What do you think?
Rate this book
Warm Summers and Cold Winters: How Baseball Survived the Korean War
A fascinating examination of the Korean War years and its impact on Major League Baseball
Although baseball's history in the immediate post-World War II years has sometimes been characterized as a “golden age,” such was not the case. By the time North Korean troops crossed the 38th parallel in June 1950, Organized Baseball was still struggling to re-integrate returning veterans into its labor force, fight off an attempt at unionization, and deal with a competing major league south of the border.
In Warm Summers and Cold Winters, historian Steven P. Gietschier carefully examines four baseball seasons-1950, 1951, 1952, and 1953-set against the background of Cold War America and the Korean War, a “forgotten war” that is often overlooked and underappreciated for its impact on US and baseball history. These four seasons saw exciting pennant races, the success of the Philadelphia Phillies' Whiz Kids in 1950; the “shot heard 'round the world” in 1951; the debuts of Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle; and the tenure of Bill Veeck as owner of the St. Louis Browns. On the warfront, the hostilities in Korea stand as the first time the United States tried to fight a war with one hand tied behind its back, attempting to fight a limited war without disrupting civilian life. Simultaneously, the United States' limited military commitment meant that the war imposed peculiar challenges and uneven pressures upon individuals and institutions throughout American society, including Organized Baseball.
Providing rare insight into how baseball responded to the unique situation the country found itself in during the Korean War years, Warm Summers and Cold Winters will be of interest to baseball and military historians alike.
Although baseball's history in the immediate post-World War II years has sometimes been characterized as a “golden age,” such was not the case. By the time North Korean troops crossed the 38th parallel in June 1950, Organized Baseball was still struggling to re-integrate returning veterans into its labor force, fight off an attempt at unionization, and deal with a competing major league south of the border.
In Warm Summers and Cold Winters, historian Steven P. Gietschier carefully examines four baseball seasons-1950, 1951, 1952, and 1953-set against the background of Cold War America and the Korean War, a “forgotten war” that is often overlooked and underappreciated for its impact on US and baseball history. These four seasons saw exciting pennant races, the success of the Philadelphia Phillies' Whiz Kids in 1950; the “shot heard 'round the world” in 1951; the debuts of Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle; and the tenure of Bill Veeck as owner of the St. Louis Browns. On the warfront, the hostilities in Korea stand as the first time the United States tried to fight a war with one hand tied behind its back, attempting to fight a limited war without disrupting civilian life. Simultaneously, the United States' limited military commitment meant that the war imposed peculiar challenges and uneven pressures upon individuals and institutions throughout American society, including Organized Baseball.
Providing rare insight into how baseball responded to the unique situation the country found itself in during the Korean War years, Warm Summers and Cold Winters will be of interest to baseball and military historians alike.
377 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 16, 2026
3 people are currently reading
4 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 - 2 of 2 reviews
April 30, 2026
RICK “SHAQ” GOLDSTEIN SAYS: IF YOU LOVE BASEBALL… AND WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE KOREAN WAR… OR IF YOU’RE A WAR HISTORY BUFF… AND WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT BASEBALL… DURING THIS HISTORICAL WAR PERIOD… AND HAVE IT ALL MESH TOGETHER IN ONE BOOK… ***THIS IS THE BOOK FOR YOU!***
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Author… Steven P. Gietschier… had to realize… when he sat down… or daydreamed… about writing a book… that not only detailed an unfortunately almost forgotten war in Korea,,, and included what was once the unquestioned national pastime… baseball… and how they both affected each other in life and death situations… it was a monumental task. Additionally the author also uncovers the once flourishing minor league baseball landscape… fighting for its very survival… on multiple threats… war… Major League Baseball… AND TELEVISION!
What a daunting task… that if the author… really took a deep breath… and cleared out any hubris… in his soul… might have shunned this near impossible goal. Because to tell this multi-headed story (education) besides war… and baseball… and worldwide leaders… and international countries… and politics…
There is also… the most important LITERARY-LAND-MINE” that to me *A-PROUD-HONORABLY-DISCHARGED-VIET-NAM-ERA-AMERICAN-VETERAN*.. that would have to be handled in the most delicate… and respectful way… and that’s how the author would handle our proud veterans who gave their lives… and if not lives… they were still giving their youth… dreams… and goals! And the author… in the midst of all the educated story telling… and blending of games… war… and death… provides… unrivaled…DECENCY AND RESPECT… FOR MY FELLOW VETERANS!
