Synopses & Reviews
As America's pastime since the mid-1800s, the sights, sounds, and even smells of baseball are deeply entrenched in our culture. But for some, the experience can be less sensory. Some, such as Ryan Spaeder and Kevin Reavy, live for baseball statistics. Stats give the game historical context and measurables for past, present, and predictive analysis.
Incredible Baseball Stats helps tell unique baseball stories, showcasing never-before-seen stats and facts in baseball history.
For example in 2014, the Kansas City Royals ended their 28-year playoff drought with a trip to the World Series. The Royalsand#8217;s pitching became a fascination for many baseball pundits that year. When diving deeper into individual story lines, reliever Wade Davis stands out. In 2014, Davis had the greatest win-loss percentage (.818; 9-2) in team history, which he accomplished over just 72 innings. Furthermore, with 109 K, he had the most strikeouts without surrendering a home run since 1919 (Walter Johnson, 146 K). Aside from Davis and Johnson, only two other players recorded more than a hundred strikeouts without surrendering a home run in a single season: Terry Forster and Babe Ruth (yup, the Babe was a heck of a pitcher too).
The authors have scoured the records for untold tales and looked at familiar ones with new statistical insights, to create Incredible Baseball Stats, a perfect book for baseball fans from coast to coast.
About the Author
Kevin Reavy, a Chester County native and lifelong Philadelphia sports fan, is the co-author of
This Day in Philadelphia Sports, with Brian Startare. His writing and media credits include contributions to the magazine
Fusion and CBS Local's
Sports Verdict.
Ryan Spaeder is one of the leading baseball researchers in alternative media. Known for his Twitter account, @AceballStats, Ryan has cultivated a base of over 22,000 active followers. His baseball research has been credited by ESPN, Fox, CBS, Yahoo, and Grantland. Currently, he contributes to NBC Sports World and Sporting News.