The Young Pitcher
1911
The Young Pitcher
1911
The crushing descent from somebody to nobody happens fast. Ken Ward ruled his high school, popular and confident, a star in waiting. Then college arrives, and suddenly he's just another freshman dodging the fists of sophomores, eating their insults, surviving the brutal hierarchies of early 20th century campus life. The harassment builds until Ken snaps - he decks a bully who happens to be the varsity baseball captain. Dream over, right? Wrong. Because in a moment of chaotic desperation, Ken proves something with nothing more than a potato, and suddenly the question isn't whether he'll make the team, but whether he'll carry them to a championship. Grey captures something timeless about the hunger to matter, the savage politics of college athletics, and the way a young man rebuilds himself through competition. For readers who love underdog stories, baseball fiction, or the raw energy of early American sports writing.
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“The coach put his hand on Ken's knee.””
— Zane Grey
“Ken sat glued to his seat in mingled fear and wrath. Was he to be the butt of those overbearing sophomores?””
— Zane Grey
“When he had gotten rid of his exuberance he sat down at once to write to his brother Hal about it, and also his forest-ranger friend, Dick Leslie, with whom he had spent an adventurous time the last summer.””
— Zane Grey
“Peg, are you goin' to throw me down, too?”“Mr. Arthurs! I”
— Zane Grey
“He ran his hands over Ken's smooth skin and felt of the muscles””
— Zane Grey
“There was a bold gleam in his eyes and a smile on his face.””
— Zane Grey
“Ken thrilled in all his being.””
— Zane Grey
