The Fight of Their Lives: How Juan Marichal and John Roseboro Turned Baseball's Ugliest Brawl into a Story of Forgiveness and Redemption
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One Sunday afternoon in August 1965, on a day
when baseball’s most storied rivals, the Giants and Dodgers, vied
for the pennant, the national pastime reflected the tensions in
society and nearly sullied two men forever. Juan Marichal, a
Dominican anxious about his family’s safety during the civil war
back home, and John Roseboro, a black man living in South Central
L.A. shaken by the Watts riots a week earlier, attacked one another
in a moment immortalized by an iconic photo: Marichal’s bat
poised to strike Roseboro’s head.
The violent moment–uncharacteristic of
either man–linked the two forever and haunted both. Much like John
Feinstein’s The Punch, The Fight of Their Lives
examines the incident in its context and aftermath, only in this
story the two men eventually reconcile and become friends, making
theirs an unforgettable tale of forgiveness and redemption.
The book also explores American culture
and the racial prejudices against blacks and Latinos both men faced
and surmounted. As two of the premiere ballplayers of their
generation, they realized they had more to unite them than keep
them apart.
Two men–one black, one Latin–transform what could
have been remembered as baseball’s ugliest moment into a story of
forgiveness and redemption.
[Setting] -
1960s major league baseball, Los Angeles, San Francisco
Rosengren’s research brings to life one of the most graphic brawls on the baseball diamond. It is an important contribution, not only to baseball history, but to the history of race relations in the United States and Latin America.
“When I heard the news that two baseball idols, admired by
thousands of fans, gave the example of forgiving a past incident
with a simple handshake, it gave me great satisfaction. John
Rosengren’s excellent account of the story made me appreciate
their act of kindness even more.”
—Tony Pérez, member of the Baseball
Hall of Fame
“John Rosengren has spun a masterpiece with the skill of Juan
Marichal’s pitching and John Roseboro’s catching.”
—Jim Kaplan, author of The
Greatest Game Ever Pitched: Juan Marichal, Warren
Spahn,and the Pitching Duel of the Century
“John Rosengren does a terrific job illuminating the people and times behind one of the ugliest incidents in baseball history. The friendship and forgiveness between Juan Marichal and John Roseboro is a powerful story well told.”
—Tom Verducci, senior writer for
Sports Illustrated
“This is a story about passion and pride. It’s a story about two men who came from very different backgrounds but shared a common bond. It is also a story about forgiveness with a theme that shows it’s never too late to make amends. John Rosengren extraordinarily depicts how two men long since retired taught the world a valuable lesson—that it is okay to forgive.”
—Andre Dawson, member of the Baseball Hall of Fame
“With the perspective of a sociologist and narrative mastery of a deft storyteller, John Rosengren tells the intertwined stories of two men on a collision course seemingly since they were born. Rosengren builds to the bloody Sunday that shocked the baseball world, and then, in its haunting aftermath, tells how the two principals eventually faced down their guilt to forgive each other. This is fascinating reading on multiple levels—as baseball story, as case study in American socio-cultural history, and as subtle commentary on the inherent frailty, occasional ugliness, and ultimate grace of the human condition.”
—Josh Pahigian, author of several
baseball books, including The Ultimate Baseball Road
Trip and 101 Baseball Places to See Before You Strike
Out
“In an explosive decade, against the backdrop of baseball’s
fiercest rivalry, amid the pressure of a pennant race, Juan
Marichal and John Roseboro forged a moment that stood still
forever—The Fight of Their Lives. John Rosengren tells how
it improbably led from hostility via regret and guilt to healing
and finally love. An incredible odyssey, beautifully told.”
—Curt Smith, author of
Voices of The Game and The Voice: Mel Allen’s Untold
Story
“Author John Rosengren did baseball, Marichal and Roseboro a great
service by re-opening this horrific episode and shedding light on
the entire story. He presents us almost a fairy tale—two good
people brought together in a significant conflict which got
resolved over the years and everyone lived happily ever after….
This is a beautiful story of forgiveness, told factually, yet
sympathetically, with a very emotional ending.”
—Spitball magazine
Rosengren provides insightful context as he chronicles the surprisingly similar lives of [Juan Marichal and John Roseboro]—their childhoods in humble homes, their remarkable defensive skills on the field, the prejudices they faced as minorities in Major League Baseball's segregated culture of the 1960s, and the shared animosity they ultimately channeled into friendship and forgiveness. . . .Rosengren's retelling, true to its title, pivots on one historic incident that overshadows the other, more significant accomplishments of both men.
Product Details
- Title : The Fight of Their Lives: How Juan Marichal and John Roseboro Turned Baseball's Ugliest Brawl into a Story of Forgiveness and Redemption
- Author: Rosengren, John
- Publisher: Lyons Press
- Publication Date: 2014
- ISBN: 9781493007202