America's Game in the Wild-Card Era

Author’s Note

Introduction: Back to Baseball—The Wild-Card Paradigm Shift

Part I: Return to Action

1. Trio of Aces Front the Always-First Braves
2. Return of the Yankees’ Forever Dynasty
3. Cleveland’s Runaway Central Train
4. The End of the Dodgers’ O’Malley Era
5. The Bottom 25 %

Part II: Wrestling With History

6. Wild Card World Series
7. Cubs Lose: Blame It On Bartman?
8. Yankees “Apocalypse Now” Becomes Red Sox Resurrection
9. Mets Meltdowns
10. Phillies Flip the ’64 Script
11. Baseball Back in Washington

Part III: Navigating the Competitive Landscape

12. The Cardinals Longevity Reboot
13. Breaking Through in the AL East
14. Giants and Red Sox Rollercoaster Dynasties
15. Mets Meltdowns: The Superheroes Hubris Episodes

Part IV: Paradigm Shifts

16. Cubs Climate Change in Chicago; Droughts Continue Elsewhere
17. Houston’s Cheatskates: A Dynasty’s Self-Inflicted Wound
18. “Wait ‘Til Next Year” Comes to L.A.
19. Not the Same Steinbrenner: The Yankees’ Long Road Back to “Forever”

EPILOGUE: Baseball in the Year of Coronavirus

Quotes and Notes

Bibliography

Index

About the Author