{"product_id":"comeback-pitchers-9781496222022","title":"Comeback Pitchers","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e2022 SABR Baseball Research Award\u003cbr\u003e Finalist for the 2022 SABR Seymour Medal\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The careers of pitchers Jack Quinn and Howard Ehmke began in the Deadball Era and peaked in the 1920s. They were teammates for many years, with both the cellar-dwelling Boston Red Sox and later with the world champion Philadelphia Athletics, managed by Connie Mack.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e As far back as 1912, when he was just twenty-nine, Quinn was told he was too old to play and on the downward side of his career. Because of his determination, work ethic, outlook on life, and physical conditioning, however, he continued to excel. In his midthirties, then his late thirties, and even into his forties, he overcame the naysayers. At age forty-six he became the oldest pitcher to start a World Series game. When Quinn finally retired in 1933 at fifty, the “Methuselah of the Mound” owned numerous longevity records, some of which he holds to this day.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Ehmke, meanwhile, battled arm trouble a\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"As one would expect from authors as experienced and decorated as Spatz and Steinberg, \u003ci\u003eComeback Pitchers\u003c\/i\u003e is a well-researched, well-documented, well-illustrated, and well-written account of the up-and-down baseball lives of two accomplished moundsmen, Howard Ehmke and Jack Quinn, whose careers spanned the last years of the Dead Ball Era and the first decade of the Lively Ball Era. Though largely forgotten today, Spatz and Steinberg seek to restore the reputations of Quinn and Ehmke by offering ample evidence of the character and talent which helped each earn the admiration of not only their baseball peers but also contemporary fans and press.\"—Frank G. Houdek, \u003ci\u003eNINE: A Journal of Baseball History and Culture\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"A fascinating look at two pitchers who made their mark, particularly during the free-swinging 1920s. Spatz and Steinberg lift both pitchers out of the haze and obscurity and show them for what they were—very good pitchers in an era that focused on hitters.\"—Bob D'Angelo, \u003ci\u003eSports Bookie\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“I might read a book about Jack Quinn himself; I might read a book about Howard Ehmke alone. But a book about both men who beat million-to-one odds and set longstanding records? Written by our leading chroniclers of 1920s-era baseball? Sport, there’s just no \u003ci\u003emight\u003c\/i\u003e about it.”—Rob Neyer, baseball author and analyst\u003cbr\u003e“Steinberg and Spatz—meticulous researchers who spin a riveting yarn while getting their facts right—have pitched a perfect double-header with this dual biography of two of baseball’s least known but most fascinating characters. We will never again see the likes of John Picus Quinn and Howard Ehmke in the game.”—Norman L. Macht, author of the three-volume biography of Connie Mack\u003cbr\u003e“I had the good fortune of playing Major League Baseball and having my name attached to Jack Quinn. I became aware of Jack’s story in the latter part of my career when I broke his record of the oldest to start and win a Major League game. The more I learned about him, the more connected I felt. We were both continuously told what we couldn’t do. Jack’s impressive fortitude paved the way for me and others. Read this book about a great man and great pitcher.”—Jamie Moyer, oldest pitcher to win a Major League game, breaking Jack Quinn’s record\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTable of Contents\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eList of Illustrations\u003cbr\u003e Foreword by Pat Williams\u003cbr\u003e Preface\u003cbr\u003e Acknowledgments\u003cbr\u003e Prologue\u003cbr\u003e 1. Jack Quinn, Man of Mystery\u003cbr\u003e 2. From Town Ball to the Big Leagues\u003cbr\u003e 3. “I’ve Never Seen a Greater Pitcher Anywhere!”\u003cbr\u003e 4. Quinn Gets Sent Down and Brought Back Up\u003cbr\u003e 5. Howard Ehmke Hailed as Another Walter Johnson\u003cbr\u003e 6. Ehmke’s Tumultuous Season Comes to an End\u003cbr\u003e 7. A Wasted Year for Howard Ehmke\u003cbr\u003e 8. Another Pitcher Joins the Outlaws\u003cbr\u003e 9. Breaking Records in Syracuse\u003cbr\u003e 10. “A Fellow to Be Reckoned With”\u003cbr\u003e 11. Ehmke and the Tigers Take a Step Backward\u003cbr\u003e 12. Quinn Goes to the Pacific Coast League\u003cbr\u003e 13. “The Dynamite That Finally Shattered Their Friendship”\u003cbr\u003e 14. Navy Service and a Return to Detroit\u003cbr\u003e 15. “The Greatest Comeback in Baseball”\u003cbr\u003e 16. “Not Content to Accept Fate’s Decree”\u003cbr\u003e 17. Yankees Win a Championship but Quinn’s Future in Doubt\u003cbr\u003e 18. “A Fellow of Gentle Soul”\u003cbr\u003e 19. Playing for Ty Cobb\u003cbr\u003e 20. Ehmke Endures a Season of Criticism\u003cbr\u003e 21. From the Pennant in New York to the Cellar in Boston\u003cbr\u003e 22. Veteran Aces on the League’s Worst Team\u003cbr\u003e 23. Ehmke and Cobb Get Physical, and the Red Sox Get New Owners\u003cbr\u003e 24. “The Toughest Break a Pitcher Ever Had”\u003cbr\u003e 25. A New Beginning for Boston\u003cbr\u003e 26. Back to Reality for the Red Sox\u003cbr\u003e 27. A Team Going Nowhere\u003cbr\u003e 28. From the Cellar in Boston to a Pennant Race in Philadelphia\u003cbr\u003e 29. Another Baseball Obituary for Quinn and a Near Tragedy for Ehmke\u003cbr\u003e 30. Quinn Gets Off to a Strong Start, Ehmke to a Poor One\u003cbr\u003e 31. Ehmke and Quinn Reunited\u003cbr\u003e 32. Ehmke Again a Teammate of Cobb\u003cbr\u003e 33. Favorites Fall Short, Far Short\u003cbr\u003e 34. Chasing the “Greatest Team Ever”\u003cbr\u003e 35. A Torrid Pennant Race\u003cbr\u003e 36. A Fast Start for the A’s\u003cbr\u003e 37. A Pennant for the A’s at Last\u003cbr\u003e 38. “The Pitcher Who Was Left Behind May Soon Be the Hero”\u003cbr\u003e 39. Ehmke Sets World Series Record in “Surprise” Start\u003cbr\u003e 40. “I Am Sorry to Have to Let Ehmke Go”\u003cbr\u003e 41. Defending Champions\u003cbr\u003e 42. A New League, a New Role\u003cbr\u003e 43. An Extraordinary Career Comes to an End\u003cbr\u003e 44. A Full and Happy Retirement\u003cbr\u003e 45. A Sad and Bitter End\u003cbr\u003e Notes\u003cbr\u003e Bibliography\u003cbr\u003e Index","brand":"University of Nebraska Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49409231749463,"sku":"9781496222022","price":27.9,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9781496222022.jpg?v=1730506061","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/comeback-pitchers-9781496222022","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}