From extensive personal interviews with those who were there, along with newspaper, radio, and television accounts, Reisler reconstructs this fall classic pitch by pitch, from analysis of managerial tactics and the chatter of the players on the field to the lively atmosphere within the ballpark and throughout the country.

With World War I, the "Black Sox" scandal and a dearth of home runs, 1920 looked like the end of baseball. Then, in a move forever known in Boston as the "Curse of the Bambino," Babe Ruth joined the Yankees. His timing was impeccable and his season of seasons --- with a record-breaking 54 home runs --- was just the tonic America needed.