The Young Pitcher

by Zane Grey

Book Overview

As a new freshman at Wayne College, Ken Ward finds a way to win recognition through his pitching skills.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0688112625
• ISBN13: 9780688112622
• Release Date: March 1992
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Length: 242 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.3" x 8.0"
• Age Range: 8 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 3 to 7

Customer Reviews

Ken Ward Pitches His Way Through

The Young Pitcher is the first of the Ken Ward books Zane Grey wrote. He modeled Ken after himself, as ZG was an exceptional baseball player, and the frantic episodes which actually occurred during the league play of the 1880s in Ohio when nearly every town of any size had its own team. Rivalry knew no borders and no bounds; it was "to the victor goes the spoils" no matter how you won, by hook or crook it didn't matter as long as your team won. Fans were really fanatics back then when it came to baseball and the home town. What actually prevented Zane Grey from becoming an even more successful pitcher was the change in distance from the mound to home-plate. After the change from 55 feet to 60 feet 6 inches Zane could never re-master his curve ball which was his stock and trade, so he was forced to go to the outfield and play; and he did quite well out in the field. His brother, Reddy, was a pro-player for a couple of years. This book relates many of his experiences as a player in the early year of baseball as told through the character Ken Ward. Any little leaguer would love this book. Perhaps if ZG's "books for boys" as these were called would be made available in school libraries today, our country and our world would be a better place to live. These books instill values still needed today. I have had this exact book for 30 years, and I still enjoy it.

stayed with me

I am only writing this review because it is the first book I ever read. At the age of 5 or 6 or 7 it was the beginning to what would become a lifetime of walking around with a paperback in the back pocket of my jeans. I remember quite a bit of it vividly, even now, 40 years later, especially Ken Ward trying not to throw that final low inside pitch to the slugger on a 3 and 2 count. I have never re-read it, but it stays with me still.

If you like baseball, you will love this story...

I had a hard time putting this book down. Zane Grey has the feel for what it is really like to be a college baseball player, along with all of its struggles and victories. This is a great story with a great ending. You too will enjoy this story about Ken Ward and all of his fellow teammates. In the end, you will be thoroughy satisfied. Great book!

A great book for anyone who has ever hit a baseball.

This book evokes vivid images of intercollegiate sports in the early 1900s. The characters are warm and well-developed. The setting is nostalgic and timeless. Readers will puzzle over "Frosh on the fifth" and chuckle over the potato toss. The reader can feel the despair when Ken finds out what he has done to the Captain of the college baseball team, and feels his chances of making the varsity squad slip away in an instant. No one can keep from laughing out loud when the perfume is spread or the sweater put on. The combination of setting, characters and good old-fashoned baseball makes for very pleasant reading. Personally, I recommend this book be read every Spring in anticipation of the upcoming baseball season, such as I have done for the last twenty-three years. It is a wonderful way to get in the mood for great battles on the ball diamond, as well as recapture the joys of youth. Reading this book could become as much a pastime as baseball itself. Young adult readers will find this book interesting and fun. Parents will appreciate the role model of young Peg Ward, whose standards of conduct are the highest, even when faced with peer pressures, not unlike those of today.