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Long Ball To Left Field
Mike Jaffe is a gifted baseball player but does not have the skill to be a pitcher as he so greatly desires. It is up to Jug Slavin, the famous manager of the Blue Sox, to persuade Mike to try being an outfielder.
217 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1958
39 people want to read
About the author
Duane Decker
33 books11 followersDuane Decker wrote a beloved series about an imaginary major league baseball team called the Blue Sox from 1947 to his death in 1964. During World War II, he served in the Pacific with the Marine Corps. After participating in several island invasions, he became a combat correspondent on the Leatherneck, the official Marine Corps publication, where his tour of duty took him to Peleliu, Saipan, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa. One of the highlights of his military career came when he witnessed the formal surrender of Japan aboard the U.S.S. Missouri in Tokyo Bay as a Staff Sergeant and editor of Leatherneck.
After the war, he had a notable career writing for leading magazines, residing in New Hampshire. An enthusiastic baseball fan, his books have been enjoyed by thousands. He was a graduate of Colgate University.
After the war, he had a notable career writing for leading magazines, residing in New Hampshire. An enthusiastic baseball fan, his books have been enjoyed by thousands. He was a graduate of Colgate University.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
March 30, 2024
I read the Duane Decker books about a mythical major baseball league team called the Blue Sox. I enjoyed them as a boy, and I am enjoying reading them as an adult when I can find them on archive pages.
This one is problematic for me.
The protagonist is Mike Jeffe who was raised by his father to be a major league pitcher. That's all Mike wants to be. The trouble is that Mike is a mediocre to poor big league pitcher; however, he is a natural slugger as a batter. A slugger is what the Blue Sox need, but Mike insists that he is a pitcher, only a pitcher.
The problem I have with the book is that in order for Mike to be a great hitter, he must respond physically to any pitcher who tries to intimidate him with bean-ball pitches. The book was published in 1958 when this was a part of the game. However, I think that the modern approach is better. Any pitcher who threw twice to the batter's head, as it happens to Mike, these days would be thrown out of the game and probably fined and suspended.
Still there are many good aspects to this book as is true to all Duane Decker baseball books. He provides insights into baseball strategy and in the way players develop over their careers.
I like the book, but not as much as I like others in the series.
This one is problematic for me.
The protagonist is Mike Jeffe who was raised by his father to be a major league pitcher. That's all Mike wants to be. The trouble is that Mike is a mediocre to poor big league pitcher; however, he is a natural slugger as a batter. A slugger is what the Blue Sox need, but Mike insists that he is a pitcher, only a pitcher.
The problem I have with the book is that in order for Mike to be a great hitter, he must respond physically to any pitcher who tries to intimidate him with bean-ball pitches. The book was published in 1958 when this was a part of the game. However, I think that the modern approach is better. Any pitcher who threw twice to the batter's head, as it happens to Mike, these days would be thrown out of the game and probably fined and suspended.
Still there are many good aspects to this book as is true to all Duane Decker baseball books. He provides insights into baseball strategy and in the way players develop over their careers.
I like the book, but not as much as I like others in the series.
June 13, 2023
These books by Duane Decker, if you can actually find them are worth some money today. I recently acquired this one and one other from the Blue Sox series. I read several in the collection in the 70s while attending Elkhart High School, Elkhart, IL. They are still a good read for youngsters who enjoy sports fiction stories and.....for some old guys who like to think back on their growing up years. If you come across any of these Blue Sox books and they aren't asking an arm and a leg for it, I would advise snapping it up! Enjoy!
July 15, 2015
A natural talent, but at first in the wrong direction
Mike Jaffe is a natural baseball player. Unfortunately, his natural skills do not coincide with what he thinks he is best at. He is completely convinced that he is a quality pitcher, when in fact he is at best a mediocre one, able to succeed only in the lower minor leagues. His true skill is in hitting a baseball, where he is a superb power hitter.
Jug Slavin and Stan Davis, the manager and general manager of the Blue Sox, try to convince Mike that he should convert to an outfielder. He refuses at first, but eventually he reluctantly agrees. His batting statistics are superb, both in average and for power. However, his heart is not really in it and eventually he is sent back to the minors. Finally, after a taste of life as a second rate pitcher in the minor leagues, Mike realizes that he is being a fool and voluntarily goes to the outfield. This time, he truly wants to be an outfielder, so he is welcomed back to the Blue Sox with open arms.
Like all of Decker's other books about the Blue Sox, the main character has a major character flaw that he must correct before he can succeed. The book is a lesson in how to overcome your weaknesses, and demonstrates that talent without the right attitude is talent wasted.
This review also appears on Amazon
Mike Jaffe is a natural baseball player. Unfortunately, his natural skills do not coincide with what he thinks he is best at. He is completely convinced that he is a quality pitcher, when in fact he is at best a mediocre one, able to succeed only in the lower minor leagues. His true skill is in hitting a baseball, where he is a superb power hitter.
Jug Slavin and Stan Davis, the manager and general manager of the Blue Sox, try to convince Mike that he should convert to an outfielder. He refuses at first, but eventually he reluctantly agrees. His batting statistics are superb, both in average and for power. However, his heart is not really in it and eventually he is sent back to the minors. Finally, after a taste of life as a second rate pitcher in the minor leagues, Mike realizes that he is being a fool and voluntarily goes to the outfield. This time, he truly wants to be an outfielder, so he is welcomed back to the Blue Sox with open arms.
Like all of Decker's other books about the Blue Sox, the main character has a major character flaw that he must correct before he can succeed. The book is a lesson in how to overcome your weaknesses, and demonstrates that talent without the right attitude is talent wasted.
This review also appears on Amazon
November 17, 2007
It is a fast moving baseball story. A major leauge pitcher is not doing so well in his pitching. But, he is set on being a pitcher and nothing else. The manager wants him to be a left fielder b/c he can shag fly balls good and when he pinch hits, he can really hit that long ball. The manager is looking for that person who can hit that long ball to left field, but the pitcher is being very stuburn.
January 14, 2015
A sports story about how players coped with everyday playing life without being sidetracked by a love story, nefarious villains, or some outside emotional upheaval.A baseball story about a baseball player trying to make it in a baseball world (before free agency and multimillion dollar contracts. Great for my seventh grade self to get into reading and for my adult self to simply enjoy.
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November 2, 2016possibly read in spring of 1967
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews