Our Team: The Epic Story of Four Men and the World Series That Changed Baseball

Sportswriter Epplin debuts with an inspirational account of the rise of the newly racially integrated 1940s Cleveland Indians, focusing on four remarkable men—players Larry Doby, Bob Feller, and Satchel Paige, and team owner Bill Veeck. As Epplin follows the arc of the Indians’ 1948 season, he offers nuanced portraits of the team’s key figures. Pitcher Feller is the disciplined businessman who admires Black players, though not without a bit of patronization. Fellow pitcher Paige is larger-than-life, cocky, determined to join the Major Leagues, and resentful of his secondary status as a Black pitcher. Doby is the shy Black center fielder (and second player to break the color barrier) whose remarkable athletic skill became crucial in the team’s World Series run. Veeck, meanwhile, is characterized by his determination to integrate the American League by signing Doby and Paige. The thrilling game-by-game survey of the Indians’ roller-coaster season culminates in a rousing World Series win. Epplin’s epic saga is simultaneously a riveting drama and a searing portrait of the racism that plagued baseball for decades. This sharp and well-documented history will be a hit with baseball lovers and general interest readers alike. (Mar.)