Pure Baseball [Paperback]

Keith Hernandez (Author), Mike Bryan an (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 28, 1995

Former All Star Keith Hernandez teaches even the most learned fan a thing or two about baseball with his unparalleled insight into all aspects of the game, from the action in the bullpen to the positioning on the field to the plays at the plate.

Praise for Pure Baseball:

"We have never seen the game scrutinised with such care and detail. 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. No matter where you are watching, you will never again see the game in the same way."
-- Playboy

"Keith Hernandez, it turns out, is even smarter than we thought he was in the Mets' glory years. 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)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Gold Glove winner Hernandez talks baseball. A 40,000-copy first printing.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Kirkus Reviews

An MVP of a guide to the national pastime from a savvy 17-year veteran of the major leagues who remains an ardent fan in retirement. Hernandez (If At First, 1986) or his muse 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. The former Met first followed a close encounter between Philadelphia and Atlanta from the stands in the City of Brotherly Love. One week later, he turned couch potato to take in the telecast of a Yankee Stadium contest pitting New York against Detroit. As it happened, the Phillies and Bronx Bombers both won; the final scores, however, are almost beside the points Hernandez wants to and does make. Drawing on pitch-by-pitch recaps and experience gained during a long career, the author (a slick fielder and slugger in his day) offers an insider's astute observations on the mini-matchups and workaday stratagems that cumulatively can determine outcomes or, if need be, give attentive onlookers something to watch for in the late innings of a laugher. Focusing on the primal battle of wills between pitcher and batter, for example, he digresses into ad-rem commentary on the importance of the ball/strike count, defensive placements, base-running tactics, hit-and-run opportunities, the role of the cutoff man, distinctions between American and National League umpires, how managers handle their bullpens, pickoff plays, and a host of allied topics. In particular, Hernandez prizes baseball's lack of secret moves and/or trick plays. ``It's cat-and-mouse out there...not hide-and-seek,'' he says. ``Chess, not poker.'' If his all-star handbook can't make casual fans masters of the game, it could at least enhance their credibility as second-guessers in season and out. (First printing of 40,000) -- Copyright ©1994, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Harper Perennial (February 28, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060925914
• ISBN-13: 978-0060925918
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #908,718 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Baseball Clinic, June 30, 2002

By 

B. Berkowick (Florida) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Pure Baseball (Paperback)

I never knew how much I was missing during a game. Even with twenty years of baseball experience, I learned much about the game after reading Pure Baseball.

Based on two games played in 1993, one in the American League and one in the National, Pure Baseball is a pitch-by-pitch analysis that scrutinizes every decision made. This is not just a replay of two games; it's a text on just about every offensive and defensive strategy in baseball. Known for his insight on and off the field, Keith Hernandez's knowledge of the game flows from the pages.

What modern day baseball writer (other than, perhaps, George Will) would devote several pages to the importance of hitting the cutoff man? The consequences of not executing the proper defense on a long double are detailed. Many baseball commentators claim that the "little things" win baseball games. Positioning the infield and outfield, holding runners on first and pickoff moves are more important than one might think. Mr. Hernandez's attention to the arcane details of the game is what really drives this book.

The most interesting part of Pure Baseball is the explanation of the hit-and-run. The hit-and-run is probably the least understood concept in baseball. Mr. Hernandez believes that "the in's and out's of the hit-and-run go to the heart of baseball strategy, and you have to understand them to understand the game." The author got my attention with this sentence. No fewer than nine pages are devoted to this subject, and I would have liked to see more. Since I now understand the strategy behind the hit-and-run, it's easier to match wits with the manager when the leadoff runner reaches first base.

This is a great book. If you're an aspiring coach or just want to understand more about baseball, you can't go wrong here. Save some money when you go to the ballpark, buy a scorecard rather than that third beer. When you start bringing your own scorebook that counts balls and strikes, Keith Hernandez will say you've really made it to the bigs. As a fan, of course.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A pitch-by-pitch analysis of two baseball games, October 7, 1999

By 

P.Chen (Los Angeles, California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pure Baseball (Paperback)

Pure Baseball is a treat for the serious, and I stress 'serious' baseball fan who wants to delve deep into the minds of pitchers and batters. This is pretty dense reading material, but Hernandez shares his wisdom in an entertaining fashion. I found myself having to re-read portions of the book, sometimes even using it as a reference.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Keith takes us inside the game, August 6, 2001

By 

R.J. (Toronto, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pure Baseball (Paperback)

For those of us who like keeping score during a baseball game and trying to get inside the real game, Pure Baseball is highly recommended. Keith Hernandez explores two ballgames, one NL and the other AL, and goes pitch by pitch and analyzes the pitcher/batter confrontation in depth. Perhaps it's in too much depth, one of Hernandez's axioms is that this is the essence of baseball, and devotes little time to fielding and baserunning. No matter, the NL game in particular is fascinating to study, as Atlanta's Pete Smith faces the Phillies under lefthander Danny Jackson. I learned so much reading this section alone. Hernandez does his best work in the first half of the book. The AL section seems rushed and not as in-depth, perhaps because the designated hitter takes out so much of the strategy when it comes to pitching changes. If you see this book and enjoy the inner game of baseball, by all means pick it up. It's a book I've re-read a couple of times, there's so much of value here.