Review: The Fireballer by Mark Stevens

 

Many years ago, when Tiger Woods started, it was clear nobody could do what he could do. Nobody had the power, before him, to drive the tee shot so far down the length of the fairway. He made it look easy and the lords of golf were not pleased. Before long, as it seemed like every tournament would be naming Tiger Woods as a champion, the courses were changed and others were marketed as “Tiger Proof.” What Tiger was first to do is now routine for many professional golfers. His days of being a phenom were numbered because human ability and the sport evolved. 

 

Frank Ryder is in the same spot in the here and now as Tiger Woods was many years ago. The sport is different is this time it is baseball. Frank Ryder can consistently pitch at 110 mph and maybe even higher. What he can do with a baseball is amazing and it is just not the speed. Though the speed makes everything else work incredibly well. Because of him, the Baltimore Orioles are upsetting the competitive balance in the American League East where the Yankees and Red Sox expect to dominate the standings and the market. 

 

What Frank Ryder can do is seen by some as a threat to baseball itself. The owners are soon discussing putting a cap on how fast a ball can be thrown because Ryder is virtually unhittable. Instead of celebrating human achievement and the fact that what Ryder can do now will be common in another few years, they want to micromanage Ryder because fans surveyed seem to want to see homers and not shutouts. 

 

It should be a magical year for Ryder as he takes his team to the playoffs for the first time in a very long time. But, it isn’t. Ryder has a dark secret. Some of which folks know about as long ago he honored one of the many unwritten rules of baseball. But, what the public knows about what happened is just the tip of the iceberg. Much more is going on in Ryder’s head. Dealing with the past and the pressure of now is difficult when the media is focused on every move you make and every breath you take. 

 

The Fireballer: A Novel by Mark Stevens is a complicated read and one that goes far beyond the game of baseball. Legacy, hope, redemption, and more play out against the backdrop of baseball, being a teammate, and how you deal with the unwritten rules. The same unwritten rules that mandate how you function as a teammate because that is the way it has always has been. 

 

Much like this review that only skims the surface of the book, The Fireballer: A Novel by Mark Stevens is a complicated book on multiple levels. At its heart, it is about a supremely talented pitcher in major league baseball. But, far more is at work in this complicated read. The Fireballer: A Novel by Mark Stevens is and incredibly complicated and powerful novel. It is also well worth your time, regardless of how you feel about baseball.

 

 

My reading copy came by way of an ARC through NetGalley.

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2023