yankee fans felt it belonged. Even Mantle said that this was a series they should have won!

Others have pointed to error made in the commentary about the series. I can overlook that because I know most of the facts behind the game. But the shear drama and scoring make it great anyway.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not quite perfect, November 24, 2007

By 

G. Haneke (Freehold Township, New Jersey USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Best Game Ever: Pirates 10, Yankees 9: October 13, 1960 (Hardcover)

As a dedicated Yankees fan, I would call the 7th game of the 1960 World Series "The Most Disappointing Game Ever". The author has done a very good job re-creating the drama of that game. The only reason I did not give this book 5 stars is a few annoying mistakes. For example, the author describes Yankees Yogi Berra and John Blanchard as right-handed hitters,when clearly they were both lefties. He also says Mickey Mantle was 65 at his death when in fact he was 63. Those simple errors make you wonder what else he got wrong.
Nevertheless, this is a good book and I recommend it.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Memorable Subject, But Not A Memorable Book, December 6, 2007

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C. W. Emblom "Bill Emblom" (Ishpeming, Michigan USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Best Game Ever: Pirates 10, Yankees 9: October 13, 1960 (Hardcover)

Yes, I remember where I was when listening to this game. My high school economics teacher allowed me to listen on my transistor radio with my ear piece while he conducted the class. He later asked me why I looked so sad. I said, "The Pirates just won the series on a home run in the 9th inning." He and the rest of the class expressed their delight. Don't get me wrong. This book is okay, but it is not a memorable baseball book of which I have hundreds. As a previous reviewer noted, there are irritating mistakes. On page xxx author Jim Reisler states teams "such as the Dodgers and Cardinals were eager to sign black players." The Dodgers and Giants, yes, but not the Cardinals. He also states on page 32 that Early Wynn was part of the 1950's New York Yankees' veteran pitching staff along with Whitey Ford, Allie Reynolds, Vic Raschi, and Eddie Lopat. Wynn, as we all know, played a major role in the Cleveland Indians' big three staff of Wynn, Mike Garcia, and Bob Lemon. On page 150 the author mentions "journeyman pitcher Bobby Del Greco". Del Greco had a mediocre career as an infielder and outfielder. These were errors I caught that should have been discovered. About half of the book pertains to matters not connected with "the best game ever" and the final part of the book is devoted to the history of the Pirates and Yankees into the next several years that can be found in several other books. The best part of the book is the 8th and 9th inning, but I feel the rest of the book is pedestrian. I have read hundreds of books on baseball, and I'm sorry but I didn't find this book to be especially significant. However, I will always be thankful to my high school economics teacher who let me listen to the final three or four innings while he conducted class for the other students.