The year 1917 was a difficult one worldwide.  The First World War was draining the finances, manpower, and morale all the major European nations; the United States was dealing with an economic slump; the Russian Empire was crumbling under the weight of poor leadership and the rising tide of young revolutionaries.  But on June 23, 1917 (exactly 98 years ago today), something remarkable happened that captured the attention of baseball fans across the United States, and has remained part of baseball lore to this day.

On that day, Babe Ruth took the mound to pitch the first game of a doubleheader between the Boston Red Sox and the Washington Senators. Umpire Brick Owens called Ruth’s first four pitches balls and awarded first base to the batter, Ray Morgan, setting off Ruth’s notoriously short temper.  When Owens ejected both Ruth and his catcher, Pinch Thomas from the game. Ruth replied by slugging the umpire, for which he would later be fined $100 and suspended for ten games.  With no notice, the Red Sox were forced to bring in Ernie Shore, a 24-year-old pitcher who had posted a 1.64 ERA in the 1915 World Series, to fill in for Ruth.  With no time to warm up or throw any practice pitches, manager Jack Barry advised Shore, “just get us through this inning.”

During Shore’s opening pitch, Ray Morgan (who remained on first base during this whole brouhaha), tried to steal second.  The new Red sox catcher, Sam Agnew, threw him out, registering the first out of the game.

But Ernie Shore didn’t need any help after that.  He retired the next 26 Senators who took the mound without allowing a single baserunner.  The game was originally listed as a perfect game (one of the most difficult achievements in baseball), but because Babe Ruth technically threw the first pitch of the game, it was recorded as a shared ‘no-hitter’ between Ruth and Shore.  It was the first combined no-hitter in baseball history, and among the first among standing American League Teams still in existence today.

Shore missed the 1918 season because he enlisted in the military once the United States entered the First World War, and he was sold to the New York Yankees by then-manager Harry Frazee in 1919, a year before the infamous trade of Babe Ruth.  Though he ended his career as a Yankee, it’s his performance with the Red Sox that secured him a place in the record books.  With the announcement of the retirement of Pedro Martinez’s number on July 28, today seemed like a fitting time to celebrate the pitchers who have made the Red Sox great.  And, frankly….it’s nice to have a good story to tell about the Red Sox these days, right?

If you’re looking to add some more baseball to your summer (with endings that won’t make you want to hit things and cry), here are some selections from our catalog:

Fenway 1912 : the birth of a ballpark, a championship season, and Fenway’s remarkable first year: Glenn Stout’s book turns the focus away from the storied Red Sox to their equally-famous field, telling the story about the construction and creation of Fenway Park, beginning with the frigid day on which locals poured the cement foundation to the first World Series game, when grass was still being coaxed out of the recalcitrant Boston soil.  This is a book for baseball fan everywhere, but locals are sure to find a world of fun facts, stories, and personalities in these pages to savor–and it is sure to make any visit to Fenway this summer that much more entertaining!

The Given Day: Dennis Lehane, plain and simple, is one of my favorite authors alive today, and this novel proved that he is as talented at writing epic historic fiction as he is at high-tension thrillers and mysteries.  A subtle, thought-provoking tale set just after the First World War, Lehane spins a tale of two families, one black and one white, who are caught up in the tides of history, including the Great Flu Epidemic and the Boston Police Strike of 1919.  Intertwined in this stories are real-life historic figures, not the least of which is Babe Ruth himself, a character who is both tragic and gripping in a way only Lehane can convey.

The Catcher Was a Spy : The Mysterious Life of Moe Berg: This is quite the quirky book, but its a terrific piece of history for baseball fans, students of espionage and history alike.  In this book, Nicholas Dawidoff uncovers the story of Moe Berg, not only had a 15-year career in baseball, catching for the Chicago White Sox and the now defunct New York Robins, but who  was also a spy for OSS during the Second World War.  Dawidoff emphasizes Berg’s incredible intellect: the man spoke upwards of 18 languages and read at least 10 newspapers a day, making him an ideal spy, ferreting out German nuclear secrets and corralling European scientists once the war was over.  For those looking for a different kind of baseball history, this is definitely one to check out.

Faithful : two diehard Boston Red Sox fans chronicle the historic 2004 season: Those who think the era of correspondence is dead needs to read this book.  Largely made up of emails between writers Stewart O’Nan and my beloved Stephen King, this is a book that allows readers to revel in the highs and lows, the heartache and the beauty of the unforgettable 2004 season.  King and O’Nan manage to capture all the angst, anger, hope, and elation of fans everywhere in this book, but the charm in this book is in its unedited, unpolished structure.  King and O’Nan become everyman-fans in this book, giving us all a voice.  For an added treat, check out the audiobook, read by King and O’Nan with impressive verve and passion.

Field of Dreams: I can’t talk about baseball without citing this film.  Rather than explain why, here is the monologue you will remember (the quote below has been edited for space.  Do yourself a favor, and watch the full performance here.)

People will come, Ray…And cheer their heroes. And they’ll watch the game, and it’ll be as they’d dipped themselves in magic waters. The memories will be so thick, they’ll have to brush them away from their faces. People will come, Ray. The one constant through all the years Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It’s been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game, is a part of our past, Ray. It reminds us of all that once was good, and that could be again. Oh people will come, Ray. People will most definitely come.

June 14th is typically associated with Flag Day in the United States, commemorating the adoption of the ‘Stars and Stripes’ flag by the Second Continental Congress in 1777.   But there are other reasons for remembering the date: for example, it just so happens that yesterday, June 14, was the 226th anniversary of the return to England by Captain William Bligh, and the survivors of the loyal crew of the now-infamous H.M.S Bounty.