Steven… quickly sets the stage for the reader… by giving high (and low) lights of the world’s simmering situation after World War II… simultaneously… with a very easy to navigate pattern of going from world crisis… to Major League baseball…”fighting” to regain its pre-World War II popularity… and growing battle with baseball players growling to unionize and be given more benefits. In my opinion the historical plight of the professional baseball minor leagues… literally fighting for its survival… due to Major League Baseball trying to force them to be treated like a necessary evil… that they constantly took advantage of. In 1949 there were fifty-nine minor leagues… today there are approximately eleven! The minor leagues wanted to become Major League teams and league… they battled the Major Leagues at every turn. Congress continually investigated and had hearings regarding anti-trust violations. The Minor League teams had more players drafted into the armed services than the Majors (MLB) did. And if all that wasn’t enough… MLB was encroaching in every Minor League territory with television… which was becoming a death knell to any Minor League profitability.
Constantly… and rightfully… interspersed at moments throughout any baseball discussion… are the unavoidable consequences and horrors of war… such as during winter in Korea it was FORTY-TO-FIFTY-DEGREES-BELOW-ZERO! Also… as a Viet Nam Era Veteran… I had a great perverse (you’ll have to figure out how to understand that yourself!) pleasure… when it was stated:
“THE HOSTILITIES IN KOREA STAND AS THE FIRST TIME THE MODERN UNITED STATES TRIED TO FIGHT A WAR WITH ONE HAND TIED BEHIND ITS BACK, ATTEMPTING TO ENGAGE AN ENEMY WITHOUT SIGNIFICANTLY DISRUPTING CIVILIAN LIFE, PROVIDING CITIZENS WITH BOTH “GUNS AND BUTTER”.”
As American fighters die…
“TO THE MEMORY OF THE TWENTY-ONE MEN, PROFESSIONAL BALLPLAYERS AND CITIZEN SOLDIERS, WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES IN SERVICE TO THEIR COUNTRY DURING THE KOREAN WAR. (NOTE: THE NAMES ARE LISTED AT THE VERY BEGINNING OF THE BOOK… ALONG WITH **AND TO THE MEMORY OF WALTER ADELMANN, THE DEPTH OF WHOSE SUFFERING WE CAN ONLY IMAGINE,**)
And while this is going on… from 1950-1953… existing teams are starting to desert their cities… i.e. Braves from Boston to Milwaukee… St Louis Browns are deciding where to move to… the Pacific Coast League is battling to stay alive… and talking about Major League teams in Southern and Northern California…
Truman decides not to run for re-election… MacArthur wants to drop Atomic Bombs on China… Truman fires MacArthur… Russia tests an atomic bomb… Dwight Eisenhower runs for President… communism spreads in Russia… China… and Korea…
Like at this very moment in Iran… there are blockades… unsuccessful repetitive meetings to end the war… additionally tens of thousands of prisoners of war are being mistreated… as fruitless discussions of release are babbled about.
In 1950 the Philadelphia Whiz Kids win the National League Pennant by one game over the Brooklyn Bums… in 1951 The Bums and Giants tie for the National League pennant and the Bums lose the playoff to the “shot heard round the world… in 1952 The Brooklyn Dodgers (Bums) win the National League Pennant… in 1953 The Brooklyn Bums… with one of the greatest hitting teams in baseball history win the National League Pennant (Note: there was no such thing as half the teams being in the playoffs even with losing records… COME IN FIRST OR GO HOME… JUST LIKE LIFE SHOULD BE!)
By the way… the New York Yankees won every American League Pennant during this period and won every World Series… they added another in 1949,,, for five straight championships a record that still stands today!
