{"product_id":"lefty-odoul-baseballs-forgotten-ambassador-hardcover","title":"Lefty O'Doul: Baseball's Forgotten Ambassador - Hardcover","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eDennis Snelling\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFrom San Francisco to the Ginza in Tokyo, \u003ci\u003eLefty O'Doul\u003c\/i\u003e relates the untold story of one of baseball's greatest hitters, most colorful characters, and the unofficial father of professional baseball in Japan. Lefty O'Doul (1897-1969) began his career on the sandlots of San Francisco and was drafted by the Yankees as a pitcher. Although an arm injury and his refusal to give up the mound clouded his first four years, he converted into an outfielder. After four Minor League seasons he returned to the Major Leagues to become one of the game's most prolific power hitters, retiring with the fourth-highest lifetime batting average in Major League history. A self-taught \"scientific\" hitter, O'Doul then became the game's preeminent hitting instructor, counting Joe DiMaggio and Ted Williams among his top disciples. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e In 1931 O'Doul traveled to Japan with an All-Star team and later convinced Babe Ruth to headline a 1934 tour. By helping to establish the professional game in Japan, he paved the way for Hideo Nomo, Ichiro Suzuki, and Hideki Matsui to play in the American Major Leagues. O'Doul's finest moment came in 1949, when General Douglas MacArthur asked him to bring a baseball team to Japan, a tour that MacArthur later praised as one of the greatest diplomatic efforts in U.S. history. O'Doul became one the most successful managers in the Pacific Coast League and was instrumental in spreading baseball's growth and popularity in Japan. He is still beloved in Japan, where in 2002 he was inducted into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame.\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eDennis Snelling\u003c\/b\u003e has been a senior writer for \u003ci\u003eHelmar Baseball History and Art\u003c\/i\u003e magazine and a member of the Society for American Baseball Research and the Pacific Coast League Historical Society. He is the author of \u003ci\u003eThe Greatest Minor League: A History of the Pacific Coast League, 1903-1957\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eJohnny Evers: A Baseball Life\u003c\/i\u003e. \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 392\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1.34 x 9.03 x 6.27 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eIllustrated:\u003c\/strong\u003e Yes\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e May 01, 2017\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47980909986040,"sku":"9780803290969","price":39.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0698\/5629\/7208\/files\/M1dTbjZ1Q2pJbjlWcmxuR0t0eWdQQT09.webp?v=1770926428","url":"https:\/\/barneysbooksellers.com\/products\/lefty-odoul-baseballs-forgotten-ambassador-hardcover","provider":"Barney's Book Sellers","version":"1.0","type":"link"}