I just finished reading Charles Euchner’s book The Last Nine Innings. The book takes a very in-depth look at the factors that are changing the game of baseball. The setting for the book is the dramatic Game 7 of the 2001 World Series between the Diamondbacks and the Yankees.

The main elements that Euchner identifies as revolutionizing the game of baseball are the globalization of the game, scientific analysis of baseball movement, and statistical analysis.

Euchner does a commendable job breaking down all the minute elements of a game, while framing it in a dramatic context. Even as an avid baseball fan, I enjoyed the examination of different preparation methods, gamesmanship, and the fractions of seconds or inches that seperate success from failure. The physical, and mental demands of baseball are well documented with scientific, as well as practical explanations.

The other feat that Euchner managed to pull-off is that he was able to build and sustain suspense, even though the outcome is already known. But by telling it through the eyes of the key players, it was a new way to experience it. I particularly enjoyed this passage involving Bob Brenly

Just as Rivera gets ready to throw the next pitch, Diamondbacks’ manager bob Brenly experiences a mild panic attack.

“That ninth inning happened so quickly, and it seemed like we used so many players,” Brelnly recalls. “I turned to Bob Melvin, the bench coach and I said, ‘God, do we have everything covered?’ My concern was, who are we going to send out there defensively if this game stays tied?” Grace is out of the game. So is Miller. So is Johnson. Who, he wonders would pitch, play first base, and catch? Colbrunn–who stood on deck on three seperate occasions this inning, patiently waiting for a chance to pinch-hit, forever caught in a batter’s purgatory–could play first base. Rod Barajas could catch. Forty-year-old Mike Morgan could pitch. Morgan has been warming up in the bullpen with Byung-Hyum Kim, but Brenly didn’t want Kim. Not after Kim blew two games in New York.

In that moment of doubt, Brenly turns away from the action on the field, and almost misses the final play of the game.

But Brenly looks back to the field in time.

Overall I enjoyed reliving a classic World Series. And even as an avid baseball fan, there was still plenty to learn. Be it Steve Finley’s workout routine, or the difficulty in building a pitcher-catcher rapport, I have a richer understanding of the game. At times it seemed that the book was getting a little weighty for the casual fan to enjoy, but on the whole Euchner did a good job producing a book that can be enjoyed by a wide variety of baseball fans.