It's Outta Here!: The Might and Majesty of the Home Run

by Matt Doeden

Overview

It's outta here!

In 1921, New York Yankees slugger Babe Ruth smashed a home run that sailed 575 feet (175 m), the longest homer ever hit in a Major League Baseball game. Ruth's home runs thrilled fans and revolutionized the game. One hundred years later, the home run is still the most exciting play in baseball.

Do you know:

• Why it’s easier to hit home runs in some ballparks than others?
• Why Reggie Jackson’s nickname is Mr. October?
• Who Major League Baseball’s all-time home run leaders are?

Read about baseball’s greatest sluggers and the most incredible, jaw-dropping home runs in the sport. Find out how home runs went from afterthoughts in baseball’s early years to awesome, game-changing moments that fans can’t stop talking about. The walk-offs, moon shots, and record breakers are all here in thrilling detail.

"Holy cow! It is high; it is far; it is gone! A game winner."—starred, Kirkus Reviews

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781728427430
Publisher:	Lerner Publishing Group
Publication date:	04/06/2021
Series:	Spectacular Sports
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	64
File size:	21 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	10 - 11 Years

About the Author

Matt Doeden began his career as a sports writer. Since then, he's spent more than a decade writing and editing children's nonfiction. Matt lives in Minnesota with his family.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Going Deep 5

1 The Long History of the Long Ball 7

2 The Physics of the Home Run 19

3 History's Most Memorable Home Runs 26

4 Record Book 41

5 The Future of the Long Ball 55

Glossary 60

Source Notes 61

Further Reading 62

Index 63

Editorial Reviews

"Holy cow! It is high; it is far; it is gone! A game winner."—starred, Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

05/01/2021

Gr 4–7—From Babe Ruth ending the "dead ball" era with 11 homers in 1918 to the spectacular 2019 season, when four MLB teams overtook the previous team home run record of 267, the "long ball" has continued to be the "biggest play in baseball." Readers encounter the rich history of the play and also the physics involved, including informative discussions of concepts like kinetic energy, exit velocity, and launch angle. Another chapter outlines 25 memorable dingers. In discussions of history, Doeden is frank about the racism that has bedeviled the game, noting, for example, the hate directed at Hank Aaron as he approached Ruth's career home run record in 1974. Sidebar texts interspersed throughout highlight adjacent topics such as the use of steroids by players and the effect of altitude on ball travel in Denver's Coors Field. They also showcase lesser-known players like Negro Leaguer Josh Gibson, who is reported to have hit a ball over the third deck at Yankee Stadium, and Sadaharu Oh, the Japanese slugger who notched 868 career homers in the 1960s and 70s. Copious photos from throughout the sport's history, as well as helpful illustrations, keep the layout fresh and appealing. A page of source notes and a list of recommended books and websites, as well as a glossary and index, round out the back matter. VERDICT An easy sell for sports fans and reluctant readers, as well as an effective history resource, this book is recommended for most elementary and middle school collections.—Bob Hassett, Luther Jackson M.S., Falls Church, VA

School Library Journal

★ 2021-02-09
A home run is possibly the most exciting event in baseball.

The long ball in the modern era of baseball, from 1900 to the present, has had an uneven history. In the early days “small ball”—scoring by moving players one base at a time—was the norm, and home runs were a novelty. Babe Ruth’s mastery of the home run was unarguably the catalyst of today’s power game. Since then there have been many great players who have proven to be Ruth-ian in their home-run prowess, including some who were not given a fair chance due to the segregation of the leagues and, sadly, some who have broken the fans’ faith in the game. In five cogent chapters Doeden tells the home-run story from a historical perspective, dissecting its physical mechanics, celebrating and recording its heroes, and making predictions for the future. The players of the Negro Leagues who paved the way for Jackie Robinson and Hank Aaron and so many more are not forgotten here. Doeden brings life to statistics and history, providing facts and debunking some myths in a straightforward, conversational tone that never condescends. Well-selected archival photos perfectly enhance and amplify the material. The author seems awed by the record-breaking number of home runs hit in 2019. Who could have known that the 2020 baseball season would be truncated, silent, and oh so strange? Young fans and their grown-ups will find much to admire and discuss.

Holy cow! It is high; it is far; it is gone! A game winner. (records, glossary, source notes, further reading, index) (Nonfiction. 10-14)

Kirkus Reviews