Title/Author:
“Perfect: The Rise and Fall of
John Paciorek, Baseball’s Greatest One-Game Wonder” by Steven K. Wagner
Tags:
Baseball, professional, biography, Colt .45s
Publish date:
March 31, 2015
Length:
240 pages
Rating:
4 of 5 stars (very good)
Review:
Most baseball fans, even
those who follow the game closely, will not be familiar with the name John
Paciorek. Some may have heard of his
brother Tom who had a long career in Major League Baseball. John, on the other hand, had a Major League
career that lasted exactly one game – but it was as good a game as one could
have. Playing for the Houston Colt .45s,
he had three hits, two walks, three runs batted in, scored four runs and made a
handful of plays in right field without an error.
The game took place on
September 29, 1963, the last game of the season between the ninth-place Colt
.45s and the tenth-place New York Mets. This game, and John Paciorek’s
subsequent back injuries that were severe enough to keep him from playing in
another Major League game, is captured in this book by Steven K. Wagner. Wagner decided to pursue this writing project
after reviewing the statistics of other players who appeared in only one Major
League game and he unofficially declared John Pacioriek’s appearance to be the
greatest one-game career in the history of the Major Leagues.
Not only does the
reader relive the game through play-by-play quotes from Hall-of-Fame broadcasters
Lindsay Nelson and Ralph Kiner, the reader will also read about how John
Paciorek became a star athlete in high school, his short time in the minor
leagues after signing a contract with the Colt .45s and then being brought up
at the end of the season by the major league club. This part of the book, as
well as the chapters on his subsequent surgery for his back problems and
attempts to come back from the surgery, reads like a typical sports biography
with information gleaned from research and interviews.
Wagner also writes
about side stories from that otherwise ordinary game between two struggling
teams. That day also marked the end of
Stan Musial’s career and two other players who would lose their lives during
the following off season, Ken Hubbs and Jim Umbricht. There are also tributes to other one-game
career players, including Aubrey Epps who almost matched John Paciorek as he
had three hits, three runs batted in and one run scored. Epps, a catcher, also committed two errors in
his one Major League game and recorded six putouts. His story was even more tragic than John
Paciorek as he was stricken with pneumonia during that off season and never
made it back to the “show.” Overall, this is a decent book that readers who
enjoy reading about relatively unknown players or about baseball history will
want to add to their bookshelves.
I wish to thank Mr.
Wagner for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Book Format Read:
Paperback
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