What do you think?
Rate this book
Chasing October: The Dodgers-Giants Pennant Race of 1962
Book by Plaut, David
- GenresBaseballNonfictionSports
Hardcover
First published May 1, 1994
1 person is currently reading
13 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
January 30, 2023
What a great book. If you ever thought it would be fun to have been a fly on the wall during the epic Dodgers-Giants pennant race--back when there WERE pennant races--of 1962, then this is the book for you. Plaut avoids the crushingly dull trap of "Jones singled, Smith doubled, Doe flied out." he spends almost the entire book bringing to life the men who participated in this memorable summer of baseball. Of course, by necessity, there is some game account stuff, but Plaut does a wonderful job of bringing home to the reader the fact that these events are played out by human beings, not baseball cards, and his book is all the better for it. Highly recommended.
October 1, 2021
In October 1962 I was sixteen years old, living in Washington state and following the Dodgers every night on radio KFI Los Angeles. A great year for the Dodgers became a disaster, starting with the injury to Sandy Koufax’s index finger. Nonetheless, they led 4-2 in the 9th inning of the third and final playoff game vs the San Francisco Giants.
What happened in that inning has driven loyal fans crazy for years. What happened and why? It’s all here in this detailed look at the season and that 9th inning.
What happened in that inning has driven loyal fans crazy for years. What happened and why? It’s all here in this detailed look at the season and that 9th inning.
June 8, 2012
“The definitive account of the race.”
– James S. Hirsch in Willie Mays: The Life, The Legend
“”The good news is that this is the 50th anniversary of one of the most thrilling baseball seasons in history, involving two iconic franchises in which 162 games simply wasn’t enough. Nor were 163 or 164. The bad news is, I remember it, thanks to the great help of Plaut’s wonderful writing. If you aren’t old enough, pull up your iPad or Kindle and enjoy a magnificent journey around the bases.”
– Charley Steiner, Dodgers Broadcaster
“The rivalry between the New York Giants and the Brooklyn Dodgers was already legendary when both teams moved to the West Coast in 1958 …what is clear is that it was an exciting race that ended in a tie and was not decided until the ninth inning of the third playoff game, when the Giants secured the pennant. Plaut expertly builds the suspense and sensitively handles the interplay of personalities”
– Publishers Weekly
“CHASING OCTOBER may be one of the most aptly titled baseball books of all: a fierce rivalry in which one team led the other by four games with seven left to play—and lost!”
– Charles Einstein, editor of The Fireside Books of Baseball
and the author of Willie’s Time
“The classic baseball pennant races have become ancient history. That’s why David Plaut’s CHASING OCTOBER is so much fun. Nineteen-sixty-two not only provided us with some of baseball’s best drama, but it also cemented the rivalry between the Giants and Dodgers by moving it from one coast to the other.”
– Chris Berman, ESPN
“Plaut has written more than a conventional baseball recap. He’s tried to capture the times, showing how America was enjoying its last pennant race in a bubble of innocence, one year before the murder of John F. Kennedy…There have been other historic baseball rivalries—such as New York and Boston—but none can quite compare for vitriol.”
– Josh Getlin, Los Angeles Times
– James S. Hirsch in Willie Mays: The Life, The Legend
“”The good news is that this is the 50th anniversary of one of the most thrilling baseball seasons in history, involving two iconic franchises in which 162 games simply wasn’t enough. Nor were 163 or 164. The bad news is, I remember it, thanks to the great help of Plaut’s wonderful writing. If you aren’t old enough, pull up your iPad or Kindle and enjoy a magnificent journey around the bases.”
– Charley Steiner, Dodgers Broadcaster
“The rivalry between the New York Giants and the Brooklyn Dodgers was already legendary when both teams moved to the West Coast in 1958 …what is clear is that it was an exciting race that ended in a tie and was not decided until the ninth inning of the third playoff game, when the Giants secured the pennant. Plaut expertly builds the suspense and sensitively handles the interplay of personalities”
– Publishers Weekly
“CHASING OCTOBER may be one of the most aptly titled baseball books of all: a fierce rivalry in which one team led the other by four games with seven left to play—and lost!”
– Charles Einstein, editor of The Fireside Books of Baseball
and the author of Willie’s Time
“The classic baseball pennant races have become ancient history. That’s why David Plaut’s CHASING OCTOBER is so much fun. Nineteen-sixty-two not only provided us with some of baseball’s best drama, but it also cemented the rivalry between the Giants and Dodgers by moving it from one coast to the other.”
– Chris Berman, ESPN
“Plaut has written more than a conventional baseball recap. He’s tried to capture the times, showing how America was enjoying its last pennant race in a bubble of innocence, one year before the murder of John F. Kennedy…There have been other historic baseball rivalries—such as New York and Boston—but none can quite compare for vitriol.”
– Josh Getlin, Los Angeles Times
February 11, 2014
I really liked this book a lot. I loved how it explained in detail what it was like to go to a
Los Angeles Dodgers game or San Francisco Giants game. The stadiums were very much rushed
when built and made many mistakes. Many people died and had heart attacks when going
to see a San Francisco Giants game. This was the factor of the fact that they made you climb a
very huge and steep hill to get to the ticket line. Overall, I liked the book a lot and suggest
that baseball fans read it.
Los Angeles Dodgers game or San Francisco Giants game. The stadiums were very much rushed
when built and made many mistakes. Many people died and had heart attacks when going
to see a San Francisco Giants game. This was the factor of the fact that they made you climb a
very huge and steep hill to get to the ticket line. Overall, I liked the book a lot and suggest
that baseball fans read it.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews