Synopses & Reviews
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the first World Series, in which the upstart Boston squad of the fledgling American League triumphed over the Pittsburgh Pirates of the time-honored National League. Starring such legendary players as Boston's Cy Young and Bill Dinneen, and Pittsburgh's Honus Wagner and Deacon Phillippe, When Boston Won the World Series chronicles with stirring detail the events that led up to baseball's first Fall Classic: the 1901 creation of the American League, its roster "raids" against National League teams, the sea change of public interest that caused the American League to outsell the National by 500,000 tickets, and the subsequent concession of the Nationals. The resulting handshake deal established a season-ending series which would determine the best baseball team in the world.
Review
"Bob Ryan hasn't just written a great book. He's built a time capsule that allows us to ride back 100 years to watch a World Series that's never appeared on any cable system near you. When I finished this book, I felt like I'd seen Cy Young pitch, like I'd had a World Series triple drop in my lap in FAIR territory and like I'd spent a summer in the best baseball city there ever was, then or now. The genius of Bob Ryan is that he could reconstruct it all in such loving detail, and still get references to Tony Soprano and Nap Lajoie in the same page." Jayson Stark, ESPN
Review
"Even if you thought you knew the origin of the World Series, there are a lot of blanks and details that get filled in by Bob Ryan. For every baseball fan, he now gives you the definitive road map of the origin of the World Series." Jim Gray, NBC Sports
Review
"Bob Ryan tells the incredible history of the creation of the World Series in 1903. It's a great read, and just in time for the 100-year anniversary of the Fall Classic. The fact that it's also almost 100 years since the Red Sox won a World Series just adds to the merriment." Chris Berman, ESPN
Review
"Bob Ryan, the quintessential American sportswriter." Tony Kornheiser, Washington Post
Synopsis
This account of Boston's remarkable victory in the first modern World Series of 1903, in which the fledgling American League triumphed over the Pittsburgh Pirates of the time-honored National League, chronicles with stirring detail the events that led up to baseball's first Fall Classic.
About the Author
Bob Ryan, author of 15 books, has written passionately about sports for more than 30 years. He has been a Boston Globe sports columnist since 1989.