Review of "Great Baseball Pitchers," by Jim Brosnan

 Review of

Great Baseball Pitchers,  by Jim Brosnan

Five out of five stars

 The ten pitchers featured in this book span from the late nineteenth century to the time of publication in 1965. There are ten pitchers featured, with the first being Christy Mathewson, whose career began in 1880. Known as the “Big Six,” he was a true gentlemen and a scholar in a time when most players were ruffians and often illiterate. The last pitcher portrayed is Sandy Koufax, who had recently emerged as a dominant pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

 It was pleasing to see the inclusion of LeRoy “Satchel” Paige, prevented from playing in the major leagues by the color ban until he was in his late forties. He was almost certainly the best pitcher of all time. Stars such as Joe DiMaggio openly stated that he was the toughest pitcher he ever faced. It is also possible that Satchel pitched more innings than anyone else. When his team played, the people came out in order to see Paige, so he had to pitch.

 As always, there is room for argument regarding the pitchers included in this list, for Sal Maglie, is in this book, but not in the Hall of Fame while others in the Hall are not in the book. Yet, it is a good, entertaining look at some of the best pitchers of all time.