Lefty Grove and the 1931 Philadelphia Athletics

This book chronicles the history of the Philadelphia Athletics, the first real dynasty in Major League Baseball. The focus of the book is the 1931 season, in which Philadelphia, led by superstar pitcher Lefty Grove, had the best season in franchise history, leading to a third consecutive trip to the World Series. With a roster full of future Hall of Fame players—like Al Simmons, Mickey Cochrane, Jimmie Foxx and Connie Mack—the Athletics were one of the best baseball teams of all time, and the 1931 season served as the apex of their success, as the financial restrictions of the Great Depression caused the owners to break up the team.

Robert P. Broadwater has written more than 35 books of military history and more than 100 magazine articles dealing with the American Civil War and the Revolutionary War. He lives in Bellwood, Pennsylvania.

Robert P. Broadwater

Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 192
Bibliographic Info: 8 photos, appendices, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2014
pISBN: 978-0-7864-7566-7
eISBN: 978-1-4766-1646-9
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments  vi
Preface  1
Introduction  5
One. The Building of a Dynasty  9
Two. Another Run at Greatness  27
Three. A Spring of Promise  48
Four. Seventeen Games in a Row  61
Five. The Boys of Summer  70
Six. Dog Days and Another Winning Streak  92
Seven. The Drive to a Third Pennant  118
Eight. Facing the Cardinals Again  134
Nine. End of an Era  148
Epilogue  159
Appendix 1: Athletics 1931 Team and Individual Statistics  167
Appendix 2: Hall of Fame Players from the
Golden Era (1925–1941)  171
Chapter Notes  175
Bibliography  179
Index  181