The Summer of ‘64: A Pennant Lost

All the drama of the 1964 National League season through the Cardinals’ league championship is in this book. It covers Johnny Callison’s All-Star game-winning home run, Duke Snider’s trade from the Yankees to the Giants and Lou Brock’s trade from the Cubs to the Cardinals, Reds manager Fred Hutchinson’s battle with cancer (and death in December 1964), the controversial remarks made by Giants manager Alvin Dark about African American and Latin players, the no-hitters pitched by Sandy Koufax of the Dodgers, Jim Bunning of the Phillies, and Ken Johnson of the Astros, the opening of Shea Stadium, and the demolition of Polo Grounds. Special attention is given to the final weeks of the season when the Phillies collapsed with a six and a half game lead and ten games to go, while battling it out with the Cardinals and the Reds.