Baseball Fiction

In these 11 stories, Gary Soto scores again. With a sensitivity and humor born from his own experiences while growing up in California's Central Valley, the author brings to the surface issues such as success and failure, honesty and deceit, love and friendship.

Jerry B. Jenkins, the author of Hometown Legend and co-author of the Left Behind series, returns with the story of a boy who has been bestowed a gift that presents the challenge of a lifetime, and of the mother determined to help him become The Youngest Hero.

Mariano Rivera never dreamed of becoming a professional athlete. He didn't grow up collecting baseball cards, playing Little League, or cheering on his home team at the World Series. He had never heard of Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, or Mickey Mantle. But one day, that all changed...

War Fever explores this delirious moment in American history through the stories of three men: Karl Muck, the German conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, accused of being an enemy spy; Charles Whittlesey, a Harvard law graduate who became an unlikely hero in Europe; and the most famous baseball player of all time, Babe Ruth, poised to revolutionize the game he loved. Together, they offer a gripping narrative of America at war and American culture in upheaval.

Baseball hotshot Jake Ross isn’t looking for love, only a good woman to come to his rescue. His bad boy rep lands him on the covers of gossip rags instead of sports magazines and could cost him a multi-million-dollar sponsorship deal. Enter Charlotte Jones. The shy media coordinator is determined to lose weight and avoid the health concerns that run in her family, but after months of middling results, she needs someone to talk her out of throwing in the towel. If Charlotte pretends to be Jake’s girlfriend, he’ll coach her on how to hit her numbers on the scales.

With the sting from not being drafted still fresh, Dalton Boyd gets sent to the strictest coach with the most rules in summer league ball. Was it mentioned the coach also serves as his host family? No? Well, everyone knows the player staying at the coach’s house has the most brutal regime. Dalton wouldn’t be in this situation had he not followed his heart and ended up ghosted. As much as he’d like to change the past, he can’t. So, he sets a goal to stay out of trouble long enough to get through this summer. It’s an obtainable goal. Or so Dalton thought.

Ross Davies, ace pitcher for the New Orleans Revelers, needs help putting his life back in order before he throws away everything he's worked so hard for. Casey Carradine has a knack for managing people's lives. When she agrees to step up to the plate and help Ross dig his way out of the debris of his failed marriage, it shouldn't be a hard task. After all, she's run her rockstar sister's life for years. But things get heated and lines get crossed. And neither of them expect the curveball that's thrown their way.

Caitlin Dufresne has never loved anyone as much as she loves winning. A ruthless fifth-year associate at an elite Chicago law firm, she's on the fast track to partner - until a stupid, serious error enrages her bosses. Caitlin's continued refusal to share work - or credit - lands her a forced two-week vacation. She needs to regroup and learn to be part of a team, not just the star. When she meets Eli Grant, head of the firm's IT department, Caitlin knows the overgrown frat boy isn't her type.

Over its hundred and fifty year history, professional baseball has experienced its share of scandals and embarrassments -- sometimes involving players, sometimes teams, sometimes team owners, sometimes the leadership of the game itself, and sometimes even the fans. There's been gambling. There's been cheating. There's been drug abuse. There's been outrageous rhetoric. There's been drunken rioting. There's been wife-swapping. There's been All-Star voting abuse. There's been overt racism, collusion, litigation, court challenges, strikes and lockouts.

David Falkner, noted author of five previous books about baseball, deftly portrays the rise to stardom of Jackie Robinson, the first African-American to play on a major-league team in baseball’s modern era. As Falkner traces the development of Robinson’s natural skill and tireless dedication, he focuses on the strengths that earned Robinson a unique place on the diamond and in the struggle for civil rights. This compelling biography illuminates a critical intersection of sports and cultural history.

GeorgeAnn Baseball is a recreation of an actual Major League Baseball game that occurred on May 26, 1959, between the Milwaukee Braves and the Pittsburgh Pirates. Harvey "the Kitten" Haddix threw almost 13 perfect innings and even had the home town Milwaukee fans cheering for him before the end of the game. And they say lightning never strikes twice....

The Roaring Twenties: America is dancing to jazz, gangsters are selling bootleg liquor, and the New York Yankees are building a baseball dynasty. In 1923, Yankee Stadium opens and Babe Ruth is about to lead the team to its first world's championship. But the promising season gets off to an ominous start when the body of a murdered bootlegger is found buried in the new ballpark.

This book contains everything you need to know to be a man. Everything. It will prepare you for every situation you can imagine, from the office to the bedroom. It will improve your life no matter what you're doing...whether you're in a bar, in a fight, in a wedding, in an argument, at a game, at work, or in a stranger's bed. It's time to be a man. Listen to this book.

My old high school crush just hired me. Me, the awkward, studious 4.0 student who spewed fire retardant all over him when he set the chemistry lab on fire. I doubt he remembers me because he went on to score a major league baseball contract. Can I plan his party, while keeping my heart safe from his magnetic charm that I unfortunately still find irresistible?

A cloud hangs over Jack as he begins fifth grade. Two boys from his class, Steve and Cliff, who began bullying him last spring, harass him again as soon as school starts. Jack is miserable, but he’s ashamed to ask for help and doesn’t want to tell anyone about his problem. Lizabeth and C.J. are Jack’s best friends. C.J. has his own problems. He needs help to learn reading, and Steve makes fun of him, calling him "Retardo". A new boy in school, Hans Ollig from Germany, speaks only a little English and is trying hard to learn to talk like the other kids.

Pumpsie needs a win. Or to be more precise, he needs the Nashville Wildcats to win. Pumpsie’s been waiting his entire life—twelve whole years!—for his favorite team to make it to the playoffs. And this year—finally!—they’re just one win away. But when Pumpsie accidentally gets trapped in Lookout Field the night before the last game of the season, with only a lost dog named Campy for company, he may have accidentally stumbled into the best night of his life.

The Republic Baseball League tells the fascinating story of Kevin Dempsey, a college professor obsessed with baseball, and his quest to earn his PhD in economics. Professor Dempsey's PhD thesis and dissertation will change professional baseball forever....

Alexandra, also known as Al, has been playing baseball with her older brothers for as long as she can remember. But when she ages out of Little League, it seems like it’s the end of the road for Al and the sport she loves. Until, that is, her friend Sammy suggests that Al try out for the middle school team—a team that has always been boys-only. Al is prepared to fight for her right to try out, but to her surprise, the coach is delighted by her interest.

Eleven-year-old Tommy has dreamed of being on the Bulldogs sports team forever. The Bulldogs eat, breathe, and fart sports. They’re part of the elusive Super Sports Society in his hometown, and Tommy knows that if he makes the team, he’ll be set up for life. Meanwhile, Pel would rather be at home gaming in the air conditioning, but his mom decided that he has to “be a role model” to his little siblings (ugh!), and now he’s trying out for the Bulldogs too. At least that means the two BFFs won’t be in competition for the spot . . . right? (Wrong.)

How hard could it be to coach a kid's rec league baseball team in the small town of Stonefield? Matt was about to find out. When Matt's buddy asked for help coaching the team, it sounded like fun. No pressure. Then his friend was unexpectedly transferred out of town, and the team now belonged to Matt. Matt was unaware of the challenges waiting for him.