The Bounty set sail in April of 1787, charged with transporting breadfruit plants from Tahiti to the British West Indies (so named because they taste a bit like potatoes, and smell like bread).  The crew was comprised of 44 British navy-men and 2 botanists.  Among these young men was a twenty-three-year old named Fletcher Christian, who had sailed with Captain William Bligh twice before, forming a fairly close teacher-student relationship.

The trip proved a difficult one.  After being held up by weather, the crew had to wait nearly five months for the breadfruit to properly ripen before it could be taken on board, until April, 1789.  Though all this delay made Bligh anxious to head back home, there is no doubt that his men were enjoying themselves most heartily in Tahiti, and relishing the relaxed discipline.

What happened next is well known to history:  Fletcher Christian led a bloodless mutiny aboard the Bounty at approximately 5:15am on April 28, 1789, agreeing to put as many of those who remained loyal to Bligh as would fit into 23-foot launch-boat with five days’ worth of food, rather than kill them.  What we still don’t know for sure, is why.  Some say it was because Bligh’s disciplinary attitude aboard ship had become downright tyrannical, and his paranoia so profound that he was judged to be putting the ship and her crew in jeopardy (this story was first put forth by one of Christian’s descendants).  However, the Bounty’s log books show that Bligh was fairly lenient in his command.  In fact, some argue it was this very leniency that got him into trouble.

The story of the little launch is a stunning one:  When his attempts to get help and supplies from some nearby natives proved fruitless, Bligh–thanks to the navigational skills he learned under Captain Cook–piloted the tiny boat 3,618 nautical miles, from Tahiti to Timor, and from there, another 544 miles to what is now Jakarta, Indonesia, where he was able to secure proper transport home to England.  He accomplished this with no maps, no charts, and almost no food, using the stars and the sun alone as his guide.

In comparison, the group of mutineers divided within months, with 16 men remaining in Tahiti, where they were captured in 1791 by Captain Edward Edwards, whose ship, the HMS Pandora had been sent especially for them.  When the Pandora ran aground on the Great Barrier Reef, six of the men died, while the rest were forced to travel in a open boat, much like the one Bligh had been forced to use.  They were court-martialed in England in September of 1792, and ultimately, three were hanged for treason.

The eight men who remained with Christian set sail for Pitcairn Island, landing on January 15, 1790, and forming a settlement with their Tahitian wives and several other natives.  However, the Tahitians, who the British men saw more as ‘property’ than fellow settlers, rose up, killing five of the Bounty men, including Christian, in 1794.  Several more years of violence and unrest followed until only one member of the Bounty, named John Adams, was left in charge of the community.  They were discovered by an American ship, the Topaz in 1808, which related the discovery of the Bounty‘s final home to the British.  Rather than punish those who now lived on Pitcairn, the British decided to use them to their own advantage, modeling the society as a model of Christianity and morality–the perfect British settlement, despite its origins.

For those of you looking to know more details about the Bounty, the Mutiny, or the people involved, here are some sources to check out, and a few to keep the armchair adventurers entertained!

The Bounty: The True Story of the Mutiny on the Bounty: Caroline Alexander’s thoroughly engaging book is probably the best on the subject, bringing together generations of history in order to get as close to the truth as possible about that fateful night, and the events that took place afterwards.

Captain Bligh’s Portable Nightmare: John Toohey’s work is primarily concerned with Bligh’s navigational feats after he was put off the Bounty, and emphasizes the genuinely overwhelming accomplishment that Bligh achieved in getting to Jakarta without maps or compass.  He also deals with the trial Bligh faced on his return for losing his ship, and his redemption in the Napoleonic Wars.

Fragile Paradise: The Discovery of Fletcher Christian, Bounty Mutineer: This study of Fletcher Christian, written by his great-great-great-great-grandson, is not only the tale of a mysterious mutineer, but also a great travel adventure in its own right.  It is also one of the first works to give credit to the Tahitian women who sailed to Pitcairn, and the vital role they played in keeping the settlement alive.

Mr. Bligh’s Bad Language: A fascinating analysis of Bligh’s abilities as a Captain, and how his behavior could have contributed to the mutiny, as well as a fascinating study of power and performance in the world in which these men lived.

Lost paradise : from Mutiny on the Bounty to a modern-day legacy of sexual mayhem : the dark secrets of Pitcairn island revealed:
Despite being aggressively titled, this book is highly readable, though deeply unsettling account of the later history of Pitcairn Island that begins in 2000, when British authorities were sent to the island (which remains the last holding of the British in the Pacific) to investigate the rape of a fifteen-year-old girl.  Kathy Marks was one of only six journalists sent to cover the subsequent trial, and her account, though not always easy to read, is a necessary addition to the story of the Bounty and its legacy.

Mutiny: a novel of the Bounty: Crack ghost-story authorJohn Boyne turns his talents to historical fiction in this tale of Jacob Turnstile, a young man who escapes prison by accepting a position aboard the Bounty.  This tale for teens is a terrific adventure, as well as a fascinatingly complex study of human morality and strength.

C.S. Forrester’s Hornblower: Ok, so it’s not precisely the Bounty, but this captivating mini-series adaptation of C.S. Forrester’s classic novels fo the British Navy (starring the very young, but still very watchable Ioan Gruffudd) features all the period detail and historical tidbits one could want out of a Napoleonic War piece.  Come on…they built a full-scale, completely accurate ship of the line specifically for the show.  Best of all, episodes Five and Six center around an alleged mutiny, thus allowing for the phrase “Black, bloody mutiny!” to be bellowed at regular intervals.