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Walter Johnson: Baseball's Big Train
Henry W. Thomas, the grandson of Walter Johnson, lives in Arlington, Virginia. He is currently editing, for audio release, the interviews taped by Lawrence Ritter for his classic The Glory of Their Times. Shirley Povich died in 1998 at the age of 92 after seventy-five years as an award-winning sportswriter for the Washington Post.
516 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 1995
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April 15, 2022
At the time of his retirement in 1927, Walter Johnson was considered by some to be the greatest pitcher in the history of baseball to that point. Today, nearly 100 years later, he is still considered to be an all-time great despite pitching for mostly losing teams in Washington. Henry Thomas' biography of Johnson can be considered to be in that same lofty conversation - nearly 25 years after its publication, it should still be considered among the better baseball biographies.
Every aspect of Johnson's life is covered in great detail and will never come across as "ordinary" or one that a reader will want to skim or skip entirely. Thomas writes with as much passion about Johnson the man as he does about Johnson the pitcher. Johnson's childhood and life after baseball was mainly on the farm and he enjoyed that lifestyle - it is said often how much he enjoyed being outdoors. He was also a very devoted family man to his children and his wife Hazel and he received a lot of praise for his clean living.
That praise was matched by the accolades he received for his pitching as despite pitching for a mostly poor Washington Senators team, Johnson was able to accumulate 417 wins, 3509 strikeouts and an ERA+ of an astounding 147 (100 is considered an average major league pitcher). While most of his time with the losing Senators is written in mostly positive terms in this book, Thomas' best baseball writing in the book coincides with the two best seasons for the Senators during the Big Train's career when the Nationals (which is the name used for Washington most of the time during that era and is used by Thomas) won the World Series over the New York Giants in 1924 and came within an inning of defending that title against the Pittsburgh Pirates the next year. Even though Johnson was clearly on the downhill side of his career, it was also very clear he was first in agony in the 1924 World Series when he lost the first game but elated when he came in and pitched game 7 in relief and was the winning pitcher. This part of the book is the perfect example of how good the writing is throughout.
The narration in the audio version by Ian Esmo is just as good as the writing as he not only makes the play-by-play sections very exciting but a listener will enjoy the many stories and articles sprinkled in the text by some of the better sportswriters of the time such as Grantland Rice and Damon Runyan. For this reviewer, it enhanced the writing about Johnson as well. But whether one wants to read or listen, any baseball fan who wants to learn more about this legendary pitcher should add this to their collection
Every aspect of Johnson's life is covered in great detail and will never come across as "ordinary" or one that a reader will want to skim or skip entirely. Thomas writes with as much passion about Johnson the man as he does about Johnson the pitcher. Johnson's childhood and life after baseball was mainly on the farm and he enjoyed that lifestyle - it is said often how much he enjoyed being outdoors. He was also a very devoted family man to his children and his wife Hazel and he received a lot of praise for his clean living.
That praise was matched by the accolades he received for his pitching as despite pitching for a mostly poor Washington Senators team, Johnson was able to accumulate 417 wins, 3509 strikeouts and an ERA+ of an astounding 147 (100 is considered an average major league pitcher). While most of his time with the losing Senators is written in mostly positive terms in this book, Thomas' best baseball writing in the book coincides with the two best seasons for the Senators during the Big Train's career when the Nationals (which is the name used for Washington most of the time during that era and is used by Thomas) won the World Series over the New York Giants in 1924 and came within an inning of defending that title against the Pittsburgh Pirates the next year. Even though Johnson was clearly on the downhill side of his career, it was also very clear he was first in agony in the 1924 World Series when he lost the first game but elated when he came in and pitched game 7 in relief and was the winning pitcher. This part of the book is the perfect example of how good the writing is throughout.
The narration in the audio version by Ian Esmo is just as good as the writing as he not only makes the play-by-play sections very exciting but a listener will enjoy the many stories and articles sprinkled in the text by some of the better sportswriters of the time such as Grantland Rice and Damon Runyan. For this reviewer, it enhanced the writing about Johnson as well. But whether one wants to read or listen, any baseball fan who wants to learn more about this legendary pitcher should add this to their collection
February 25, 2018
Researched and presented in a manner akin to the ballplayer and man featured among its 350+ pages, the subject’s grandson, Henry W. Thomas, achieves a shutout of a biography in “Walter Johnson: Baseball’s Big Train.”
This authoritative biography on the frequently-acclaimed greatest pitcher in baseball history, Walter Johnson, will forever stand the test of time as the only book The Big Train will ever need. The research was meticulously gathered, organized, and occasionally analyzed to provide a well-rounded portrait of the subject. The endnotes referenced to and located at the end of the book provide further anecdotes worth reading as the reader comes across them. The writing style was usually vibrant even amid a chronological telling of a lengthy playing and managing career that took place in the early twentieth century - biographies covering this subject tend to be dry, but not so in this work. I was pleasantly surprised by how often Walter Johnson provided an interview for a sports reporter, and how entertaining and insightful his words were. Overall, the reader comes away convinced that Walter Johnson indeed was the greatest pitcher of all time, or at least of his generation. There were some occasions where I - an avid reader of baseball biographies and myself a historian and writer - wished that some aspects were fleshed out with further analysis, personal opinions and educated conclusions. Nonetheless, I was quite satisfied with this entire biography, as the overpowering pitching prowess of Walter Johnson was emulated in this book’s research while the writing style was reminiscent of his personal humbleness and innate desire to avoid the spotlight. All true scholars and fans of the national pastime need to read this book - Walter Johnson would have given it 5 stars, as have I.
