Baseball’s Greatest What If: The Story & Tragedy of the Brooklyn Dodgers' Pistol Pete Reiser

by Dan Joseph

In 1942, Pete Reiser was on the road to baseball superstardom. Then he crashed into a wall – an unpadded, concrete outfield wall as he tried to make a game-saving catch.

And for Pete, nothing was ever the same.

A year earlier, at age 22, he had won a batting title, a rookie of the year award and a pennant with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Sportswriters could not stop marveling at his skill set, highlighted by a keen batting eye, a rifle throwing arm and speed that whisked him from home to first in three-point-six seconds. Baseball men compared him to some of the game’s all-time greats, including Ty Cobb and Joe DiMaggio.

The crash shunted Pete onto a rockier path, one marked by headaches, mismanagement, hard luck and sadly, more collisions with outfield walls. He’d enjoy scattered triumphs on this road too, and win a place in baseball history as the man who spurred teams to install warning tracks and pad the walls.

But to this day, students of the game invoke his name when somebody asks, which player is baseball’s greatest what-if?

Dan Joseph believes Reiser is that player, and lays out his case in this groundbreaking new biography. The author examines old tales about Pete, ones where he allegedly fought off dizziness to slash game-winning hits. But Joseph digs deeper into Pete’s life and career to learn what made this extraordinary player risk his health, and his skull, for the sake of victory.

Genres: Baseball, Sports, Biography, History

414 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 7, 2021

About the author

Dan Joseph is a Washington-based journalist and author. A proud alumnus of the Indiana University School of Journalism, Dan has been an editor in the central newsroom at the Voice of America in Washington for nearly 20 years.

He is the author or co-author of four books, including "Behind the Yoi," a biography of legendary Pittsburgh Steelers broadcaster Myron Cope published in September 2024.

Dan is also a baseball historian and discovered the radio clip of Lou Gehrig saying that yes, Babe Ruth DID hit a "called shot" home run in the 1932 World Series. Look for the clip on YouTube.

Reviews

[Shay Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellently researched, informative, and entertaining biography of star-crossed baseball star Pete Reiser. Reiser played 80 year ago and would very possibly have become one of the game's biggest stars if he hadn't had such a reckless manner of playing. The resulting injuries derailed him. Reiser could hit, throw, run, and do it all at top level before he was even 23 years old. He is indeed, baseball's greatest What If?"

[Lance · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was much like Pete Reiner’s career. It started out fast with nothing but praise about the talented, almost superhuman presence of Pete Resier. It almost felt like hero worship - until his fateful collision with a wall in a 1942 game against the Cardinals.

That serious injury was not serious enough to keep him from being drafted during WWII, but was serious enough that he was never the same player again. He still generated a lot of respect - being walked in the ninth inning of the famous almost no hitter during the 1947 World Series is the best example. But that was the last bit of glory for Pete as he later floundered with the Braves, Pirates and Indians.

The tone of the book matches Pete's success on the field, even for his coaching career where he finally earned a championship with the 1963 Dodgers. It's still a decent book about one of the more intriguing "what if?" baseball stories.

[Lane · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting summary of Pete Riser's career. Has a nice balance of baseball stats and what happened to Riser with his injuries and WWII service and his interaction with management.
A good addition to any baseball collection, especially about the Dodgers.

[Edward Penfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pistol Pete captured and brought to life

Fascinating well written and documented recreation of a great but tragic baseball player. Reads almost like a novel with vivid details
and interesting sidelines. You will really understand the man and the times after reading.

[Michael Battista · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Original Wallbanger

Great book about a "What If" as baseball has had plenty of guys but this guy was an exception.
Sad he couldn't of had peace with the wall at Ebbets to have that stellar career

[Neil Fidler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read of Pistol Pete!

Outstanding biography of Brooklyn Dodgers legend Pete Reiser by Mr. Joseph. Well-researched and just an enjoyable read. What could have been for sure!

[Matthew Moeller · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's not really the kind of book you'd critique the writing on. His story is incredible and it's told well.

[Harold Kasselman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had always heard stories about "Pistol Pete" Reiser, but I wanted the whole story. If Leo Durocher, who played ball with Babe Ruth, managed Jackie Robinson, Willie Mays, Ernie Banks, and other greats can call Pete "the greatest player ever with the possible exception of Mays", this was a story I needed to read. Although the author doesn't provide much childhood background, it isn't really necessary because baseball was Pete's existence. We learn some aspects of Pete's life via his son-in law and daughter Shirley; his baseball contemporaries are all gone. But if you can believe the best baseball writers of the day, no other player was better than Pete until his career changed dramatically during a game in mid-season 1942. He crashed into a concrete wall at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn reaching and jumping for a ball off the bat of Enos Slaughter. That concussion was the first of multiple similar injuries which led to the gradual demise of Pete as a furure Hall of Fame five tool player. Dan Joseph, the author stresses that Reiser only knew one way to play the game. He was laser focused on the ball and was recklessly indifferent to his body. Even after his career, Reiser reaffirmed he would not have changed a thing about his play. But as a direct proximate cause of his style, Branch Rickey after several years yielded and built the first warning track in baseball, followed by some padding of the wall. I loved Joseph's description of the war years(Reiser was drafted for three critical years) because they mirrored his baseball years. Neither Durocher or Branch Rickey(or even Burt Shotten) ever tried to discourage Reiser from getting out of a hospital bed to play ball. Those were the days when ailments were "dogging it", even separated or dislocated shoulders. So too, despite army doctors who continually tried to discharge Reiser because of various ailments, the brass wanted him as a trophy. So, Reiser got no empathy from the army, and injuries continued to pile up. I also enjoyed the summaries of the 1941 pennant race, as well as the 1946 race that ultimately went to the Cardinals, in no small measure because of injuries to Reiser from wall crashing or a broken fibula. So, the premise of the book is "baseball's greatest what if's". What if Durocher or Rickey reigned him in from himself, showed some sympathy for their player rather than pushing him beyond his physical limits? Could he have been another Mays, Mantle, Dimaggio? He was rookie of the year, and came in second in MVP balloting in 1941, and won a batting title in 1941. Everyone will have their own answer, but writers and ball players of that era say he would have been one of the best of all time. Unfortunately, after the peak war years and the 1946 concussion, things were never to be. He did coach for fifteen years, something I was not aware of. The only fault with the book is that abruptly, the author stops his story and has a twenty six page chapter devoted to other players who fall into the "What If" category. It was unnecessary and too cursory even if relevant. But overall, I give this fine book a 4.5 rating.