Almost Perfect: The Heartbreaking Pursuit of Pitching's Holy

Almost Perfect: The Heartbreaking Pursuit of Pitching's Holy Grail

The rich, poignant tales of major league baseballâ€™s most hard-luck fraternityâ€”the pitchers of its Almost-Perfect Games

From 1908 to 2015, there have been thirteen pitchers who have begun Major League Baseball games by retiring the first twenty-six opposing batters, but then, one out from completing a perfect game, somehow faltering (or having perfection stolen from them). Three other pitchers did successfully retire twenty-seven batters in a row, but are still not credited with perfect games. While stories of pitching the perfect game have been told and retold, Almost Perfect looks at how baseball, at its core, is about heartbreak, and these sixteen men are closer to what baseball really is, and why we remain invested in the sport. Author Joe Cox visits this notion through a century of baseball and through these sixteen pitchersâ€”recounting their games in thrilling fashion, telling the personal stories of the fascinating (and very human) baseball figures involved, and exploring the historical American and baseball backdrops of each flawed gem.

From George â€œHooksâ€ Wiltse's nearly perfect game in 1908 to â€œHard Luckâ€ Harvey Haddixâ€™s 12-inning, 36-consecutive-outs performance on May 26, 1959 (the most astounding single-game pitching performance in baseball history) to Max Scherzerâ€™s near miss in 2015, Joe Coxâ€™s book captures the action, the humanity, and the history of the national pastimeâ€™s greatest â€œalmosts.â€
Country USA
Brand Lyons Press
Manufacturer Lyons Press
Binding Hardcover
ReleaseDate 2017-02-01
UnitCount 1
EANs 9781493019502

Country	USA
Brand	Lyons Press
Manufacturer	Lyons Press
Binding	Hardcover
ReleaseDate	2017-02-01
UnitCount	1
EANs	9781493019502

Almost Perfect: The Heartbreaking Pursuit of Pitching's Holy Grail

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