Mike Torrez
A Baseball Biography
Published on 12. August 2016
Book
Paperback/Softback
268 pages
978-0-7864-9632-7 (ISBN)
Description
The history of baseball is filled with players whose careers were defined by one bad play. Mike Torrez is remembered as the pitcher who gave up the infamous three-run homer to Bucky "Bleeping" Dent in the 1978 playoffs tie-breaker between the Red Sox and Yankees. Yet Torrez's life added up to much more than his worst moment on the mound. Coming from a vibrant Mexican American community that settled in Topeka, Kansas, in the early 1900s, he made it to the Majors by his own talent and efforts, with the help of an athletic program for Mexican youth that spread through the Midwest, Texas and Mexico during the 20th century. He was in the middle of many transformative events of the 1970s--such as the rise of free agency--and was an ethnic role model in the years before the "Fernandomania" of 1981. This book covers Torrez's life and career as the winningest Mexican American pitcher in Major League history.
Reviews / Votes
"this is the first book to cover the entire career of Mike Torrez and contributes greatly to the literature on the Mexican-American experience of the twentieth century, against a backdrop of baseball. Overall, this is a good read for any baseball fan and a nice trip back through the decades of the 60s, 70s and 80s. Iber is a professional historian who knows how to conduct research and it shows"-Sport in American History; "should become a cornerstone in the historiography of Latino/a sport and the relationship between Latino/a ancestry and American identity"-Journal of Sport History; "a good read for any baseball fan and a nice trip back through the decades of the '60s, '70s and '80s. Iber is a professional historian who knows how to conduct research and it shows."-Doug Wilson Baseball Blogspot.More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Jefferson, NC
United States
Target group
Interest Age: From 18 years
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Illustrations
30 photos, notes, bibliography, index
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 15 mm
Weight
396 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-7864-9632-7 (9780786496327)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Jorge Iber is an associate dean and a professor of history at Texas Tech University in Lubbock. He is the author of numerous works on the role of Latinos and Latinas in U.S. sports.
Content
Table of Contents
Introduction: Mike Torrez, from the Barrios of Kansas to the Major Leagues and Beyond
1.?Riding the Rails and Shooting for Their Supper: Early Mexican American Life in Kansas, 1900-1950
2.?"Winning a Place on the Varsity Has No Attraction for Them": Mexican Americans, Sports and Community in Kansas and Other Parts of the Midwest, 1920-1965
3.?"I'm Just Thankful That God Gave Me a Good Arm": Childhood, Family Life and Athletics in the Oakland Barrio, 1946-1964
4.?"A Bit Wild, but a Great Fastball": Torrez's Time in the Minor Leagues and His Arrival in St. Louis, 1964-1969
5.?"I Was Surprised They Gave Up on Me So Quick": Torrez's Time in St. Louis and Montreal, 1969-1974
6.?"I'm One of the Best in the Business Right Now": Torrez's Seasons with Baltimore and Oakland, 1975-1977
7.?"I'm Curious to See What I'm Worth in the Open Market": Torrez's Transformation from World Series Champion to Scapegoat, 1977-1978
8.?No Ralph Branca or Fernando Valenzuela: Torrez's Final Years in Professional Baseball, 1979-1985
9.?Unloading the Poltergeist: Torrez's -Post-MLB Life, His Career and Its Significance, 1986-2016
Chapter Notes
Bibliography
Index
Introduction: Mike Torrez, from the Barrios of Kansas to the Major Leagues and Beyond
1.?Riding the Rails and Shooting for Their Supper: Early Mexican American Life in Kansas, 1900-1950
2.?"Winning a Place on the Varsity Has No Attraction for Them": Mexican Americans, Sports and Community in Kansas and Other Parts of the Midwest, 1920-1965
3.?"I'm Just Thankful That God Gave Me a Good Arm": Childhood, Family Life and Athletics in the Oakland Barrio, 1946-1964
4.?"A Bit Wild, but a Great Fastball": Torrez's Time in the Minor Leagues and His Arrival in St. Louis, 1964-1969
5.?"I Was Surprised They Gave Up on Me So Quick": Torrez's Time in St. Louis and Montreal, 1969-1974
6.?"I'm One of the Best in the Business Right Now": Torrez's Seasons with Baltimore and Oakland, 1975-1977
7.?"I'm Curious to See What I'm Worth in the Open Market": Torrez's Transformation from World Series Champion to Scapegoat, 1977-1978
8.?No Ralph Branca or Fernando Valenzuela: Torrez's Final Years in Professional Baseball, 1979-1985
9.?Unloading the Poltergeist: Torrez's -Post-MLB Life, His Career and Its Significance, 1986-2016
Chapter Notes
Bibliography
Index