This authoritative biography on the frequently-acclaimed greatest pitcher in baseball history, Walter Johnson, will forever stand the test of time as the only book The Big Train will ever need. The research was meticulously gathered, organized, and occasionally analyzed to provide a well-rounded portrait of the subject. The endnotes referenced to and located at the end of the book provide further anecdotes worth reading as the reader comes across them. The writing style was usually vibrant even amid a chronological telling of a lengthy playing and managing career that took place in the early twentieth century - biographies covering this subject tend to be dry, but not so in this work. I was pleasantly surprised by how often Walter Johnson provided an interview for a sports reporter, and how entertaining and insightful his words were. Overall, the reader comes away convinced that Walter Johnson indeed was the greatest pitcher of all time, or at least of his generation. There were some occasions where I - an avid reader of baseball biographies and myself a historian and writer - wished that some aspects were fleshed out with further analysis, personal opinions and educated conclusions. Nonetheless, I was quite satisfied with this entire biography, as the overpowering pitching prowess of Walter Johnson was emulated in this book’s research while the writing style was reminiscent of his personal humbleness and innate desire to avoid the spotlight. All true scholars and fans of the national pastime need to read this book - Walter Johnson would have given it 5 stars, as have I.
August 25, 2019
Thorough chronicle of baseball's side-winding flame-throwing Hall of Fame pitcher written by his grandson. A portrait of America in the first quarter of the 20th century.
April 25, 2024
Really loved learning about this new hero. Great man who was very humble and an excellent baseball player. Would be cool to learn more about baseball history in Weiser, ID...where he played before joining the Senators. 1924 World Series was highlight and if there were any footage of the 1925 World Series final game...would be cool to see. Absolute weather abomination that killed it for Washington.
A few highlights:
1. p. 99: [Nick] Altrock's deadly pickoff move brought him one of the oddest records when he won a game in 1906 without throwing a pitch. Coming in with two out in the top of the ninth inning, his first throw was a successful pickoff for the third out. The White Sox then scored two runs in the bottom half for the victory.
2. p. 145: Johnson, 1924: We were playing a series in Detroit some years ago and Ty asked me to take a spin in his new automobile. Driving out over the Grand Boulevard, the temptation to speed was strong and Cobb stepped on the gas. A motor copy soon flagged us and filled out one of those unwelcome invitations to meet the traffic judge. Cobb took it like a good sport and just as we were starting up, yelled at the officer "Here, you were pretty decent about it, even if you did give us a ticket. Take these," and he handed the officer two tickets for that day's game. Thus surprised and embarrassed, the policeman said that on second thought, he would tear up the court summons. "You go out there and knock two home runs this afternoon and we'll call it square," was his final warning.
When the game started, I saw the motor copy sitting in a grandstand box, apparently with his best girl. Along about the sixth inning, Washington was ahead and I hollered to Cobb: "That cop's up there waiting for those home runs. Better hurry or he'll pinch you again." Cobb came through all right and drove the ball out of the park in the seventh inning. When he came up again in the ninth he looked over toward me and pointed toward the traffic officer. Then he shouted, so everybody in the grandstand heard: "If I don't get another one, you can phone for the wagon." No one but the cop and myself appreciated Ty's remark, but just the same, he caught hold of the first ball pitched and planted it up in the right field bleachers for his second home run of the day.
...
"He was always willing to fight to win," Johnson said, "but I don't believe Cobb ever picked a fight just for the sake of a row. Leave him alone and treat him right and he : is all you expect to find in a well-mannered Southern gentleman. But start something unfair and you'll get a fight-whether you're a ballplayer or a taxicab driver! It didn't take me long to size him up as a hot-headed young fellow who didn't mean half the things he said."
...
Nor did Cobb ever go into a base with the intention to do harm, according to Johnson. "The rules of baseball say that the runner has the right-of-way going to a base and Cobb demanded that right in its fullest sense," he said.
3. p. 147: pitching stories about Johnson. Casey Stengel tells a story about his first and only appearance at bat against the "fireball king" in an exhibition game one Fall. "I walked up to the plate," said Casey, "and stood ready with my trusty bludgeon. Johnson made a pitching motion, the ump called a strike and I stood there. The same thing happened on strike two. When Walter cocked his arm again, I threw my bat down and went back to the bench."
"Come back here, you blind fathead," the ump yelled. "He threw that last ball to first base."
"That's all right" I yelled from the bench. "I didn't see the other two either."
...
Ray Chapman was the hitter for the Cleveland Indians on a day in 1915. First one, then another blurred streak of white hissed past Chapman's cocked but motionless bat and pounded into the mitt of catcher Eddie Ainsmith.
"Strike two," intoned umpire Billy Evans. Suddenly, Chapman tossed the bat away and started toward the Cleveland bench.
"That's only strike two," yelled Evans. Chapman didn't even break stride as he said to Evans over his shoulder,
"I know it. You can have the next one. It won't do me any good."
4. p. 165: I still remember the first time I faced Walter Johnson. He rears back and whizzes two strikes past me so fast I didn't have time to figure out what to do. They talk about a batter being slow to get his bat off his shoulder. I didn't have time to even think about swinging. Johnson winds up again and wham, another one zips past me. I didn't know what it was or where it was, high or low, inside or outside. I look back at the umpire to see if I'm out on strikes.
"Take your base," he says. I don't know what he's talking about.
"What for?," I ask.
"He hit you with that last pitch," says the umpire. I look so puzzled he takes pity on me.
"So you don't think he hit you," he says. "Well, tell me this: do you always wear your cap the way you're wearing it now?" I reach up and fell for my cap. The bill is turned clear around on the side where Johnson's last pitch had clipped it.
5. p. 250: I was never swept by the Easter story until I saw the seventh game of the World's Series. I have seen Osiris die in the darkness and come back from his cavern into the sunlight to conquer. Mithra, Adonis, Krishna, Atlas, Hercules-all these I take to be symbols of the human spirit, and so without incongruity I may add Walter Johnson to the list. To see him throw the ball past the clubs of Giants was to be consoled with the thought of the might of man and the manner in which he may overcome all the forces of frailty if only he can get his soul and shoulders into living. And the legend was the more glamorous because of the fact that Johnson is primarily a fastball pitcher. In Olympus there is no change of pace. Johnson earned his place among the mighty myths because his weapon was not guile but power.
