The document summarizes key details from several novels and stories related to baseball: - In The Art of Fielding, the character Henry Skrimshander nears a fictional college record for consecutive errorless games until an errant throw sends his fortunes awry. - Philip Roth's novel The Great American Novel satirizes the fictional Patriot League that operated alongside real MLB leagues until 1943. - Don DeLillo's Underworld features two famous shots - a pennant-winning home run and the USSR's first nuclear weapon.

1. UPFRONT
120–130 MPH
The speed of a ball
thrown by Babylonian-
American pitcher Gil
Gamesh that hits an
umpire, resulting in a two-year
suspension.
$3 MILLION
The highest amount ever paid for an
MLBgameball (Mark McGwire’s
70th home run of the 1998 season).
The Art of
Fielding (2011)
TheWestishHarpooners’HenrySkrim-
shandernearsafictionalcollegerecord
forconsecutiveerrorlessgames,untilan
errant throw sends his fortunes awry.
“Tofieldagroundballmustbe
consideredagenerousactand
anactofcomprehension.One
movesnotagainsttheballbut
withit.Badfieldersstabatthe
balllikeanenemy.…Thetrue
fielderletsthepathoftheball
becomehisownpath…”
“That’swhyhewashere,to
surrenderhimselftolonging,
tolistentohishostrecitethe
anecdotaltexts...storiesthat
Marvinhadbeencollectingfor
halfacentury—thedeeperos
ofmemorythatseparates
baseballfromothersports.”
The Great
American Novel (1973)
Philip Roth’s absurdist history of the
fictionalPatriotLeague,whichoperated
alongside the National and American
leagues until 1943.
“‘NeverheardoftheTri-City
Tycoons?Neverheardofthe
RuppertMundys?’‘Nope.’
‘YouneverheardofKakoola,
Aceldama,Asylum?’‘Whatare
those?’‘Cities,boy!Thoseare
bigleaguetowns!’”
105 MPH
The fastest-ever MLB pitch,
by then–Cincinnati Red
AroldisChapman, in 2010.
APRIL 2016 33
ANDYLYONS/GETTYIMAGESCHAPMANDOUGPENSINGER/GETTYIMAGESBORDICK
$32.45
The amount Bobby
Thomson’s home
run ball sold for in
the novel. (The real
ball was never
recovered.)
31
The length of shortstop Henry
Skrimshander’s streak of
consecutive errorless games.
110
The MLB record for consecu-
tive errorless games by a
shortstop, held by the Baltimore
Orioles’ Mike Bordick.
Underworld (1997)
Twofamousshots—apennant-winning
home run and the USSR’s first nuclear
weapon—areheardaroundtheworldin
Don DeLillo’s postmodern novel.
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