{"product_id":"death-in-the-strike-zone-thomas-w-gilbert-9781567927597","title":"Death in the Strike Zone: The Mystery of America's First Baseball Hero","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"A fascinating must-read for baseball history buffs.\"--\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eHe threw the first fastball. The first curveball. He was baseball's first star--and its first tragedy.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn \u003ci\u003eDeath in the Strike Zone\u003c\/i\u003e, acclaimed historian Thomas W. Gilbert uncovers the forgotten life of James Creighton, the first American ballplayer to become a national sensation. On the eve of the Civil War, Creighton invented something utterly new in baseball - modern pitching. Creighton was so dominant, so mesmerizing, that the game had to rewrite the rulebook to catch up with him. He is the reason we have a strike zone. Then, in one fateful game he collapsed--and four days later, he was dead at the age of twenty-one. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWas it a freak injury or was baseball somehow to blame? Was there a cover-up? Why has Creighton been denied the credit he deserves? \u003ci\u003eDeath in the Strike Zone\u003c\/i\u003e is part biography, part detective story, and part time machine. With vivid storytelling and groundbreaking research, Gilbert revives a vanished era of barehanded fielders, heroes and gamblers, and the strange, thrilling beginnings of America's pastime and sports stardom itself. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eDeath in the Strike Zone\u003c\/i\u003e is a remarkable journey into the past that will keep you on the edge of your seat and profoundly change how you see the game of baseball.","brand":"David R. Godine Publisher","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49990996918465,"sku":"9781567927597","price":27.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0781\/5512\/0833\/files\/9781567927597.jpg?v=1771439900","url":"https:\/\/www.porchlightbooks.com\/products\/death-in-the-strike-zone-thomas-w-gilbert-9781567927597","provider":"Porchlight Book Company","version":"1.0","type":"link"}