The Year the Yankees Lost the Pennant

by Douglass Wallop
Category: "Fiction - Humorous Novels"
Pages:250
Year of Publication:1954
Date Added:08/24/2020
Date Read:10/16/2025
Notes:Joe Boyd in a 50-something Washington Senators fan in a dull marriage with is wife, Bess. One night, the devil, disguised as a man named Applegate, shows up and makes Joe and offer. He can be turned into a great ballplayer and help the Senators win the pennant in exchange for serving the devil forever. Joe insists on an out—a date on which he can chose whether to go on or go back. The devil agrees, and Joe finds himself as a much younger man named Joe Hardy. Applegate also offers him friendship with Lola, the most beautiful girl in the world. Joe is amazing, hitting home runs every game and batting over .500. The Senators surge and tie the Yankees with one game left. To keep Joe from going back to his old life, Applegate causes a hearing on the day Joe was to make the choice. He can stay Joe Hardy and help his team win the pennant or go back to being Joe Boyd and have the Senators forfeit every game he played in. Joe decides to stay, but he isn't happy about it, especially when he finds out Applegate is a Yankees fan who plans to have the Senators lose the final game and the pennant. Joe determines to thwart him, making a great catch without Applegate's help, and then hitting a potential inside-the-part home run. As he's rounding the bases, Joe realizes Applegate is changing him back into his 50-year-old self, but he gives his all and just manages to score the winning run. He sneaks out of the park and meets Lola, who knows all. In fact, she was really a 50-year-0ld, unattractive schoolteacher who had sold out. She sincerely loves Joe, however, and forces Applegate to let him go back to his own life. In return, rather than spend forever beautiful, she has to spend it as an unattractive older woman, but she considers it worth it for love. Joe returns to Bess.
My Rating: 6

Reviews for The Year the Yankees Lost the Pennant

Review - Year the Yankees Lost the Pennant, The

Lots of things that don't make a lot of sense, but a fairly quick, fairly amusing read.

Reviewed by Roger on 2025-10-16 11:21:11

Back to the list