Ebook K A History of Baseball in Ten Pitches Tyler Kepner 9780385541015 Books

Product details Hardcover 320 pages Publisher Doubleday (April 2, 2019) Language English ISBN-10 0385541015

K A History of Baseball in Ten Pitches Tyler Kepner 9780385541015 Books Reviews

• There are many ways to watch a baseball game. The casual viewer simply watches the interplay between pitcher, batter and fielders. Whether the batter gets a hit or not seems simply a matter of chance.
  
  Following the expansion of Rotisserie leagues, analytics has allowed non-athletes another way of viewing the game. Statistics like WHIP or WAR enables one to chart the prowess of each pitcher or batter more accurately. Now the battle between pitcher and batter seems less a matter of chance and more a matter of probabilistic calculation.
  
  But there is a yet another way of watching the game. It is to understand the mechanics of how the pitcher chooses a pitch, grips a ball and the corresponding reaction of the batter.
  
  It is this view that K provides. If you are interested in learning what options are in a pitcher’s repertoire and how the sword fight between pitcher and batter persists pitch by pitch then you will enjoy K.
  
  Of course, all of this is illuminated by anecdotes from the greats of the game both past and present. If you don’t know baseball lore then K will be mostly unreadable. But given how many people still watch baseball and how many people still read books, I suspect most readers will have enough baseball knowledge to appreciate the book.
  
  A delight for baseball aficionados, this is a book for all those who want to watch the game with insight into what is really going on between pitcher and batter. Maybe not a classic but a genuine contribution to understanding a game which seems to have had so many books written about it that nothing more could be said. Highly recommended to fellow fans of the national pastime.
• Three things got me fired up for the new baseball season this week seeing my neighbor and his son play catch, buying a pack of sunflower seeds, and reading this book. K A History of Baseball in Ten Pitches is exactly what I love about the game, the stories. Kepner relays the building of relationships through the teaching of the game. From their origins to the highlights, these ten pitches have been passed down and evolved from one thrower to the next.
  
  Kepler details the purpose of each pitch, the mechanics of throwing, and game strategies of use. All the greats are called on to demonstrate Ryan, Carlton, Paige, Johnson (Randy and Walter), Young (Cy and Curt), Bumgarner, Quisenbury, and many more. The lines are aplenty. i.e. Catfish Hunter could ‘hit a gnat on the ass.’ Through hundreds of interviews and exhaustive research, Kepler dives deep into the lore of the game.
  
  Yes, there a little of this ‘new baseball’ in the book Exit velo. Spin rate. Launch angle. But most importantly, there are the stories. We all know that the game is changing… that the power game has changed the movement game… and thus the complete game. Yet, it is stories, the anecdotes, and the yarns… like the ones in K that keep us coming back.
  
  I’m not going to remember the spin rate of the curveball that struck out the last hitter to win the world series, but I will remember the story of how he learned to throw that pitch.
• This book is going to take me awhile to read. I read chapter 1 three times. It’s informative and so much fun. I have learned so much about pitching. So many great stories from the lore of the game. Highly recommend. I finished chapter 2 but may read it again before moving forward. There is so much to enjoy and process in each chapter. Thank you Mr. Kepner!
• As a casual BB fan, I was really ignorant about pitches and their evolution. This book explains them as well as the pitchers that throw them and why. If you want an education and a good read, try this book out.
• In order to be a successful pitcher in Major League Baseball, it is highly recommended that a pitcher has more than one type of pitch he uses to consistently get batters out. Through the history of the game, ten pitches have been used most frequently and a discussion on each one of them is the basis of this excellent book by Tyler Kepner.
  
  Pitches that are popular in today’s game, such as the fastball, cutter and slider, as well as pitches that are now phased out or given a new name, such as a screwball or splitter, are all discussed. Everything about a particular pitch is discussed. Kepner’s thorough research is on display each time he writes about pitchers in the early history of the game who threw the pitch being discussed without it being called the current name. Interviews with pitchers who threw the pitch with much success, such as Sandy Koufax and Bert Blyleven on the curveball chapter, add valuable insight into the specific pitch as well.
  
  However, what really made this book a joy to read was the smooth and easy flow this book takes. The writing is outstanding in that it keeps that balance that a non-fan who wants to learn about pitching can do so without feeling overwhelmed, yet it is technical enough so that hard-core fans are not bored or disappointed because it is too simple for their tastes. Humor is spread throughout the book, both from pitchers being interviewed and the author himself. The information is also thorough since pitches that are no longer used or legal (such as the spitball), there isn’t an era, pitch or pitcher that isn’t covered.
  
  No matter what level of fan a reader is or what is his or her favorite era of the game, this book is one that should be added to the collection of baseball books. If pitching is supposedly 90% of the game, then every baseball fan needs to read this to be informed of that 90%.
  
  I wish to thank Doubleday Books for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.