304 pages | 15th August, 2017 | Non-fiction | Sports
Winner of the Ron Gabriel Award of the Society for American Baseball Research
The epic World Series between the Yankees and the Dodgers and the six men whose lives were changed forever
The 1947 World Series was “the most exciting ever” in the words of Joe DiMaggio, with a decade’s worth of drama packed into seven games between the mighty New York Yankees and underdog Brooklyn Dodgers. It was Jackie Robinson’s first Series, a postwar spectacle featuring Frank Sinatra, Ernest Hemingway and President Harry Truman in supporting roles. It was also the first televised World Series – sportswriters called it “Electric October.”
But for all the star power on display, the outcome hinged on role players: Bill Bevens, a journeyman who knocked on the door of pitching immortality; Al Gionfriddo and Cookie Lavagetto, bench players at the center of the Series’ iconic moments; Snuffy Stirnweiss, a wartime batting champion who never got any respect; and managers Bucky Harris and Burt Shotton, each an unlikely choice to run his team. Six men found themselves plucked from obscurity to shine on the sport’s greatest stage. But their fame was fleeting; three would never play another big-league game, and all six would be forgotten.
Kevin Cook brings the ’47 Series back to life, introducing us to men whose past offered no hint they were destined for extraordinary things. For some, the Series was a memory to hold onto. For others, it would haunt them to the end of their days. And for us, Cook offers new insights―some heartbreaking, some uplifting―into what fame and glory truly mean.
"Heartfelt and entertaining. . . . Cook's narrative is splendid, but the subtext of his book is even better."
The Wall Street Journal
"A poignant study that goes beyond baseball."
The New York Times
"A wonderful book by someone who clearly loves the game and the seemingly small moments that cement that love. Bravo!"
Ken Burns
"[An] essential summer read... a fascinating deep dive into the unlikely characters that made the 1947 World Series between the Yankees and Dodgers a classic."
New York Post
"Entertaining, well-researched history.... In profiling the lives of these six overlooked men, Cook reveals the complicated reality of baseball’s golden era."
Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"An impressively reported, smoothly written book"
Kirkus Reviews
"[An] entertaining slice of baseball history."
Booklist
Kevin Cook is the author of over ten books, including The Burning Blue, Ten Innings at Wrigley, and Kitty Genovese. He has written for the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, GQ, Smithsonian, and many other publications and has often appeared on CNN, NPR, and Fox News. An Indiana native, he lives in Northampton, Massachusetts.
US: Henry Holt and Co.
Audio: Tantor Audio