“The World Series: Baseball’s Biggest Stage”
by Matt Doeden.
Millbrook Press, Minneapolis, 2014, 63 pages, Grades 4-6.
The baseball playoffs begin each October, which is a time of great excitement for fans. No one knows who will become the next post-season hero. After the playoffs, the World Series begins. The first team to win four games in this best-of-seven format is crowned the champion.
Matt Doeden has written an outstanding account of the World Series. Readers will be treated to a history of the World Series, and famous plays that changed the outcomes of the games. A fine biography of important players is included in the final chapters. The book is highly readable, with excellent photographs of important players. The name of this fine work is: “The World Series: Baseball’s Biggest Stage.”
Doeden begins at the turn of the 20th century with the 1903 World Series. At this point in history, baseball leagues are being formed into what will eventually become the American and National Leagues. At this early time, baseball has already attracted a rabid following. People dress up to go to the games, with men wearing white shirts and ties, and women donning fashionable attire. Famous pitchers like Walter Johnson of the Washington Senators excel in the World Series.
At the same time, Babe Ruth explodes on the scene as an outstanding pitcher and a star home run hitter. After being traded by the Boston Red Sox to the New York Yankees, Ruth leads the Yankees to numerous titles. His home runs become legendary. Ruth is followed by Joe DiMaggio. Nicknamed “Jolting Joe,” DiMaggio’s Yankees continue winning World Series. The Yankees continue their World Series dominance in the 1950s with stars such as Mickey Mantle and Yogi Berra.
The author then moves to an assessment of more recent World Series. At the end of the book, Doeden writes short biographies about important players and famous games that defined the World Series.
I am an acknowledged baseball fan. Having said that, Doeden has written an entertaining account of the World Series, or the Fall Classic, as it is sometimes called. The text is informative and the pictures are of the highest quality. Though this book can be read by anyone, I think that middle school children will find particular joy in the title. Readers will sense the excitement of baseball and the World Series through this book.
Doeden mentions that football has taken some of the interest that baseball once held in the United States. The sport is evolving, however. Baseball is gaining in popularity in Latin America and Asia. So this once uniquely American sport is now becoming an international attraction. As this interest grows, so will the glamour and excitement of the World Series.
I hope you get the opportunity to go the library and check out this delightful account of the Fall Classic: “The World Series: Baseball’s Biggest Stage,” by Matt Doeden.