Accordingly it was tragic to see Johnson falter and fail. The reasons for that failure were familiar to us all. The grasp of man is never quite up to shi reach. The body lags behind the will. There is no tick of time in the inner places where our wishes dwell. Then he took a rest of one day and returned with all his prowess. He returned for a little while as the Walter Johnson of ten years ago. The stone had been rolled away. I do not know a rational explanation, and so I think it is fair for me to call this happening, which I saw, a miracle. But though it was a miracle, it is also a universal principle in the emotional life of mankind. The road from the top down to despair is long, but the return may be no more than a night's journey. Every one of us is born again. We die in failure, and out of nothing, out of this very bleakness, we make for ourselves a new morning, a new hope, and a new strength.
Billy Sunday is welcome to whatever consolation of immortality he can find ina hymn tunes and sermons, but when I want to reassure myself that the soul of man is too staunch to die, I will remember that Walter Johnson struck out George Kelly with one out and a runner on third base. (Heywood Broun, New York World, October 11, 1924).
A few highlights:
1. p. 99: [Nick] Altrock's deadly pickoff move brought him one of the oddest records when he won a game in 1906 without throwing a pitch. Coming in with two out in the top of the ninth inning, his first throw was a successful pickoff for the third out. The White Sox then scored two runs in the bottom half for the victory.
2. p. 145: Johnson, 1924: We were playing a series in Detroit some years ago and Ty asked me to take a spin in his new automobile. Driving out over the Grand Boulevard, the temptation to speed was strong and Cobb stepped on the gas. A motor copy soon flagged us and filled out one of those unwelcome invitations to meet the traffic judge. Cobb took it like a good sport and just as we were starting up, yelled at the officer "Here, you were pretty decent about it, even if you did give us a ticket. Take these," and he handed the officer two tickets for that day's game. Thus surprised and embarrassed, the policeman said that on second thought, he would tear up the court summons. "You go out there and knock two home runs this afternoon and we'll call it square," was his final warning.
When the game started, I saw the motor copy sitting in a grandstand box, apparently with his best girl. Along about the sixth inning, Washington was ahead and I hollered to Cobb: "That cop's up there waiting for those home runs. Better hurry or he'll pinch you again." Cobb came through all right and drove the ball out of the park in the seventh inning. When he came up again in the ninth he looked over toward me and pointed toward the traffic officer. Then he shouted, so everybody in the grandstand heard: "If I don't get another one, you can phone for the wagon." No one but the cop and myself appreciated Ty's remark, but just the same, he caught hold of the first ball pitched and planted it up in the right field bleachers for his second home run of the day.
...
"He was always willing to fight to win," Johnson said, "but I don't believe Cobb ever picked a fight just for the sake of a row. Leave him alone and treat him right and he : is all you expect to find in a well-mannered Southern gentleman. But start something unfair and you'll get a fight-whether you're a ballplayer or a taxicab driver! It didn't take me long to size him up as a hot-headed young fellow who didn't mean half the things he said."
...
Nor did Cobb ever go into a base with the intention to do harm, according to Johnson. "The rules of baseball say that the runner has the right-of-way going to a base and Cobb demanded that right in its fullest sense," he said.
3. p. 147: pitching stories about Johnson. Casey Stengel tells a story about his first and only appearance at bat against the "fireball king" in an exhibition game one Fall. "I walked up to the plate," said Casey, "and stood ready with my trusty bludgeon. Johnson made a pitching motion, the ump called a strike and I stood there. The same thing happened on strike two. When Walter cocked his arm again, I threw my bat down and went back to the bench."
"Come back here, you blind fathead," the ump yelled. "He threw that last ball to first base."
"That's all right" I yelled from the bench. "I didn't see the other two either."
...
Ray Chapman was the hitter for the Cleveland Indians on a day in 1915. First one, then another blurred streak of white hissed past Chapman's cocked but motionless bat and pounded into the mitt of catcher Eddie Ainsmith.
"Strike two," intoned umpire Billy Evans. Suddenly, Chapman tossed the bat away and started toward the Cleveland bench.
"That's only strike two," yelled Evans. Chapman didn't even break stride as he said to Evans over his shoulder,
"I know it. You can have the next one. It won't do me any good."
4. p. 165: I still remember the first time I faced Walter Johnson. He rears back and whizzes two strikes past me so fast I didn't have time to figure out what to do. They talk about a batter being slow to get his bat off his shoulder. I didn't have time to even think about swinging. Johnson winds up again and wham, another one zips past me. I didn't know what it was or where it was, high or low, inside or outside. I look back at the umpire to see if I'm out on strikes.
"Take your base," he says. I don't know what he's talking about.
"What for?," I ask.
"He hit you with that last pitch," says the umpire. I look so puzzled he takes pity on me.
"So you don't think he hit you," he says. "Well, tell me this: do you always wear your cap the way you're wearing it now?" I reach up and fell for my cap. The bill is turned clear around on the side where Johnson's last pitch had clipped it.
5. p. 250: I was never swept by the Easter story until I saw the seventh game of the World's Series. I have seen Osiris die in the darkness and come back from his cavern into the sunlight to conquer. Mithra, Adonis, Krishna, Atlas, Hercules-all these I take to be symbols of the human spirit, and so without incongruity I may add Walter Johnson to the list. To see him throw the ball past the clubs of Giants was to be consoled with the thought of the might of man and the manner in which he may overcome all the forces of frailty if only he can get his soul and shoulders into living. And the legend was the more glamorous because of the fact that Johnson is primarily a fastball pitcher. In Olympus there is no change of pace. Johnson earned his place among the mighty myths because his weapon was not guile but power.
