Review of
Thirty-One
and Six: The Story of Denny McClain, by Robert B. Jackson
Four out of five stars
Published in
1969 when Denny McClain was at his career peak, this book is largely laudatory.
Yet, there are hints to the difficulties that were to come. In major league
baseball, 1968 was the “Year of the Pitcher,” when offensive production
plummeted and the pitching dominated hitting. McClain became the first pitcher
in decades to win thirty games, yet his career rapidly declined after that.
The book is
written at the level of the young adult and is generally an accurate rendition
of the highlights of McClain’s performance in 1968. There is also a short
segment about how McClain grooved a pitch to Mickey Mantle so that he could hit
his 535th career home run.
An entertaining
and educational book about the greatest season in the life of a talented, but
extremely flawed man, it is well worth reading. For one season, he was the
greatest and given the way the game has changed, his achievement of winning
thirty games will likely never happen again.
No comments:
Post a Comment