Wild Pitch

by Mike Lupica

Washed-out pitcher Charlie Stoddard is called back to the majors after the Red Sox lose two starting pitchers, but he hopes to turn around his personal life as well, a much more difficult challenge. Reprint.

Genres: Sports, Fiction, Baseball, Mystery

352 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Michael Lupica is an author and American newspaper columnist, best known for his provocative commentary on sports in the New York Daily News and his appearances on ESPN.

Reviews

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very entertaining read, filled with all kinds of sports jargon and baseball lore, but at its heart this is almost a mellerdrama! Showtime Charlie Stoddard, the main character, is a washed up has-been power pitcher who had one nearly perfect season and lost it all pitching in the World Series when he blew out his shoulder. He gets a chance to make a comeback through the near magical ministrations of a inscrutable physical therapist, named Chang. Add into the mix an ex-wife, a best friend now coaching the Boston Red Sox, and an estranged son who is the ace of the Red Sox staff and all the ingredients are there for a good old sports opera. It is well written and quite entertaining, but just a little too much a fairy tale for this reader. Lots of rollicking good fun is had by all, for sure, but the whole thing was just a little too pat. Charlie is the prince under the spell of the evil witch, his ex-wife the princess whose heart he needs to win, and Chang as the fairy godmother who breaks the spell. You see how it all becomes so trite when you break it down. Still, it was fun. It's got that going for it.

[2Vasudevan D · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the beginning of the novel, Charlie "Showtime" Stoddard, is given the perception of a failure. He was going to be baseball legend, although a gruesome soldier injury seemed to be career ending. He as very little connection with his ex-wife, and his twenty year-old pretends Charlie isn't even alive. Although a fitness guru named Chang, starts to work with Charlie. Chang gives Charlie hope that he could possibly return to the big leagues. With hard work and dedication, Charlie gets back to MLB form.

Mike Lupica's realistic novels always seem to be a hit. They always have a combination of humor, suspense, seriousness, and many other aspects that make his stories great. And this is another example of his successful work of literature. The plot is so well thought out, and it always has a way to make the reader want to read more. The beginning was so realistic in the sense that, everything that occurred were day to day event. Then as the story progressed, the plot kept on getting better and the evolution of the characters were eminent.

[Leigh · Rating 1 out of 5]

Reading this book was like sitting through a rain delay, in extra innings, between two teams that haven't been in playoff contention since June. I didn't care what happened, I just wanted to be done.
I just could not get into the character enough to care about him. The book is also a bit dated, which may impact the story line. It was written when the Red Sox were still "losers." I think the main character is using "the cream," but that story line disappears when the trainer does. A review on the back says that it is a father-son story. But to me the son is not developed enough to make that an interesting story line. When I envision the son in my mind, he is wearing his ball cap low over his eyes - I just can't really see him. I got my little cousin a children's book by Lupica for Christmas. I hope it is a better read than this one.

[R.J. Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you love baseball fiction this is the book for you. The story is about the crazy world of professional baseball. It is also about fathers and sons, forgiveness, love, redemption, and how to finally grow up. Showtime Charlie Stoddard thought his pitching career was over until he went to a specialist named Chang who fixed his backache and did an active release technique on his shoulder which took away years of pain. After more treatments pitching again becomes a real possibility for Charlie, but first he has to find a team that will give him a second chance. To complicate things more, the son he has neglected for years is now a pro pitcher who wants nothing to do with him. There are a lot more complications and plenty of laughs. This was my first Mike Lupica book and I really enjoyed it.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a funny book, in two ways. Lupica has some good lines, and Wild Pitch is good-humoured all the way through. The really funny thing, though, it that he can concoct a storyline with few real surprises and make it work.

In one sense, this is nothing more than a feel-good come-back story: a retired has-been of a pitcher gets one more chance at the big leagues and along the way gets to make amends with his ex-wife and estranged son.

Lupica makes it work, however, with characters have enough humanity and intelligence to make you want the fairy tale to be true. There aren’t any deep lessons or insights into the human condition, but it’s a nice tale for all that.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't help it -- I have an unexplainable crush of Mike Lupica. I love to watch him get so worked up that he stammers all over the SportsReporters set. (And I am not a sports fan in any than the most recreational form.) This one is fairly predictable but still damn fun. Especially if you can hear Lupica's voice in your head.

[A.J. Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun read for any baseball fan. Lupica himself says it best. "The characters represented were not part of the '88 Mets team. But they should have been." Throw in a dose of the Red Sox curse (the book was written pre-2004), and you have a fun story you almost wish was true.

[Sean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although it wasn't a groundbreaking effort in the world of sports books, I generally enjoyed it as a classic redemption story of an old ball player that had been humbled trying to get a second chance.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sports fiction is not usually on my top ten list, but I was looking for a change of pace and this was on my husband's bookshelf, so I went for it. It was a very enjoyable read with a good story line and did make me laugh out loud at times.

[St-Michel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Whatever, it's a sports book. If anything, this book taught me one thing - sports do not make for interesting reading.

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Baudy and funny, with a good look inside the baseball clubhouse. It's fast and enjoyable.

[Anjali · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, but if you don't love baseball, I don't think you'll like it. Just a warning to those who usually take 4 stars from me as a recommendation! :-)

[Bubba · Rating 1 out of 5]

i like baseball alot. this was formulaic, not surprising, character didn't really go anywhere and plot lackluster. probably wouldn't have finished it save for the baseball stuff which was just ok

[S · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5

Unfortunately, this just didn’t work for me. I read a lot of Mike Lupica’s middle grade books when I was younger and really loved him. This is my first time reading from him in a long time, and my first time reading his adult work.

Ultimately, I had a really hard time getting engaged in the baseball side of this story. I enjoy sports, but I could not get into reading game sequences. I did generally like the characters (Pooty was a great comedic relief/side character), and think I would’ve enjoyed this book more if it was entirely focused on the family element of the story.

Overall, not my favorite read, but I definitely did not hate it or anything.

[Rob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite possibly this is a five star book for a baseball fan (especially a Red Sox fan), but unless you know enough to get all the baseball references, I found the game details slowed the story a lot in the center third of the book. In the overall though, it's classic Lupica - entertaining and engaging, and the ending is exactly what you'd want it to be!

[Herbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I typically don’t swoon for melodramas, but I thoroughly enjoyed this. It helped fill the crater left by a baseball-less 2020.

[Jeffrey Millman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun story of redemption on the base paths.

[B Alexander · Rating 4 out of 5]

good baseball story, historical fiction that's mostly fiction.

[Nadine Bourgault · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a baseball fanatic. My favorite team is the Boston Red Sox. This book is about both. A washed up pitcher wanting to make a comeback. Behind the scenes shenanigans. The story line is fun, but I felt there were too many unnecessary additions to the story. A fun read, but not too memorable.

[Billy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A guilty pleasure read about a washed-up major league pitcher who gets a second chance in the bigs thanks to a chance encounter with a new-fangled physical therapist. Naturally, our hero has to overcome not just his arm problem but also himself as he struggles to escape the party lifestyle he is accustomed to. Oh, and he has a hot ex-wife who is a crazy successful Martha Stewart type! Oh, and his only kid from that marriage...yeah, he's the ace pitcher for Boston Red Sox, the very team he joins mid-season as they make a push for the pennant.

The books is raucous, vulgar, absurd, and completely over-the-top, but it is hilarious!