Accordingly it was tragic to see Johnson falter and fail. The reasons for that failure were familiar to us all. The grasp of man is never quite up to shi reach. The body lags behind the will. There is no tick of time in the inner places where our wishes dwell. Then he took a rest of one day and returned with all his prowess. He returned for a little while as the Walter Johnson of ten years ago. The stone had been rolled away. I do not know a rational explanation, and so I think it is fair for me to call this happening, which I saw, a miracle. But though it was a miracle, it is also a universal principle in the emotional life of mankind. The road from the top down to despair is long, but the return may be no more than a night's journey. Every one of us is born again. We die in failure, and out of nothing, out of this very bleakness, we make for ourselves a new morning, a new hope, and a new strength.
Billy Sunday is welcome to whatever consolation of immortality he can find ina hymn tunes and sermons, but when I want to reassure myself that the soul of man is too staunch to die, I will remember that Walter Johnson struck out George Kelly with one out and a runner on third base. (Heywood Broun, New York World, October 11, 1924).
July 6, 2024
4 stars
Most people thought Walter Johnson was the greatest, fastest pitcher of all-time ... even 50 years after he retired from the game.
I didn't know a lot about the specifics of his career, but he played against people like Ty Cobb and Babe Ruth when all three were in their prime. (All three were elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame's illustrious first class.) Unlike his most famous foes – both friends – Johnson shied away from the limelight, controversy, alcohol, and loose women.
He was a family man who played for some really bad teams. Sportswriter Charley Dryden used to joke about the Washington Senators: “First in war, first in peace, and last in the American League.”
His grandson, the author Henry W. Thomas, had an awfully tough assignment. He had several family scrapbooks and relatives to draw on, but all of the stories were so nice. This book could have been sickeningly sweet and boring, but it wasn't. It was great.
It's faint praise to say it was "better than expected," but still.
Most people thought Walter Johnson was the greatest, fastest pitcher of all-time ... even 50 years after he retired from the game.
I didn't know a lot about the specifics of his career, but he played against people like Ty Cobb and Babe Ruth when all three were in their prime. (All three were elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame's illustrious first class.) Unlike his most famous foes – both friends – Johnson shied away from the limelight, controversy, alcohol, and loose women.
He was a family man who played for some really bad teams. Sportswriter Charley Dryden used to joke about the Washington Senators: “First in war, first in peace, and last in the American League.”
His grandson, the author Henry W. Thomas, had an awfully tough assignment. He had several family scrapbooks and relatives to draw on, but all of the stories were so nice. This book could have been sickeningly sweet and boring, but it wasn't. It was great.
It's faint praise to say it was "better than expected," but still.
June 19, 2024
You can also see this review, along with others I have written, at my new blog, Mr. Book's Book Reviews.
Mr. Book just finished Walter Johnson: Baseball’s Big Train, by Henry Thomas.
Walter Johnson was one of the greatest pitchers in baseball history. His 417 wins are second only to Cy Young’s 511, while he had a 2.17 career ERA. Johnson’s strikeout record was considered unbreakable until Nolan Ryan and Steve Carlton came along (his total has subsequently updated by Elias to be 3,515 instead of the 3,508 previously in the books). In 1936, Johnson became one of the five original members of the Hall of Fame.
The book did a great job covering Johnson’s brief minor league career. There were plenty of good stories ranging from his new suit being ruined by peanut butter and jelly sandwiches his mother made for him, and then packed with the suit, for his trip to meet his new team for the first time, him getting released by a manager who told him he’d make a better outfielder than pitcher, him making a name for himself in Idaho, a brawl his teammates were involved in early in his brief time in that state and then him being signed by the Washington Senators. Johnson was actually very reluctant to sign with them, since he lacked the confidence at the time to think he could make it on the east coast, but of course, he eventually did give it a try.
One of the great things about baseball and history books is all of the little tidbits that are in each of them. For example, I hadn’t known that despite Johnson losing his MLB debut to the Tigers, 3-2, he made such a great impression on them that Ty Cobb went to the team president Frank Navin and told him to buy Johnson immediately, “Even if he costs you $25,000, get him.” But, Navin was too frugal to even consider it. And I hadn’t known that, during his rookie season, one of his teammates tried to teach Johnson the spitball (which was legal at the time) but he couldn’t master it. Instead, Johnson perfected a changeup, which perfectly supplemented his incredible fastball.
In October 1910, the Washington Post had a headline about a rumored Johnson for Ty Cobb trade. The next day, Navin denied it saying the Senators would never consider any offer for him and Johnson was “in my opinion the best pitcher n the country, and doubly valuable because he is so young.”
One very common theme of both Johnson’s career and of the book was how, for most of Johnson’s career, as great as he was, his teams were not good at all. During his career, they were 150 games above .500 when Johnson pitched, compared to 199 games under .500 when he didn’t.
The author also includes clippings from articles written by journalists of the day throughout the book. The book also does a good job covering what kind of man Johnson was off the field.
Some more highlights of the book was a discussion of the Federal League’s attempt to sign Johnson, his relationship with Ty Cobb and the Senators consecutive pennants in 1924-25. The Senators won the World Series in 1924 before becoming the first team in World Series history to blow a 3-1 lead and lose the series.
I give this book an A+. Goodreads requires grades on a 1-5 star system. In my personal conversion system, an A+ equates to 5 stars. (A or A+: 5 stars, B+: 4 stars, B: 3 stars, C: 2 stars, D or F: 1 star).
This review has been posted at my blog, Mr. Book’s Book Reviews, and Goodreads.
Mr. Book originally finished reading this on June 19, 2024.
Mr. Book just finished Walter Johnson: Baseball’s Big Train, by Henry Thomas.
