{"id":5573,"date":"2016-07-07T14:09:33","date_gmt":"2016-07-07T19:09:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.baseballroundtable.com\/?p=5573"},"modified":"2016-07-09T11:26:30","modified_gmt":"2016-07-09T16:26:30","slug":"book-review-perfect-the-rise-and-fall-of-john-paciorek-baseballs-greatest-one-game-wonder","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/baseballroundtable.com\/book-review-perfect-the-rise-and-fall-of-john-paciorek-baseballs-greatest-one-game-wonder\/","title":{"rendered":"Book Review – Perfect: The Rise and Fall of John Paciorek, Baseball’s Greatest One-Game Wonder"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Perfect\"<\/a>Perfect: The Rise and Fall of John Paciorek, Baseball’s Greatest One Game Wonder<\/span><\/h4>\n

by Steven K. Wagner<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Breakaway Books, 2015<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

$12.95<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Can you imagine a baseball book that examines an entire big league career \u2013 pitch by pitch<\/strong>?\u00a0 Well, you don\u2019t have to. \u00a0Steven K. Wagner has done just that in his book Perfect: The Rise and Fall of John Paciorek, Baseball\u2019s Greatest One-Game Wonder<\/a>.<\/em><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em>Wagner\u2019s book focuses on the one-game MLB career of John Paciorek\u00a0(September 29, 1963 \u2013 the last day of the 1963 season). \u00a0In that contest, the 18-year-old Houston Colt .45\u2019s outfielder was truly perfect: five trips to the plate – five times on base (three hits and two walks); four runs scored, three runs driven in; four errorless plays in the outfield.<\/p>\n

A perfect start to what Paciorek \u2013 and many others<\/strong> \u2013 expected to be a long and successful major league career. Yet, as Wagner tells it, after his fifth trip to the plate in that day\u2019s 13-4 Houston win over the Mets:\u00a0 \u201cPaciorek knew he would not bat again that day, or that season. He had no way of knowing, however, that he would never again swing at a major league pitch. He would never catch another ball, or have the opportunity to prevent a runner from scoring with a dazzling throw. Other than a few practice tosses he would receive from center fielder (Ivan) Murrell as the players warmed up for the last half inning of play, he would not touch a baseball again in the major leagues.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em>He had so much talent. It\u2019s hard to believe he didn\u2019t succeed in baseball. No one was a better athlete than he was.\u00a0 He showed power \u2026 he was certainly a star in the making.<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/em>Rusty Staub teammate of John Paciorek,<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 22-year MLB career, six-time All Star<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Paciorek also had no way of knowing that, more than 50 years later, he would still be recognized as having the greatest one-game career in MLB history (the only player with more than one MLB at bat and a 1.000 batting average).<\/p>\n

John Paciorek\u2019s is the finest example of a perfect one-game career, neatly packaged, the quotient of his own perfect afternoon of hitting, \u00a0fielding and base running that baseball has ever seen. Indeed, John\u2019s perfect day is one for the ages \u2026 and a baseball story worth telling.<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Albie Pearson, Major League outfielder (1958-66); \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a01958 AL Rookie of the Year<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

John Paciorek\u2019s story is, indeed, a baseball tale worth telling and, in this case, the fact that it is being told by a true baseball fan also makes it one worth reading.<\/p>\n

BBRT asked author Steven K. Wagner what motivated him to take on the project.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

In the early 1980s, I picked up a copy of the Baseball Encyclopedia, which listed the stats for everyone who ever played major league baseball. I leafed through all 1,200 pages and quickly noticed there were many players who participated in only one game. Most went 0 for 1 or pitched an inning. Paciorek’s numbers were the best of anyone. I was intrigued and a decade later wrote a feature on him for the Los Angeles Times. I remained intrigued. Twenty years later I decided to write the book, however that was easier said than done. I wondered, how do you write a book about one game? I did some research and managed to track down the play-by-play of the game in the Library of Congress. Once I figured out how to couch the game around the play-by-play I got the project to work.<\/strong><\/span><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/span>In Perfect: The Rise and Fall of John Paciorek, Baseball\u2019s Greatest One-Game Wonder<\/em>, Wagner not only gives readers a look at how Paciorek made his way to the big league stage, but also why he was unable to stay there and where life took him after that one big game.\u00a0\u00a0 And, Wagner goes even further, putting it all in context with a look at other players who enjoyed one-game MLB careers; players who also played their final\u00a0 big league games on September 29th 1963; and teammates, coaches, fans, relatives and even umpires who passed through or had an impact on Paciorek\u2019s life and career. \u00a0The cast of characters includes (but, as they say, is not limited to) personalities ranging from Hall of Fame player and Emmy Award-winning broadcaster Ralph Kiner<\/strong> \u2026 to Little League legend Pinky Deras<\/strong> \u2026 \u2026 to Rusty Staub<\/strong> and Joe Morgan<\/strong> (who took the field with Paciorek in that September 29 contest) … to Aubrey \u201cYo Yo\u201d Epps<\/strong> (considered to have the greatest one-game MLB career until Paciorek came along).<\/p>\n

It is those stories, woven around a detailed account of Paciorek\u2019s big game, that make this book a deserving tribute to Paciorek and his love of the game, as well as a treat for baseball fans.<\/p>\n

For example, Wagner gives the readers a look at the final game, careers and lives of a handful of players who also made their last MLB appearances on September 29 1963.<\/p>\n