PERSONAL FOOTNOTE REINFORCING THE LITERARY SUCCESS BY THE AUTHOR OF MELDING SUCH COMPLEX SUBJECTS TOGETHER AS ONE… ONE OF MY PET PEEVES AS AN HONORABLY DISCHARGED UNITED STATES VETERAN IS WHEN SOME MODERN DAY MILLIONAIRE BALLPLAYER… after someone gets a game winning hit… he asininely says… “I’D GO TO WAR WITH THAT GUY!”
***LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING PUNK… YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT WAR IS!!**
PAGE 186:
“THE MOST FAMOUS BATTLE OF THE WAR’S END GAME, THE FIGHT FOR PORK CHOP HILL, NICKNAMED FOR ITS SHAPE AND LATER REMEMBERED IN A MOTION PICTURE STARRING GREGORY PECK. THE CHINESE ATTACKED HILL 255, ITS FORMAL NAME ON APRIL 16, BUT AFTER SOME INITIAL SUCCESS, THEY WERE REPULSED BY US INFANTRY SUPPORTED BY NINE ARTILLERY BATTALIONS THAT FIRED A RECORD 77,349 ROUNDS IN JUST TWO DAYS.”
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Author… Steven P. Gietschier… had to realize… when he sat down… or daydreamed… about writing a book… that not only detailed an unfortunately almost forgotten war in Korea,,, and included what was once the unquestioned national pastime… baseball… and how they both affected each other in life and death situations… it was a monumental task. Additionally the author also uncovers the once flourishing minor league baseball landscape… fighting for its very survival… on multiple threats… war… Major League Baseball… AND TELEVISION!
What a daunting task… that if the author… really took a deep breath… and cleared out any hubris… in his soul… might have shunned this near impossible goal. Because to tell this multi-headed story (education) besides war… and baseball… and worldwide leaders… and international countries… and politics…
There is also… the most important LITERARY-LAND-MINE” that to me *A-PROUD-HONORABLY-DISCHARGED-VIET-NAM-ERA-AMERICAN-VETERAN*.. that would have to be handled in the most delicate… and respectful way… and that’s how the author would handle our proud veterans who gave their lives… and if not lives… they were still giving their youth… dreams… and goals! And the author… in the midst of all the educated story telling… and blending of games… war… and death… provides… unrivaled…DECENCY AND RESPECT… FOR MY FELLOW VETERANS!
Steven… quickly sets the stage for the reader… by giving high (and low) lights of the world’s simmering situation after World War II… simultaneously… with a very easy to navigate pattern of going from world crisis… to Major League baseball…”fighting” to regain its pre-World War II popularity… and growing battle with baseball players growling to unionize and be given more benefits. In my opinion the historical plight of the professional baseball minor leagues… literally fighting for its survival… due to Major League Baseball trying to force them to be treated like a necessary evil… that they constantly took advantage of. In 1949 there were fifty-nine minor leagues… today there are approximately eleven! The minor leagues wanted to become Major League teams and league… they battled the Major Leagues at every turn. Congress continually investigated and had hearings regarding anti-trust violations. The Minor League teams had more players drafted into the armed services than the Majors (MLB) did. And if all that wasn’t enough… MLB was encroaching in every Minor League territory with television… which was becoming a death knell to any Minor League profitability.
Constantly… and rightfully… interspersed at moments throughout any baseball discussion… are the unavoidable consequences and horrors of war… such as during winter in Korea it was FORTY-TO-FIFTY-DEGREES-BELOW-ZERO! Also… as a Viet Nam Era Veteran… I had a great perverse (you’ll have to figure out how to understand that yourself!) pleasure… when it was stated:
“THE HOSTILITIES IN KOREA STAND AS THE FIRST TIME THE MODERN UNITED STATES TRIED TO FIGHT A WAR WITH ONE HAND TIED BEHIND ITS BACK, ATTEMPTING TO ENGAGE AN ENEMY WITHOUT SIGNIFICANTLY DISRUPTING CIVILIAN LIFE, PROVIDING CITIZENS WITH BOTH “GUNS AND BUTTER”.”