Walter Johnson was one of the greatest pitchers in baseball history. His 417 wins are second only to Cy Young’s 511, while he had a 2.17 career ERA. Johnson’s strikeout record was considered unbreakable until Nolan Ryan and Steve Carlton came along (his total has subsequently updated by Elias to be 3,515 instead of the 3,508 previously in the books). In 1936, Johnson became one of the five original members of the Hall of Fame.
The book did a great job covering Johnson’s brief minor league career. There were plenty of good stories ranging from his new suit being ruined by peanut butter and jelly sandwiches his mother made for him, and then packed with the suit, for his trip to meet his new team for the first time, him getting released by a manager who told him he’d make a better outfielder than pitcher, him making a name for himself in Idaho, a brawl his teammates were involved in early in his brief time in that state and then him being signed by the Washington Senators. Johnson was actually very reluctant to sign with them, since he lacked the confidence at the time to think he could make it on the east coast, but of course, he eventually did give it a try.
One of the great things about baseball and history books is all of the little tidbits that are in each of them. For example, I hadn’t known that despite Johnson losing his MLB debut to the Tigers, 3-2, he made such a great impression on them that Ty Cobb went to the team president Frank Navin and told him to buy Johnson immediately, “Even if he costs you $25,000, get him.” But, Navin was too frugal to even consider it. And I hadn’t known that, during his rookie season, one of his teammates tried to teach Johnson the spitball (which was legal at the time) but he couldn’t master it. Instead, Johnson perfected a changeup, which perfectly supplemented his incredible fastball.
In October 1910, the Washington Post had a headline about a rumored Johnson for Ty Cobb trade. The next day, Navin denied it saying the Senators would never consider any offer for him and Johnson was “in my opinion the best pitcher n the country, and doubly valuable because he is so young.”
One very common theme of both Johnson’s career and of the book was how, for most of Johnson’s career, as great as he was, his teams were not good at all. During his career, they were 150 games above .500 when Johnson pitched, compared to 199 games under .500 when he didn’t.
The author also includes clippings from articles written by journalists of the day throughout the book. The book also does a good job covering what kind of man Johnson was off the field.
Some more highlights of the book was a discussion of the Federal League’s attempt to sign Johnson, his relationship with Ty Cobb and the Senators consecutive pennants in 1924-25. The Senators won the World Series in 1924 before becoming the first team in World Series history to blow a 3-1 lead and lose the series.
I give this book an A+. Goodreads requires grades on a 1-5 star system. In my personal conversion system, an A+ equates to 5 stars. (A or A+: 5 stars, B+: 4 stars, B: 3 stars, C: 2 stars, D or F: 1 star).
This review has been posted at my blog, Mr. Book’s Book Reviews, and Goodreads.
Mr. Book originally finished reading this on June 19, 2024.
March 12, 2023
Enjoyable and very thorough read on one of the all-time greats in baseball history.
Written by Walter Johnson's grandson, this biography was compelling enough. I'm someone who knows a little bit about the game's early 20th-century history but is far from an expert. This being the case, there are times when the many, many names and personalities listed and discussed stirred little in me. There does seem to be a bit of an assumption of familiarity on the author Henry's part that the reader is fairly well-versed on Major League Baseball's better players from the 1900s through the 1920s. Though I'm not totally ignorant of the bigger names, many of those brought up in the book had little to no meaning to me. A better-versed baseball historian would get more out of these. For me, they made the book a bit dry at times, especially when coupled with the very, very detailed walk through certain segments of Walter Johnson's long playing career.
That aside, this book offered me just about everything that I was looking for, as someone who wanted to know more about the man who has been considered one of the absolute greatest pitchers in the 140-year history of Major League Baseball. Thomas goes way beyond the baseball diamond, giving plenty of information about Johnson the man and why he was universally beloved as a decent human being who had barely a taint of anything controversial or distasteful about him. Perhaps this doesn't make him the most dramatic or compelling figure in the history of a game filled with talented-but-flawed players, but it certainly greatly reinforced the respect I had for him before reading.
I certainly recommend this one to anyone with some interest in the baseball era of 1900 to 1930, and it's a must-read for anyone with a real passion for that time in the sport's history.
Written by Walter Johnson's grandson, this biography was compelling enough. I'm someone who knows a little bit about the game's early 20th-century history but is far from an expert. This being the case, there are times when the many, many names and personalities listed and discussed stirred little in me. There does seem to be a bit of an assumption of familiarity on the author Henry's part that the reader is fairly well-versed on Major League Baseball's better players from the 1900s through the 1920s. Though I'm not totally ignorant of the bigger names, many of those brought up in the book had little to no meaning to me. A better-versed baseball historian would get more out of these. For me, they made the book a bit dry at times, especially when coupled with the very, very detailed walk through certain segments of Walter Johnson's long playing career.
That aside, this book offered me just about everything that I was looking for, as someone who wanted to know more about the man who has been considered one of the absolute greatest pitchers in the 140-year history of Major League Baseball. Thomas goes way beyond the baseball diamond, giving plenty of information about Johnson the man and why he was universally beloved as a decent human being who had barely a taint of anything controversial or distasteful about him. Perhaps this doesn't make him the most dramatic or compelling figure in the history of a game filled with talented-but-flawed players, but it certainly greatly reinforced the respect I had for him before reading.
I certainly recommend this one to anyone with some interest in the baseball era of 1900 to 1930, and it's a must-read for anyone with a real passion for that time in the sport's history.
June 10, 2019
A great tribute to another one of baseball's greats. I have always been so heartbroken about how his career ended with such a bad ending after having an amazing career. It would have been awesome to see him play. It would be awesome even to see footage of a game from back then.
This book goes into great details about his life, both on and off the field. It refers to many relationships among the ballplayers of the time. It covers some of the ins and outs of baseball rules and some of the changes that occurred during his playing years that are still part of the game today.
Some parts of the book get very detailed into play by play reporting of some historic games. Some readers may tire of that. I loved it. It got me as close as it could to actually being there. It was so close to actually sitting in the front room and listening to the game call on the radio, as so many others surely did.
