The Fightin' Phillies: 100 Years of Philadelphia Baseball from the Whiz Kids to the Misfits

by Larry Shenk, Larry Andersen (Foreword)

From when the Phillies franchise was established in 1883 and a rookie manager led the team to its first National League pennant in 1915 to the World Series titles in 1980 and 2008, Larry Shenk, a longtime Phillies executive, provides insight into a potpourri of faces, places, events, and personalities in Phillies history. He takes readers through every no-hitter thrown by a Phillies pitcher and an incredible season by a relief pitcher who became the Most Valuable Player. Read about Mike Schmidt’s most dramatic home run, the youngest pitcher to ever win a game in the big leagues, the greatest one-game performance in World Series history, the most unbreakable records in franchise history, and why the Phillies held spring training in Pennsylvania during the 1940s.

320 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 1, 2016

Reviews

[David Hallstrom · Rating 3 out of 5]

Larry Shenk was the long-time media relations director for the Phillies. He has delivered a book filled with rich historic facts of the franchise, from the ballparks, to spring training locations, Hall of Famers to players who made one appearance.

The final third of the book looks at behind the scenes rolls - traveling secretary, radio broadcaster, clubhouse manager, etc. This has the potential to be a standout section. Shenk loads you down with details such as the color of their file folders but his pedestrian writing style fails to bring the people or their roles to life. A more deft hand could deliver a fascinating book on the subject.