The Kids' World Almanac of Baseball

by Thomas Gibbons Aylesworth

An illustrated compendium of baseball facts, updated to include the results of the 1992 season, features baseball history, discussion of superstars, a look at the world champions from 1903 to the present, and a listing of records and stats. Simultaneous.

273 pages, Paperback

First published February 28, 1996

Reviews

[Neil Pasricha · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Hey Orel,” Tommy Aylesworth said to the longtime Los Angeles Dodgers ace over a beer one night. “What say you write the Intro and then we throw you and ​Straw​ on the cover pasted over the ​Babe​?” Now, I'm not saying that happened, but I pictured something like that sitting in ​the passenger seat​ of our Chevrolet Cavalier on the way home from Coles Bookstore in the Five Points Mall in ​Oshawa, Ontario​ in 1990. Shoutout to mall bookstores! I spent so many nights paging through its endless pages of stats, trivia, quotes, lore, and stories. And I loved Orel Hershiser’s Introduction! He was absolutely one of the biggest players in the game at the time after going 22-9 in 1988 with a ​still-existing record-setting 59 consecutive scoreless innings​ which came via (get this!) six ... complete game ... shutouts ... in a row ... in August and September. Wild. Those games thrust the ​Tommy Lasorda​-led team to the World Series where with two outs in the bottom of the ninth of Game 1 you may remember the former Linebacker with two very wobbly knees ​Kirk Gibson steps up to the plate and after a dramatic at-bat worked up into a 3-2 count he launches ​​a game-winning pinch-hit 2-run homer to win the game off the Dennis Eckersley and the heavily favored A's.​ It's seriously worth clicking the long, blue link in the last sentence and just watching the moment. Now, we still, I think, call that the third most famous World Series homer of all time after ​Joe Carter in 1993​ and ​Bill Mazeroski in 1960​—both World Series winning walk-offs. Anyway, I could keep going. You could keep going. We could keep going. That's baseball. One of those sports where the longer you look the more you see. This is the book that helped me see it. It's an Almanac! In the old sense of almanac—one person's voice, personality, and idiosyncrasies, all rolled up into their own grand compendium of everything. It's a wonderful book. And it opens right away by challenging us! Who invented baseball? ​Abner Doubleday​ in Cooperstown, right? No! 5000 years ago Egyptians were using swinging bats to promote crop fertility and balls were added as a way to worship the sun. Crop fertility and sun worship!? No wonder many of us feel baseball in our core. Then those conquering ​Moors​ in eighth century A.D. brought the evolving game to Europe and in the 1700s the Brits—the Brits!—turned it into “​rounders.​” In fact the first time “Base ball” was ever in print was 1744 in the ​world’s first picture book​ by British publisher ​John Newbery​ (of ​Newbery Medal​ fame!) Now, of course, some stuff is out of date. Page 29 says “Most Home Runs in a Single Season” is held by ​Roger Maris​ (61, which is now ​#8​) and “Most Career Stolen Bases” is held by ​Lou Brock​ (938, which is now ​#2​). But many stats stand the test of time like ​Cy Young​’s 511 wins or (indeed) ​Orel​’s 59 straight scoreless innings. I love the arcane stuff like “Best Relief Appearance” which tells the story of ​Ernie Shore​ relieving ​Babe Ruth​ in the first inning of a 1917 Red Sox game after the Babe let up a hit to one guy. Then that guy was caught stealing and Shore retired the next 26 in a row! Or how about “The Language of Baseball” section which tells us how the word “bullpen” came from the famous ​Bull Durham tobacco ads​ painted on outfield walls, how “​farm teams​” are called that because minor league teams were always be in small farming communities, and how “southpaw” for lefty pitchers comes from the fact that ballparks were built with home plate on the west so hitters didn’t have to glare into the setting afternoon sun … hence a pitcher’s left arm was facing south as he stood facing the hitter. From the opening dedication (“…to Wrigley Field before the lights were installed.”) to the final “Science” section (“What is the purpose of a slide?”, “How does a curve ball work?”) this book expands and deepens a love for the game.

[Ben · Rating 5 out of 5]

Back when baseball was my favorite sport in 3rd grade. I think I memorized most of the book.

[Jonathan Katz]

I think I read this book everyday between the ages of 6 and 7.