About this item
One of only twenty-nine Major Leaguers to play in four different decades, Jerry Reuss pitched for eight teams, including the Pittsburgh Pirates twice. So when Reuss tells his story, he covers about as much of baseball life as any player can. Bring In the Right-Hander! puts us on the mound for the winning pitch in Game Five of the 1981 World Series, then takes us back to the schoolyards and ball fields of Overland, Missouri, where Reuss first dreamed of that scene. His baseball odyssey, dedicated to the mantra “work hard and play harder,” began in 1969 with his hometown team, the St. Louis Cardinals (who traded him three years later for mustache-related reasons). Reuss carries us through his winning seasons with the Dodgers, taking in a no-hitter and that World Series triumph, and introducing us to some of baseball’s most colorful characters.
About the Author
JERRY REUSSJerry Reuss pitched in the Major Leagues for 22 years (1969-1990). He played for eight teams which included the Cardinals in 1969-71, the Astros in 72-73, the Pirates in 74-78, the Dodgers in 79-86, the Reds and Angels in 1987, the White Sox in 88-89, the Brewers in 1989 and finished with an encore with the Pirates in 1990. He won 220 games, played in two All-Star games (1975 and 1980) and pitched in games 1 and 5 of the 1981 World Series for the Dodgers against the New York Yankees.After his retirement as an active player in 1990, he was a color analyst for ESPN in 1991-93. In 1994-95, he did radio and television (analyst and play by play) for the Las Vegas Stars in the Pacific Coast League as well as work for SportsChannel and the Baseball Network. He returned the majors with the Anaheim Angels as a TV analyst from 1996-98.Jerry returned to uniform in 2000 as a minor league pitching coach for the Montreal Expos in Harrisburg, PA. The Cubs hired him as their pitching coach in Des Moines, IA for the 2001-2003 seasons. In 2004, he was the pitching coach for the Mets in Binghamton, NY.Sidelined by knee replacement surgery in March of 2005, Jerry returned to the broadcast booth for the Las Vegas 51's as a radio analyst and calling the play-by-play for the Dodgers' affiliate in the Pacific Coast League.From 2006-2008, Jerry worked as an analyst both radio and TV for the Dodger broadcasts east of Colorado.In 2009, Jerry returned to call the play for a limited number of games for the Las Vegas 51's, the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays and beginning in 2013, the New York Mets.Jerry's is an avid photographer whose pictures have been published in numerous magazines, books and Upper Deck baseball cards. He co-authored a book with Record Research owner Joel Whitburn entitled "Top Pop Guide To Singles On Compact Disc 1955-1979". His autobiography "Bring In The Right-Hander!" will be published in 2014.
