The author of The Long Ball revisits the drama of the 1966 World Series in which the underdog Baltimore Orioles take on the favored Los Angeles Dodgers.
Baltimore 1966. Suffering through a summer of heated racial animosity, baseball fans look to the Orioles to bring new respect to their once-great city. Their young team of no-name kids and promising prospects may be strengthened by the recent addition of veteran slugger Frank Robinson—but the former National League MVP is rumored to be bad news, washed up, and unreliable.
To squash these rumors, Robby must play harder than ever—which he does by delivering a Triple Crown performance. Aided by a memorable cast of characters—the gentlemanly southerner Brooks Robinson, the prankster Moe Drabowsky, unknown pitchers like Jim Palmer and Dave McNally, and a gargantuan yet nimble fielder called "Boog"—Frank Robinson brings his new team to its first World Series. But before they take it all, the Orioles must unseat the reigning champion Los Angeles Dodgers.
Los Angeles seems otherworldly, a sunny land of surfers and movie stars. Comfortably dwelling in this higher plane is pitching ace Sandy Koufax, arguably the greatest lefthander in baseball history, behind whom the Dodgers have won two of the previous three World Series. Though battling agonizing arthritis throughout the season, the godlike Koufax has nonetheless persevered to win twenty-seven games in 1966, a personal best. Few outside Baltimore give the Orioles more than a fighting chance against such series veterans as Koufax, Don Drysdale, Maury Wills, Tommy Davis, and the rest. Experts are betting that the Dodgers can sweep it in four. What transpires instead astonishes the nation . . .