I was also fascinated with the many newspaper articles that were quoted in the book. It makes me smile how the writers recapped games and some of the quotes they included from those times.
This audiobook has many references from Grantland Rice, famed sports writer from this era. The clips used here make me really want a book of Grantland Rice articles.
Anyway, I do not imaging this book having any appeal to non baseball fans, but anyone that has interest in baseball history and the players of the 1920's give or take, should surely read or listen to this one. I gave it 4 stars only because it didn't blow me away, but I thoroughly enjoyed the book.
This book goes into great details about his life, both on and off the field. It refers to many relationships among the ballplayers of the time. It covers some of the ins and outs of baseball rules and some of the changes that occurred during his playing years that are still part of the game today.
Some parts of the book get very detailed into play by play reporting of some historic games. Some readers may tire of that. I loved it. It got me as close as it could to actually being there. It was so close to actually sitting in the front room and listening to the game call on the radio, as so many others surely did.
I was also fascinated with the many newspaper articles that were quoted in the book. It makes me smile how the writers recapped games and some of the quotes they included from those times.
This audiobook has many references from Grantland Rice, famed sports writer from this era. The clips used here make me really want a book of Grantland Rice articles.
Anyway, I do not imaging this book having any appeal to non baseball fans, but anyone that has interest in baseball history and the players of the 1920's give or take, should surely read or listen to this one. I gave it 4 stars only because it didn't blow me away, but I thoroughly enjoyed the book.
July 6, 2020
Over the past 60 years I have read many books (100+) about baseball. These books include biographies, statistical abstracts, traditions, and regional baseball histories. Today I finished reading the best of all baseball books. The book is “Walter Johnson: Baseball’s Big Train.” The author is Walter Johnson’s grandson Henry W. Thomas. He published his grandfather’s biography through University of Nebraska Press in 1998. Walter was born in Humbolt, Kansas in 1887 and died from brain cancer 59 years later in 1946. He played town baseball as a phenom pitcher into his early 20’s; and was discovered by the major league Washington Nationals where he pitched from 1907 to 1927. Following his pitching career, he managed major league teams for 7 years. During his pitching career, he won 417 games, pitched 5,419 innings, struck out 3,500 batters, faced 21,649 batters, and amassed over 68 records. His fastballl was blinding, his field presence electrifying, and his sportsmanship was impeccable. Walter defined what it means to be a legend. His grandson’s biography puts the reader into the present moment as Walter brings a last place team to the top of the baseball mountain by winning the 1924 World Series. His life story is amazing. (P)
August 24, 2023
I listened to a digital audio version of Walter Johnson: Baseball's big train. Before listening to this book I knew that Walter Johnson was a baseball pitcher. That's all I knew.
I think the audio book I listened to was 17 hours or so so this is not a short book that I could quickly listen to but, I did not mind.
I found it interesting to listen to house Walter ended up in the major leagues and hearing about all the different players he played with and against as a member of the Senators. I had not heard of most of them. Though I had heard of players like Babe Ruth, Tris speaker, Ty Cobb.
And it was also interesting to learn about his wife and kids since I had no idea he had either. One of his sons was also a pitcher for a little bit.
Two things I found interesting about him are that he liked farming and hunting. And another thing I liked about Walter Johnson is that he was a nice guy.
Anyway I found Walter Johnson: Baseballs big train to be an interesting book about an interesting man. And it makes me want to listen to more biographies about players who played around the same time as he did.
I think the audio book I listened to was 17 hours or so so this is not a short book that I could quickly listen to but, I did not mind.
I found it interesting to listen to house Walter ended up in the major leagues and hearing about all the different players he played with and against as a member of the Senators. I had not heard of most of them. Though I had heard of players like Babe Ruth, Tris speaker, Ty Cobb.
And it was also interesting to learn about his wife and kids since I had no idea he had either. One of his sons was also a pitcher for a little bit.
Two things I found interesting about him are that he liked farming and hunting. And another thing I liked about Walter Johnson is that he was a nice guy.
Anyway I found Walter Johnson: Baseballs big train to be an interesting book about an interesting man. And it makes me want to listen to more biographies about players who played around the same time as he did.
August 25, 2025
I'm very interested in the all-time greats that played so long ago (pre 1950s). They seem more like legends than men. This was from a time when baseball was everything, where sports heroes were bigger than any Brady or Lebron of our time (at least it seems that way). Walter Johnson is the rare exception of players in his era where he is still spoken about, though not frequently. Perhaps because he played for mostly bad teams and his whole career on a franchise that no longer exists, he is someone that is less remembered than he should be. Regardless, this biography is very comprehensive and gives a good account of Johnson as a man and player. The praise of his contempories is so effusive it almost feels like hero worship at times, but it seems he really was the utmost quality of man and athlete. Sometimes I felt like the book was a bit too in the weeds and could have been briefer but it's incredibly detailed and I quite enjoyed hearing the names and stories of all the old time legends of the game.
August 30, 2025
Was always curious on how fast Johnson really was (especially compared to the pitchers today) and always interested in a baseball history bio. It’s basically a yearly account of Johnson’s career, so it does get a bit repetitive at times. However, there isn’t much written about him since he wasn’t larger than life and also played for Washington. The author is his grandson and had access to many things others wouldn’t as well. Incredibly researched, especially since it was written in 1995 when the Internet wasn’t the Internet of today. I think he did a great job of describing Johnson, the person, as well as his career.
Was Johnson the best ever? He played in white only leagues and the competition is so much better since then. I’ll just say that I think he was one of the top two of his era (Lefty Grove being the other). I’m pretty confident he was the fastest pitcher back then as well, by far.
Was Johnson the best ever? He played in white only leagues and the competition is so much better since then. I’ll just say that I think he was one of the top two of his era (Lefty Grove being the other). I’m pretty confident he was the fastest pitcher back then as well, by far.
