October 1964

4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars | 822 ratings

Price: 17.72

Last update: 12-03-2024


About this item

The New York Times best-seller.

David Halberstam, an avid sports writer with an investigative reporter’s tenacity, superbly details the end of the 15-year reign of the New York Yankees in October 1964. That October found the Yankees going head-to-head with the St. Louis Cardinals for the World Series pennant.

Expertly weaving the narrative threads of both teams’ seasons, Halberstam brings the major personalities on the field - from switch-hitter Mickey Mantle to pitcher Bob Gibson - to life. Using the teams’ subcultures, Halberstam also analyzes the cultural shifts of the '60s. The result is a unique blend of sports writing and cultural history as engrossing as it is insightful.

"Compelling.... 1964 is a chronicle of the end of a great dynasty and of a game, like the country, on the cusp of enormous change." (Newsweek)

"Wonderful.... Memorable.... Halberstam describes the final game of the 1964 series accurately and so dramatically, I almost thought I had forgotten the ending." (The Washington Post Book World)


Top reviews from the United States

Roger Scott
5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome book!
Reviewed in the United States on August 24, 2024
Loved this book! Baseball, integration, Cardinals, Yankees, 1964, captivating stories, and much more. I highly recommend this to anyone who loves baseball.
Donn Weinberg
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent review of 1964 MLB Season, esp Cardinals & Yankees
Reviewed in the United States on January 27, 2013
The 1964 MLB season was the first that I followed as child; I was 10. I was living temporarily in Dallas, but my heart was in Baltimore. My Baltimore Orioles were in their first serious pennant race, ultimately won in the American League by the Yankees, by one game over the Chicago White Sox and two games over the Orioles. In the National League, the St. Louis Cardinals won the pennant by a single game over the Cincinnati Reds and Philadelphia Phillies, which were tied for second place. But not far behind them were the San Francisco Giants (3 games behind the Cards) and Milwaukee Braves (5 games behind the Cards). The Cardinals had not been pennant winners since 1946. The Yankees, on the other hand, were perennial pennant winners in the A.L., having appeared in the World Series most recently from 1960 through 1963. Both the Yankees and the Cardinals lagged the other pennant contenders through most of the 1964 season, and Halberstam effectively traces the ups and downs of the 1964 season, primarily focusing on these two clubs and many of their players, both famous and less-known at the time. I am favorably biased about anything relating to the 1964 season, but I found the book fascinating. It provided an historical background to the racial and other forces at play at the time, but the book does not overdo any particular theme in that regard. Most interesting were the character portrayals of so many of the players, including but not limited to Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris, Elston Howard, Yogi Berra (new manager) and Whitey Ford of the Yankees, and Bob Gibson, Lou Brock, Curt Flood, Bill White, Johnny Keene (manager), Ken Boyer, and Curt Simmons of the Cardinals. The latter part of the book, which covers the 1964 World Series, also is strong. The Yankees were favored, if only because of their experience in World Series play and their reputation. But, as Halberstam shows throughout the book, the aging Yanks had serious weaknesses (that finally manifested in their dismal record after 1964, beginning with a losing season and 6th place finish in 1965). The Cardinals won the series in seven games, and Bob Gibson was the series MVP, having won the fifth and seventh games (losing the second game), the seventh game being won in a complete game with only two days of rest. In summary, this book deserves all five stars, and I know that I will read it again. If you are someone who loves the 1960's era of baseball, or merely are curious about that era, this book will satisfy your needs and desires.
C. Ande
4.0 out of 5 stars The year baseball changed
Reviewed in the United States on March 12, 2018
Interesting book about the 1964 World Series concentrating on the social changes within baseball. The contrasted the St. Louis Cardinals and New York Yankees contrasting their recruitment and managerial styles. Especial emphasis is placed on the recruitment of black players. I found the individual stories of the various personalities interesting but I found the technical aspects less interesting but this was a book club pick and I'm not a great baseball fan. I however enjoyed the book and learned what ERA and RBI mean, so that was good.
William Capodanno
5.0 out of 5 stars A Seminal Season and October
Reviewed in the United States on September 7, 2008
Halberstam delivers another masterpiece book on baseball, a follow up to his other must read "Summer of '49". Ostensibly, this story is about a classic 1964 World Series between the Yankees and the St. Louis Cardinals. However, Halberstam scope if far broader than just a classic NL pennant race and a memorable 7 game World Series. For this WS was a watershed moment in baseball history. While not on the level as Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier 17 years earlier, it stands just a few rungs below in importance.

This WS was the last for the famed Yankee franchise before the advent of another seminal period in baseball, free agency. The Yankees had dominated baseball from the time they acquired Babe Ruth until 1964. Featuring some of the most memorable names in baseball history -- Ruth, Gehrig, Dimaggio, Mantle and others - the Yankees were the team that most players wanted to play for, in spite of their penny pinching ownership and management. However, the decline of the Yankees that seemingly accelerated with the end of this WS really began when Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in 1947.

Yankee management remained steadfast in its opposition to integrating their lineup -- fearing they would alienate their "middle class white customers". The Dodger's signing of Robinson was a catalyst for other teams in the National League to increase the pace of signing African-American players -- not out of altruistic reasons, but to stay competitive. These African-American players represented the best talent and if NL teams didn't follow the Dodger's path, they risked falling farther behind competitively. However, the situation in the American League was far different. The two heavyweight franchises, the Yankees and the Red Sox, remained two of the last two teams to sign black players. During this time, it is no surprise that the balance of power shifted from the AL to the NL which became a who's who of Hall of Famers --- Aaron, Mays, Clemente, Banks, Gibson, Brock, Morgan and others. In fact, The Yankees could have extended their dynasty if not for the prejudice of management, passing on Hall of Fame talent Ernie Banks and Willie Mays.

During the 1964 season, it was evident that the great Yankees of this era were fading - Ford, Mantle and Maris - and the farm system just didn't have the talent to replenish. Meanwhile, the Cardinals traded for Lou Brock the previous year, had a top flight first baseman in Bill White, a phenomenal center fielder in Curt Flood and an ascendant pitcher in Bob Gibson. The Cardinals started off 1964 slowly but benefited from the collapse of the Phillies and an amazing second half of pitching by Gibson, Sadecki and others - winning the NL pennant on the last day of the season.

In the 64 WS, we saw glimpses of the Yankee legacy, strong pitching and power, however, it was also marred by erratic defense and the physical breakdown of players like Ford and Mantle. In no small part, the Cardinals put pressure on the Yankees with their aggressive brand of baseball, led by the speed of Brock and Flood. The series went to seven games and Cardinal manager Johnny Keane started Bob Gibson on two days rest --- an almost unthinkable occurrence a few short years ago, a black pitcher starting the most important game of America's pastime. Gibson battled through the fatigue without his best stuff, ultimately going the distance to defeat the Yankees. After the game, when reporters asked Keane why he left in Gibson in the ninth when it was apparent how fatigued he was (giving up two solo HRs), he gave what may have been the ultimate compliment that a manager could have paid any player - "I had a commitment to his heart".

This book is a must read for any serious baseball fan. As a Yankee fan, I read much of this with dismay at the arrogance and ignorance of Yankee management at that time. I also read it with admiration and awe at players like Bob Gibson and Lou Brock - what they still had to endure during a very racially divided America - and performing at the top of their profession in spite of all the barriers thrown their way. Once again Halberstam delivers another classic.

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