Baseball's Greatest Series: Yankees, Mariners, and the 1995 Matchup That Changed History

by Chris Donnelly

Overview

Baseball's Greatest Series details what many believe to be the most exciting postseason series in baseball history: the 1995 Division Series between the New York Yankees and the Seattle Mariners. Chris Donnelly's replay of this entire season focuses on five games that reminded people, after the devastating players' strike in 1994, how great a game baseball is because comebacks are always possible, no matter how great the obstacles may seem.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780813549132
Publisher:	Rutgers University Press
Publication date:	01/15/2010
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	352
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Chris Donnelly, a lifelong baseball fan, is a graduate of the College of New Jersey. He resides in Mercer County, New Jersey, with his wife, Jamie.

Table of Contents

Preface ix

Acknowledgments xi

1 Don-nie Base-ball 1

2 Winless in Seattle 7

3 Bronx Bummers 34

4 Strike 61

5 Baseball Returns 69

6 Game 1: The Bronx, Baseball, and Beer Bottles 91

7 Game 2: A Classic in the Bronx 120

8 Game 3: Playoff Baseball in Seattle 153

9 Game 4: Saint Edgar 181

10 Game 5: Warriors, Heroes, and Heartbreak 212

11 Deconstructing the Yankees 251

12 Safeco is Born 265

Epilogue 277

Notes 289

Index 319

Editorial Reviews

A premier writer of historical thrillers, Atkins (Devil's Garden; Wicked City) takes his readers back to the 1930s in this mad romp through the South and Midwest following George "Machine Gun" Kelly (1900–54) as he plans and executes his ultimate caper. A moonshine runner-turned-bank robber, Kelly plans a final job: the kidnapping and ransom of Oklahoma oil magnate Charles Urshel. Neither the meanest nor the cleverest of gangsters, Kelly nevertheless pulls off the perfect abduction, only to see it fall apart at the seams as his gangster friends manipulate to cut themselves into the action, his wife undercuts him for her own ends, and a persistent FBI agent stalks him relentlessly, closing the net ever tighter. It is a precocious 12-year-old who ultimately provides the key to Kelly's capture and conviction. VERDICT This tough, boisterous, lustful tale of a would-be playboy miscast as villain compares to the best of Max Allan Collins or Elmore Leonard and will appeal to adult readers who like their gangster stories based on fact.—Thomas L. Kilpatrick, formerly with Southern Illinois Univ. Libs., Carbondale

Library Journal

"The game's the thing in this book. Donnelly skillfully recreates the two Yankee wins, amid the usual theatrics of historic Yankee Stadium in New York, and the three Seattle victories in the dreaded Kingdome. Donnelly offers a play-by-play analysis of strategy that heightens the suspense of the most pivotal moments. In his preface, he explains that this Yanks/Mariners series 'was the best baseball I have ever witnessed.' After reading this book, fans will understand why."

ForeWord Reviews

"Baseball's Greatest Series chronicles the riveting 1995 American League Division Series battle between the New York Yankees and Seattle Mariners with wit and precision, exploring the divergent background of each franchise with remarkable depth. 'Donnie Baseball,' in the only postseason appearance of his illustrious career, deservedly takes center stage."

Evansville Courier & Press - Gordon Englehardt