After the Miracle: The Lasting Brotherhood of the ’69 Mets

Former Mets outfielder Shamsky movingly revisits the 1969 Miracle Mets’ season during a reunion with his old teammates. When Shamsky and several other players—Jerry Koosman, Ron Swoboda, and Bud Harrelson—visited the ailing Mets legend Tom Seaver at his California home in 2017, it triggered memories of that magical season and was the catalyst for this memoir written with Sherman (Kings and Queens). Pivotal moments in the rise of the cellar-dwelling new team to baseball powerhouse are chronicled in detail (“Choosing catcher Steve Chilcott over Reggie Jackson as the number one pick in the 1966 major league baseball draft,” Shamksy writes, “probably opened the door for the trade that brought me”), with a colorful cast including pitcher Tug McGraw and first-base coach Yogi Berra. Shamsky notes that the players were silent on the Vietnam War and quotes teammate Ed Kranepool who said: “We weren’t politicians; we were baseball players.” Shamsky recalls the Mets plowing through elite teams on the way to the 1969 World Series victory and the massive ticker-tape parade that followed, and emphasizes the brotherhood and lasting loyalty of his teammates on and off the field. This heartfelt, nostalgic memoir will delight baseball fans of all ages and allegiances. (Mar.)