As American fighters die…
“TO THE MEMORY OF THE TWENTY-ONE MEN, PROFESSIONAL BALLPLAYERS AND CITIZEN SOLDIERS, WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES IN SERVICE TO THEIR COUNTRY DURING THE KOREAN WAR. (NOTE: THE NAMES ARE LISTED AT THE VERY BEGINNING OF THE BOOK… ALONG WITH **AND TO THE MEMORY OF WALTER ADELMANN, THE DEPTH OF WHOSE SUFFERING WE CAN ONLY IMAGINE,**)
And while this is going on… from 1950-1953… existing teams are starting to desert their cities… i.e. Braves from Boston to Milwaukee… St Louis Browns are deciding where to move to… the Pacific Coast League is battling to stay alive… and talking about Major League teams in Southern and Northern California…
Truman decides not to run for re-election… MacArthur wants to drop Atomic Bombs on China… Truman fires MacArthur… Russia tests an atomic bomb… Dwight Eisenhower runs for President… communism spreads in Russia… China… and Korea…
Like at this very moment in Iran… there are blockades… unsuccessful repetitive meetings to end the war… additionally tens of thousands of prisoners of war are being mistreated… as fruitless discussions of release are babbled about.
In 1950 the Philadelphia Whiz Kids win the National League Pennant by one game over the Brooklyn Bums… in 1951 The Bums and Giants tie for the National League pennant and the Bums lose the playoff to the “shot heard round the world… in 1952 The Brooklyn Dodgers (Bums) win the National League Pennant… in 1953 The Brooklyn Bums… with one of the greatest hitting teams in baseball history win the National League Pennant (Note: there was no such thing as half the teams being in the playoffs even with losing records… COME IN FIRST OR GO HOME… JUST LIKE LIFE SHOULD BE!)
By the way… the New York Yankees won every American League Pennant during this period and won every World Series… they added another in 1949,,, for five straight championships a record that still stands today!
PERSONAL FOOTNOTE REINFORCING THE LITERARY SUCCESS BY THE AUTHOR OF MELDING SUCH COMPLEX SUBJECTS TOGETHER AS ONE… ONE OF MY PET PEEVES AS AN HONORABLY DISCHARGED UNITED STATES VETERAN IS WHEN SOME MODERN DAY MILLIONAIRE BALLPLAYER… after someone gets a game winning hit… he asininely says… “I’D GO TO WAR WITH THAT GUY!”
***LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING PUNK… YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT WAR IS!!**
PAGE 186:
“THE MOST FAMOUS BATTLE OF THE WAR’S END GAME, THE FIGHT FOR PORK CHOP HILL, NICKNAMED FOR ITS SHAPE AND LATER REMEMBERED IN A MOTION PICTURE STARRING GREGORY PECK. THE CHINESE ATTACKED HILL 255, ITS FORMAL NAME ON APRIL 16, BUT AFTER SOME INITIAL SUCCESS, THEY WERE REPULSED BY US INFANTRY SUPPORTED BY NINE ARTILLERY BATTALIONS THAT FIRED A RECORD 77,349 ROUNDS IN JUST TWO DAYS.”
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
“Warm Summers and Cold Winters” is a powerful, thoughtful look at an often overlooked chapter of history through the lens of baseball. Steven P. Gietschier does an excellent job showing how the game persisted during the Korean War during an incredibly uncertain time.
The dedication page gave me chills.. It set the tone for everything that follows. Before you even reach the first chapter, you are reminded that this story is about people first. That emotional weight carries through the book.
The Korean War itself receives far less attention than it deserves in popular history, and this book helps fill that gap with care and respect. This is an excellent read for baseball fans, history readers, or anyone interested in how a culture endures. I walked away with a deeper appreciation not just for baseball, but for the lives shaped around it during one of the most underrepresented wars in American history.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC
The dedication page gave me chills.. It set the tone for everything that follows. Before you even reach the first chapter, you are reminded that this story is about people first. That emotional weight carries through the book.
The Korean War itself receives far less attention than it deserves in popular history, and this book helps fill that gap with care and respect. This is an excellent read for baseball fans, history readers, or anyone interested in how a culture endures. I walked away with a deeper appreciation not just for baseball, but for the lives shaped around it during one of the most underrepresented wars in American history.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews