Review of "The Grandest Stage"

With the start of the 2022 baseball postseason, it is only appropriate to review a book on postseason baseball.  This book will be out soon, on October 11 and it is a wonderful look at the history of the World Series.  Here is my review of Tyler Kepner's new book, "The Grandest Stage". \

Title/Author:

“The Grandest Stage: A History of the World Series” by Tyler Kepner

Rating: 

5 of 5 stars (excellent)

Review: 

Starting at the time young children dream of hitting a home run to win it all, the World Series is the ultimate destination for anyone involved in baseball.  Since it started in 1903, it has a rich history filled with unique people, teams and moments – just like the game.  Tyler Kepner, the national baseball writer for the New York Times, has captured the history of this championship series in a compelling book.

Kepner divides the book into seven chapters, representing the seven possible games in the World Series.  Each chapter is filled with interesting stories about the particular topic.  For example, he talks about moments that are forgotten because of one that occurred later that was considered even more important for that particular game or series. Take the 1960 World Series in which the Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the New York Yankees when Bill Mazeroski ended game 7 with a home run.  Kepner makes the case that Hal Smith’s home run in the 8^th inning was just as important as it gave the Pirates the lead and without that, despite the fact the Yankees tied the game in the top of the 9^th, Mazeroski’s home run doesn’t happen. 

The book doesn’t just describe moments or games like that.  There are plenty of interviews with players, managers, general managers.  Tom Kelly, who guided the Minnesota Twins to two titles in five years; Theo Epstein, who was the GM for two teams who ended long droughts without a World Series titles, and (before his recent passing), former Dodger broadcaster Vin Scully. Scully’s story of how he and his wife celebrated the championship for the 1981 Dodgers with a bottle of champagne and potato chips in their hotel room was one of the more memorable passages from these interviews.

This is just a small sample of the type of material that baseball readers will encounter in this book.  While it certainly cannot and does not have items about every World Series played, it does contain good material from the Series during every era and has something for every reader who enjoys the game, especially once that final best-of-seven series begins in October.

I wish to thank Doubleday Books for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Link: Amazon.com: The Grandest Stage: A History of the World Series eBook : Kepner, Tyler: Kindle Store