June 9, 2020
What a marvelous baseball biography. In general, if, when you get to the end of a bio you feel a little sad to say goodbye, then you know you've read about a decent person. In this case, also a great player. I did more than recommend this book to a friend with whom I attended Nationals games by sending him a copy. For now, this bio makes up for not being able to attend and games this year due to COVID-19. (An historical side note: Johnson played during the Spanish flu pandemic 100 years ago. Although the league worried about the potential affect of that pandemic on the 1918 season, what ultimately did affect players and game attendance was the number of men recruited to serve in U.S. Army toward the end of the First World War.)
For a truly good review, see Luke Koran's, the first listed for this title.
For a truly good review, see Luke Koran's, the first listed for this title.
January 24, 2023
A wonderful read about Walter Johnson, a Kansan, a MLB pitcher, and a member of the first class inducted into the Hall of Fame at Coopertown. Many believe the Walter Johnson may have been the greatest pitcher in baseball history, and he very well maybe. He left baseball - not because of his arm but because of his legs. He could have made more records, but he had control of his fast balls and did not want to hit a player. He was truly an upstanding man, and his contemporaries such as Babe Ruth speak highly of him. He was a man of character, and a great ball player.
How did I find this book. I was looking for something on Hoopla and this jumped up. I love baseball and trying to learn more about the heart of the game - the players. I don't want the stats - I want the stories.
How did I find this book. I was looking for something on Hoopla and this jumped up. I love baseball and trying to learn more about the heart of the game - the players. I don't want the stats - I want the stories.
October 13, 2021
A very well researched book on one of the greatest pitchers of all time, if not the best, Walter "The Big Train) Johnson. Johnson won over 400 career games between 1907 and `1927 for a team that constantly finished in the bottom division of the American League. Johnson was a kind and shy man and that is described in this book. His whole career is discussed, but four long chapters take up the 1924 and 1925 seasons (I won't ruin what happens). Sometimes the book can be a little dry just because the Senators were pretty bad without many stars for a while. But this is the definitive book on the Big Train. Well done, Henry Thomas. A must for old baseball fans.
August 13, 2019
This was a very detailed biography to a point of fault at some times. It was so comprehensive of every single minor detail of his baseball career, seemingly highlighting every game, which seemed unnecessary at times. It would've been great if the author narrowed his scope a bit, hit the highlights and showed readers the most important points of his life. A good example of this would be the Lou Gerhig biography :)
Overall it was a good book though and I enjoyed it.
Overall it was a good book though and I enjoyed it.
September 29, 2025
The book Walter Johnson is an outstanding read. The author is a grandson of his named Henry W Thomas.
Not only was Walter Johnson a great baseball player, but he was a great person as well.
His statistics are incredible. He pitched 110 shut outs and lost 26 games by the score of one to nothing. He won 417 games.
I am convinced that he is the best pitcher in the history of the game. He was also a very popular role model.
Not only was Walter Johnson a great baseball player, but he was a great person as well.
His statistics are incredible. He pitched 110 shut outs and lost 26 games by the score of one to nothing. He won 417 games.
I am convinced that he is the best pitcher in the history of the game. He was also a very popular role model.
May 9, 2020
Walter Johnson was wayyyyy before my following of baseball. He was one of baseball’s good guys. A gentleman and great pitcher. It is nice to read a book about a former athlete that was a good person, cared for the game and didn’t cause problems. He was a great example.
June 28, 2020
Solid work. Nothing flashy about it, but clearly professionally written. As one interested in baseball in Idaho as well as one of America's more obscure baseball franchises, I found the book informative and well-placed. A good book for fans of baseball history.
November 17, 2016
I don't think I read this start to finish. More like a few chapters here and there. Great insight on one of baseball historically great pitchers and the Washington franchise in general.
November 27, 2019
Interesting read for Washington baseball fans. Particularly interesting is the description of the 1924 WS winning season. There are some interesting parallels to the 2019 season.
October 10, 2020
4.5 stars.
February 6, 2021
Definitive book about the greatest pitcher who ever played. The only drawback is that it is a slow read. I’d give it 4.5 stars.
June 7, 2021
Enjoyed this book thoroughly
October 30, 2017
Perhaps the most detailed biography I've ever read.
June 15, 2015
The hard part about reviewing a biography like Henry W. Thomas' "Walter Johnson: Baseball's Big Train" is whether to grade it based on the scholarship or the subject. I'm going to split the difference here.
There's a reason why this is still the go-to book on Johnson, who was at the very least the top pitcher of the 1910s despite pitching for the largely dysfunctional Washington Senators. It's because no stone is left un-turned, everything's annotated, footnoted, cross-references. It's just perfect.
The problem, really, is that there's just not much meat to Johnson. He's a nice guy, and the problem with nice guys is that they're also a little dull to read about.
If you're going to read 300-plus pages on Walter Johnson, it has to be because you are really interested in knowing as much as possible about one of the Deadball Era's top arms. Those interested in the history of D.C. baseball would also find a great deal of interest in this work.
Put simple, this book belongs on the shelves of anybody who considers themselves an aficionado of baseball history. Those who aren't in that camp might do well to maintain their distance. There's not much intermingling of baseball history with American history from that era. It's really focused on Johnson and the Nationals with very little to say about what went on in the world outside that tiny sphere, giving it the lack of depth that, say, Cait Murphy's "Crazy '08s" has.
Still, if you're really interest in any of these 3 subjects - Walter Johnson, the Deadball Era, the Washington Senators - I'd highly recommend it.
There's a reason why this is still the go-to book on Johnson, who was at the very least the top pitcher of the 1910s despite pitching for the largely dysfunctional Washington Senators. It's because no stone is left un-turned, everything's annotated, footnoted, cross-references. It's just perfect.
The problem, really, is that there's just not much meat to Johnson. He's a nice guy, and the problem with nice guys is that they're also a little dull to read about.
