The Fireballer: A Novel

What if a baseball pitching talent comes along whose overwhelming velocity not only changes the way the game is played, but threatens the very game itself! That is the premise of this very entertaining, well-written book by Mark Stevens. Stevens takes this fantastic premise and weaves a story that delves into the cold-hearted business of professional sport, while taking the time to explore the soul and psyche of the player who possesses baseball’s nuclear weapon; a fastball that no one can hit. But it’s not that simple. With every weapon comes a negative consequence, and major league pitcher Frank Ryan is not immune. Ryan’s fastball has consequences, and they wind their way into every nook and cranny of his life.If you are a baseball fan, you now have a book that will make you think about the game in an entirely different way. If you have been following the pros and cons of baseball’s new and proposed rule changes, you will love following The Fireballer inside baseball’s boardrooms, GM meetings, and clubhouses. How does baseball react when the game is threatened by a player too talented for the good of the game’s good? Treat yourself to a good read!

Not only is this title full of baseball, it’s got a lead character you won’t ever forget. Frank Ryder is a young man with heart, soul, conscience and vast quantities of love; not just for baseball but for people. His story is born from tragedy, supported by family and oozes with inspiration. Oh, and let’s not forget the bounty of baseball.Author, Mark Stevens, did a great amount of research with the baseball info. There’s no date assigned to the story. It’s contemporary, prior to the NL having the DH rule, (both the author and I are NOT fans of that rule!), but not too far from then. He broke the book into a Prologue, 7 Months, (March-November), and and Epilogue with individual chapters occurring within each Month for a total of slightly over 400 glorious pages. His writing reminds me of William Kent Krueger with more dialogue and a full compliment of expletives, including f-bombs and Divine epithets. If there were a version without the foul language, it would be an excellent book for the YA market. You might concur after reading.Highly recommended for those interested in baseball stories, excellent characters who grow and have a willingness to change and a storyline with inspiring messages📚

As a lifelong baseball fan, this book touched all of the bases for me. The deep insights into not only the game itself, but the thoughts and worries of players, coaches, owners and fans really hit home. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is struggling with the past, just to let them know that sometimes, with hard work and the proper mindset, we can put our ghosts to rest. Great job, Mr. Stevens, but as a Rockies fan, it hurts a bit that they didn't even get a mention...maybe next time!

Didn't read the book. Searched and found it full of profanity. I will NOT read a book or author who uses my Lord's name on profanityThere are PLENTY of authors that write without profanity. It is completely unnecessary....

The best way to begin a review of this book is to ask a few “what if?” questions. What if a rookie pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles has set the baseball world abuzz with pitches that exceed 105 miles an hour? What if batters are so helpless trying to get a hit off this pitcher that Major League Baseball is contemplating rule changes to limit the speed of pitches? What if this pitcher has a dark secret that has been haunting him since his days of Little League Baseball? These questions, and many more, are the heart of this outstanding baseball novel by Mark Stevens.Frank Ryder has an amazing fastball, an uncanny means of keeping an even keel both on the mound and at a press conference but an unfortunate event when he was 12 has been weighing heavily on his mind. For such a complex character, Stevens does a wonderful job of portraying Frank in a manner that every reader who picks up this book will be cheering for him, baseball fan or not.That is because while the book is full of baseball (more on that later), the non-baseball parts of the book and Frank’s life are wonderfully written and the reader will find out a lot about the pitcher whose fastball is unhittable, but whose psyche is very fragile. Other characters in the book such as Frank’s long distance girlfriend Maggie, his brother Josh (a minor league catcher) and the owner and manager of the Orioles are also well developed and characters the readers can connect with, even if they are not baseball fans.However, with the many chapters that talk about baseball, specifically the games in which Frank pitches and the pennant race that involves his Orioles team, a baseball fan will truly enjoy this book. It addresses many issues that the game faces today – the “unwritten rules” that must be followed, the use of analytics, the lack of offense as pitchers are becoming faster, and even media coverage of the game. For a fictional book on the game, it has an authentic feel to the state of the sport. Even how one of those “unwritten rules” are discussed and handled by players, which is at the core of why Frank is facing his demons from that time long ago in the middle of a spectacular season.This review cannot do justice for how much I enjoyed reading this book. Not just for the baseball, but for the various messages it tells about self-reflection and the care and compassion shown to Frank by those who either are close to him or whose thoughts were sought out by him. The book is just as big a winner as Frank’s won-loss record.