Deadball Trailblazers Audiobook By Ronald Waldo cover art

Deadball Trailblazers

Single-Season Records of the Modern Era

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Deadball Trailblazers

By: Ronald Waldo
Narrated by: John Guccion
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About this listen

The Deadball Era changed everything.

From 1900 to 1919, a host of great players ushered in a century of groundbreaking baseball. Many exceptional diamond icons during this period established single-season modern era records that have acted as a litmus test for players throughout history to try to surpass.

The old adage that records are made to be broken isn't necessarily a practical conclusion when it comes to the great players in this book.
Some of these records, set over a century ago, still haven't been broken, like Jack Chesbro's 41 wins, Rube Marquard's 19-straight victories, and outfielder Chief Wilson's 36 triples for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Since failure and disappointment are key components of baseball, the author includes single-season records of futility during the Deadball Era too, like shortstop John Gochnaur committing 98 errors and Philadelphia Athletics pitcher Jack Nabors losing 19 straight games in 1916.

Besides chronicling these setbacks and achievements, author Ronald T. Waldo offers background information about each player and a relevant secondary story that accompanies their record-setting season. As a result, everything transcends beyond the numbers, as each player's personality, mindset, and behavior are taken into account.

©2022 Sunbury Press, Inc. (P)2023 Beacon Audiobooks
Baseball & Softball
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Critic reviews

Selected as a finalist for the 2023 Larry Ritter Book Award.

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A must have for fans of the Deadball era

Ronald Waldo is a baseball historian that brings statistics to life in "Deadball Trailblazers." The book highlights records achieved by some of the legends of America's pasttime, and a few that clearly are not household names. Unlike other books that concentrate on numbers, Waldo shares the full story of each trailblazer's achievements, some records still stand today and may never be broken.

You will enjoy the story of Tris Speaker's 53 doubles in a season achievement, but also be feel compassion for John Gochnaur, who committed an astonishing 98 errors in 1903. Waldo's research is meticulous, and his story telling is amazing. "Deadball Trailblazers" is educational and entertaining. The exploits of carefree George "Rube" Waddell makes for enjoyable listening, and you will learn more about his 1904 achievement.

Pitcher Rube Marquard was once labeled the $11,000 lemon, until he was able to overcome his lack of control. Waldo highlights how this southpaw was able to transform his early struggles into winning 19 consecutive games in 1912 for the New York Giants. On the flip side, strong willed Vic Willis lost 29 games in a single season, but despite the set back, finished his career on the winning side and received hall of fame honors.

It was refreshing to hear the lesser known stories mixed in with tales of Ty Cobb and "Nap" Lajoie's dominance during the fascinating deadball era. I very much enjoyed Deadball Trailblazers, Ronald Waldo certainly hit a home run with this book! Hats off to John Guccion for his superb narration as well!

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