Juan Marichal: My Journey from the Dominican Republic to Cooperstown

by Juan Marichal, Lew Freedman

Overview

The groundbreaking superstar tells his story: “To look at the MLB career of Hall of Fame pitcher Marichal is to look at another era . . . a solid hit.” —Library Journal

In a decade that featured such legendary hurlers as Sandy Koufax, Bob Gibson, Don Drysdale, and other Hall of Famers, no pitcher won more games than Juan Marichal in the 1960s. His unique high-kick pitching style was imitated by kids from New York to San Francisco to Santo Domingo, and is immortalized in a bronze statue outside of the Giants’ current ballpark. Marichal was the first Dominican-born player to play in an All-Star Game and the first elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, and he won more games than any of his countrymen. And while Dominican and other Latino players have come to dominate many aspects of baseball in recent years, Marichal was a trailblazer in his day, entering the league at a time when Latin American players were routinely discriminated against, underpaid, and presented with numerous obstacles on their journey to the big leagues.

Now, Marichal tells the story of his rise from living on a rural farm as a young boy in the Dominican Republic to his status as one of the greatest pitchers of all time. Along the way, he was enlisted by the son of the country’s dictator to play for the national team, was threatened at gunpoint to throw a game during a tournament in Mexico, fought homesickness as a minor leaguer in rural Indiana, and went head-to-head with some of the best pitchers and hitters the game has ever seen.

For the first time, Marichal gives his perspective on life as a Latino ballplayer in the 1960s, describes the highs and lows of a sixteen-year major league career, and explores what the recent influx of Dominicans in the majors has meant to baseball and to his home country—and also offers reflections on lingering stereotypes, the impact of steroids, and the general state of the game in the twenty-first century.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781610602112
Publisher:	Quarto Publishing Group USA
Publication date:	12/20/2022
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	290
Sales rank:	540,196
File size:	6 MB

About the Author

Lew Freedman is the author of more than 40 books on sports, including Chicago Bears: The Complete Illustrated History, Game of My Life: Chicago Bears, and The 50 Greatest Plays in

Chicago Bears Football History. His complete illustrated histories of the Bears, Giants, and Steelers all rank among MVP's top five best-selling football titles. Freedman lives in Columbus, Indiana.

Juan Marichal is a Hall of Fame pitcher who spent 16 years in the major leagues. He has covered baseball on Spanish-language radio for both the major leagues and Caribbean leagues. He lives in the Dominican Republic. Lew Freedman is a veteran sportswriter who has won more than 250 journalism awards. He is also the author of 44 books, including an autobiography of Hall of Fame pitcher Ferguson Jenkins and several books on baseball history.

Lew Freedman is the author of more than 40 books on sports, including Chicago Bears: The Complete Illustrated History, Game of My Life: Chicago Bears, and The 50 Greatest Plays inChicago Bears Football History. His complete illustrated histories of the Bears, Giants, and Steelers all rank among MVP's top five best-selling football titles. Freedman lives in Columbus, Indiana.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

Booklist

Major league baseball in the 1960s was dominated by pitching. Sandy Koufax, Don Drysdale, and Bob Gibson may be the names that come to mind most easily, but Hall of Famer Juan Marichal also belongs on that list. No pitcher won more games in the decade than Marichal did for the San Francisco Giants. He was one of the first big leaguers from the Dominican Republic, and in his life after baseball he has been instrumental in his country becoming a hotbed for major league prospects and players. In this as-told-to autobiography, Marichal recounts his youth in the rural countryside, his experience playing for the Dominican Air Force team, and his brief journey through the minor leagues to the Giants. There are dozens of anecdotes about his major-league years and the rivalries he had with the other great pitchers of the era. He also discusses his post-baseball life as a scout and later as a key government promoter of the Dominican’s sports program. Overall, an intelligent sports memoir that will appeal particularly to fans who remember Marichal on the mound.

Editorial Reviews

Booklist

Major league baseball in the 1960s was dominated by pitching. Sandy Koufax, Don Drysdale, and Bob Gibson may be the names that come to mind most easily, but Hall of Famer Juan Marichal also belongs on that list. No pitcher won more games in the decade than Marichal did for the San Francisco Giants. He was one of the first big leaguers from the Dominican Republic, and in his life after baseball he has been instrumental in his country becoming a hotbed for major league prospects and players. In this as-told-to autobiography, Marichal recounts his youth in the rural countryside, his experience playing for the Dominican Air Force team, and his brief journey through the minor leagues to the Giants. There are dozens of anecdotes about his major-league years and the rivalries he had with the other great pitchers of the era. He also discusses his post-baseball life as a scout and later as a key government promoter of the Dominican’s sports program. Overall, an intelligent sports memoir that will appeal particularly to fans who remember Marichal on the mound.

From the Publisher

To look at the MLB career (1960–75) of Hall of Fame pitcher Marichal is to look at another era. Over the last decade, the most games a major league pitcher has completed in a season has been nine; Marichal had five seasons in which he completed over 20 games, peaking at 30 complete games in 1968. From 1990 to 2010, the most shutouts hurled in a season by a major league pitcher was five; Marichal had years with eight and ten shutouts. Playing before free agency, he spent 14 of his 16 big league seasons with the San Francisco Giants, and here he stays loyal to them. VERDICT If Marichal can be seen as a throwback, so can his autobiography, written with sportswriter Freedman (Going Yard: The Everything Home Run Book). After a short preface to each chapter by Freedman, we have Marichal in his own words—conversational, staying clear of the current focus on sex, drugs, and dishing on teammates and opposing players; his perspective is refreshing, but because of it and the simplicity of the narrative, this book may be most appropriate for a young adult audience. Not a home run, but a solid hit.—Jim Burns, Jacksonville P.L., FL

Library Journal