Strike Four - by Richard Hershberger (Hardcover)

About the Book

Strike Four traces the development of all aspects of baseball and explains why these changes occurred and their consequences. It is the first book to provide a comprehensive narrative of how baseball evolved from an informal folk game to the game we see today played in ballpar...

Book Synopsis

Strike Four traces the development of all aspects of baseball and explains why these changes occurred and their consequences. It is the first book to provide a comprehensive narrative of how baseball evolved from an informal folk game to the game we see today played in ballparks across the U.S. and around the world.

Review Quotes

Even if you think you've read every possible variation on a theme of the rules of baseball, Richard Hershberger's Strike Four: The Evolution of Baseball will be a unique treat. His blend of wry wit, impeccable scholarship, and merry speculation make for a wide-ranging tour of how baseball came to be what it is today, from his rousing introduction to his keen reflections on the current state of the game.

In Richard Hershberger's world of 19th Century baseball research as a SABR rattler, rules really do rule.

. . . . It's important to know and understand how and why a rule came into effect, if it still works, and what could be the desired result if it was to be messed with.

Richard Hershberger writes of the rules of baseball with humor and a deep knowledge lightly worn. While no one but he reads the rules for fun, there is no better word to describe his book about the rules. It is, if you will forgive the shopworn term, a page-turner.

About the Author

Richard Hershberger is the author of numerous articles about baseball history, specializing in the nineteenth century and in the development of the rules. He is a member of the Society for American Baseball Research.