{"product_id":"death-in-the-strike-zone-the-mystery-of-americas-first-baseball-hero-9781567927597","title":"Death in the Strike Zone: The Mystery of America's First Baseball Hero","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eHe threw the first fastball. The first curveball. He was baseball's first star--and its first tragedy.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn \u003ci\u003eDeath in the Strike Zone\u003c\/i\u003e, acclaimed historian Thomas W. Gilbert uncovers the forgotten life of James Creighton, the first American ballplayer to become a national sensation. On the eve of the Civil War, Creighton invented something utterly new in baseball - modern pitching. Creighton was so dominant, so mesmerizing, that the game had to rewrite the rulebook to catch up with him. He is the reason we have a strike zone. Then, in one fateful game he collapsed--and four days later, he was dead at the age of twenty-one. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWas it a freak injury or was baseball somehow to blame? Was there a cover-up? Why has Creighton been denied the credit he deserves? \u003ci\u003eDeath in the Strike Zone\u003c\/i\u003e is part biography, part detective story, and part time machine. With vivid storytelling and groundbreaking research, Gilbert revives a vanished era of barehanded fielders, heroes and gamblers, and the strange, thrilling beginnings of America's pastime and sports stardom itself. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eDeath in the Strike Zone\u003c\/i\u003e is a remarkable journey into the past that will keep you on the edge of your seat and profoundly change how you see the game of baseball.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Thomas W. Gilbert\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e David R. Godine Publisher\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 03\/24\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 192\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.93lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.00h x 6.00w x 1.10d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781567927597","brand":"David R. Godine Publisher","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45463163863177,"sku":"9781567927597","price":27.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0636\/9240\/6921\/files\/img_f23d6e07-b77b-4b7e-a4fe-83dad42b4c03.jpg?v=1774998710","url":"https:\/\/sonsanddaughtersbooks.com\/products\/death-in-the-strike-zone-the-mystery-of-americas-first-baseball-hero-9781567927597","provider":"Sons and Daughters Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}