This is the story of baseball’s rich magical history and the centuries-old culture of superstition in the sport. It is a love letter to the jinxes, curses, rituals and myths of baseball’s past and present — and to the innate mysticism of the game.For more than 150 years, a magical culture has been central to the game of baseball: At the turn of the 20th century, a battle between two lucky mascots defined early World Series matchups. Soon after, two generational cur...

This is the story of baseball’s rich magical history and the centuries-old culture of superstition in the sport. It is a love letter to the jinxes, curses, rituals and myths of baseball’s past and present ― and to the innate mysticism of the game.For more than 150 years, a magical culture has been central to the game of baseball: At the turn of the 20th century, a battle between two lucky mascots defined early World Series matchups. Soon after, two generational curses spawned decad...

**The New York Times BestsellerWith inside access and reporting, Sports Illustrated senior baseball writer and FOX Sports analyst Tom Verducci reveals how Theo Epstein and Joe Maddon built, led, and inspired the Chicago Cubs team that broke the longest championship drought in sports, chronicling their epic journey to become World Series champions.**It took 108 years, but it really happened. The Chicago Cubs are once again World Series champions.How...

The president of New York University offers a love letter to America’s most beloved sport and a tribute to its underlying spirituality.For more than a decade, John Sexton has taught a wildly popular New York University course about two seemingly very different things: religion and baseball. Yet Sexton argues that one is actually a pathway to the other.Baseball as a Road to God is about touching that something that lies beyond logical understanding....

"The best baseball book I've read in years." — Sam Walker • "An exhilarating story of innovation." — Ben Reiter • " Swing Kings feels like a spiritual successor to Moneyball." — Baseball ProspectusFrom the Wall Street Journal's national baseball writer, the captivating story of the home run boom, following a group of players who rose from obscurity to stardom and the rogue swing coaches who helped them usher the game into...

New York Times Bestseller: "Pops open the hood of how the Yankees are run and gives us a rare peek at the machinery." —Tom Verducci, New York Times–bestselling author of The Cubs WayThis is a unique behind-closed-doors look at the New York Yankees, the wealthiest and most famous sports franchise in the world. Using the 2018 baseball season as the backdrop, Inside the Empire gives readers the unvarnished "straight-from-the-gut" tru...

Learn about Japanese baseball player Shohei Ohtani and what makes him one of the greatest players of all time!Shohei Ohtani, also known as "Shotime," is widely known for his skills in both pitching and hitting. At the 2016 Japan Series, Ohtani led his team, the Fighters, to victory. He later signed to the Los Angeles Angels in 2017 and earned the title of American League Rookie of the Year in 2018. In 2021, Ohtani made Major League Baseball history with over ten ho...

“A delight for baseball lovers” (Kirkus Reviews) and “one of the most significant baseball books of the year” (Bob Costas) Ahead of the Curve uses stories from baseball’s present and past to examine why we sometimes choose ignorance over information, and how tradition can trump logic.Forget batting average. Kill the “Win.” Say goodbye to starting pitchers. And please, please stop bunting. MLB Network anchor and commentator Brian Kenny provides “an...

The only authorized full-color book commemorating Derek Jeter’s iconic baseball career with the New York Yankees, featuring archival images and original photos of his final 2014 season from renowned photographer Christopher Anderson.Derek Jeter’s twentieth and final season in Major League Baseball truly marks the end of a sports era. The New York Yankees’ shortstop—a five-time World Series victor, team captain since 2003, and one of the greatest ballplayer...

Casey Award Winner for Best Baseball Book of the Year: "Deep knowledge and punchy prose . . . a treat for dedicated fans." — Publishers WeeklyOn September 8, 2017, the Oakland A's faced off against the Houston Astros in a game that would signal the passing of the Moneyball mantle. Though it was only one regular-season game, the match-up demonstrated how Major League Baseball had changed since the early days of Athletics general manager Billy Beane and the p...

Sports Illustrated, the most respected voice in sports journalism, has covered Major League Baseball for over seven decades, documenting its heroes, villains, great characters, and iconic moments. A wide-ranging portrait of America's pastime, this anthology features the best baseball writing from the SI archives by nationally renowned journalists including Frank Deford, Mark Kram, George Plimpton, Peter Gammons, and Tom Verducci.

Winners of twenty-seven World Series titles, the New York Yankees are the quintessential sports dynasty. Love them or hate them, they cannot be ignored by anyone who professes to be a fan of the great game of baseball.With Damn Yankees, Rob Fleder, former Executive Editor for Sports Illustrated magazine, offers a timeless collection of original essays by some of the most prominent contemporary writers in America—from Pete Dexter to Jane Leavy, from Roy Blount Jr. ...