If you're going to read 300-plus pages on Walter Johnson, it has to be because you are really interested in knowing as much as possible about one of the Deadball Era's top arms. Those interested in the history of D.C. baseball would also find a great deal of interest in this work.
Put simple, this book belongs on the shelves of anybody who considers themselves an aficionado of baseball history. Those who aren't in that camp might do well to maintain their distance. There's not much intermingling of baseball history with American history from that era. It's really focused on Johnson and the Nationals with very little to say about what went on in the world outside that tiny sphere, giving it the lack of depth that, say, Cait Murphy's "Crazy '08s" has.
Still, if you're really interest in any of these 3 subjects - Walter Johnson, the Deadball Era, the Washington Senators - I'd highly recommend it.
January 4, 2010
I found this book to be a fairly enjoyable, easy read. It is, however, nothing more than that.
IMHO, the book has two shortcomings: First, it gets repetitive. As eash season is briefly summarized, I began to feel the story really wasn't going in a new, interesting direction. Second shortcoming, Walter Johnson was likeable, and while being likeable is good, perhaps Johnson was too likeable to be an interesting central character. Unlike Babe Ruth or Jack Dempsey, Johnson had no flaws - at least in this book - that made him more human, more like someone I could identify with. Furthermore, in the book Johnson never struggled to overcome anything - a pitching or character defect, for example - on his road to baseball greatness. This book, therefore, is not inspiring.
Perhaps Mr. Thomas, Walter Johnson's grandson, is too biased to see flaws in Johnson. Perhaps not.
Assuming Walter Johnson was so defect-free, what I believe would have improved this biography would have been to place Johnson against a much more vivid, evolving background of America and the world of professional baseball.
IMHO, the book has two shortcomings: First, it gets repetitive. As eash season is briefly summarized, I began to feel the story really wasn't going in a new, interesting direction. Second shortcoming, Walter Johnson was likeable, and while being likeable is good, perhaps Johnson was too likeable to be an interesting central character. Unlike Babe Ruth or Jack Dempsey, Johnson had no flaws - at least in this book - that made him more human, more like someone I could identify with. Furthermore, in the book Johnson never struggled to overcome anything - a pitching or character defect, for example - on his road to baseball greatness. This book, therefore, is not inspiring.
Perhaps Mr. Thomas, Walter Johnson's grandson, is too biased to see flaws in Johnson. Perhaps not.
Assuming Walter Johnson was so defect-free, what I believe would have improved this biography would have been to place Johnson against a much more vivid, evolving background of America and the world of professional baseball.
January 20, 2009
Really well-researched book about the greatest pitcher of all time. I found myself with my thumbs holding the page open and my right index finger holding my place in the end notes, because they frequently had tangential info or anecdotes I didn't want to miss. In fact, I'm surprised some of what was in the end notes didn't make it into the main text.
The book also makes me wonder why nobody ever copied Johnson's mechanics, and it didn't address that at all. Not only was he certainly throwing 100+ mph, but it didn't seem to hurt his arm. His motion used his body perfectly so as to not damage it - one time he pitched three games in four days with no ill effects. Further, the very effortless look probably made the pitches seem even faster - nobody expects a sidearm pitch coming from a guy who looks like he's playing catch to come in with a hiss and a snap in the glove described as 'the crack of a rifle.'
The book also makes me wonder why nobody ever copied Johnson's mechanics, and it didn't address that at all. Not only was he certainly throwing 100+ mph, but it didn't seem to hurt his arm. His motion used his body perfectly so as to not damage it - one time he pitched three games in four days with no ill effects. Further, the very effortless look probably made the pitches seem even faster - nobody expects a sidearm pitch coming from a guy who looks like he's playing catch to come in with a hiss and a snap in the glove described as 'the crack of a rifle.'
March 22, 2009
I love the early stories about baseball, both from the formative years and in the 20s through 50s...the iconic nature of the heroes, such as Walter Johnson. As a Washington Senators fan, this book had many great things about the team.
The central figure, of course, is Walter Johnson. He was certainly one of the two or three best right handed pitchers of all time. He was also one of the most beloved figures in baseball, clearly friends with all players, including Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb...not an easy duo to befriend.
for those not infatuated with Senators baseball, the stories about the 1924 World Series is still one for the ages...clearly one of the most dramatic series ever contested.
The central figure, of course, is Walter Johnson. He was certainly one of the two or three best right handed pitchers of all time. He was also one of the most beloved figures in baseball, clearly friends with all players, including Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb...not an easy duo to befriend.
for those not infatuated with Senators baseball, the stories about the 1924 World Series is still one for the ages...clearly one of the most dramatic series ever contested.
February 8, 2011
It must be tough to write an interesting biography about a nice guy, who
was rarely embroiled in any kind of controversy. Henry Thomas, Walter
Johnson's grandson, was able to do just that. He also managed to avoid the
trap that many baseball books fall into: a lot of play-by-play recaps that
eventually become mind-numbing. Thomas knew to choose his moments about
when to drill down to the details, most effectively in Chapter 14, which
describes Johnson's pitching in the final game of the 1924 World Series, a
very nicely written chapter.
I very much enjoy a good book about baseball in the early 20th Century,
and this book certainly falls into that category. Well-written,
well-researched, well-documented, and well-illustrated.
was rarely embroiled in any kind of controversy. Henry Thomas, Walter
Johnson's grandson, was able to do just that. He also managed to avoid the
trap that many baseball books fall into: a lot of play-by-play recaps that
eventually become mind-numbing. Thomas knew to choose his moments about
when to drill down to the details, most effectively in Chapter 14, which
describes Johnson's pitching in the final game of the 1924 World Series, a
very nicely written chapter.
I very much enjoy a good book about baseball in the early 20th Century,
and this book certainly falls into that category. Well-written,
well-researched, well-documented, and well-illustrated.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews