Batter Up

This baseball book starts with an unusual and interesting premise. Bender and Marty Shane are brothers who each own a significant share of a major league baseball team called the Quakers. Most of the remaining stock is held by a single woman Bender's age and Bender is dating her. While Marty was off shooting down Japanese planes in the Pacific campaign, Bender was playing baseball for the Quakers. When Marty returns from the war, Bender as the older brother tries to convince Marty that he should go back and finish his college education. Marty is stubborn and wants to prove himself on the baseball diamond. Marty goes to a Class B team called the Bantams that are managed by an old nemesis of Bender's. Despite the odds, Marty succeeds and is called up by the major league Rangers, the worst team in the league. He fails and is sent back to the Bantams. Once there, Marty concentrates hard on improving his game and is then brought back up to the Quakers at the end of the season. The Quakers are in a hot pennant race and it comes down to the final game. Bender and Marty finally make peace with each other and Marty drives in the winning run. This clinches the pennant, although Marty cannot play in the World Series due to one final dirty trick played by the manager of the Bantams. This is another of those quality sports books where an arrogant and talented young man needs to learn some humility before he can really succeed. Excellence is often achieved by being humble, which is a lesson that all of us should learn at some point. I also noted the image on the cover, which is almost identical to the photo of Roger Maris hitting his 61st home run of the 1961 season.

I remember this book from twenty five years ago. I loved it as a boy and would love to see if Scholz's other books have been reprinted.