A Game of Brawl: The Orioles, the Beaneaters, and the Battle for the 1897 Pennant

Not only was it probably the most cutthroat pennant race in baseball history, it was also a struggle to define how baseball would be played. Game of Brawl re-creates the rowdy, season-long 1897 battle between the Baltimore Orioles and the Boston Beaneaters. The Orioles had acquired a reputation as the dirtiest team in baseball. Future Hall of Famers John McGraw, Wee Willie Keeler, and "Foxy" Ned Hanlon were proven winners-but their nasty tactics met with widespread disapproval among fans. S...