America's Game in the Wild-Card Era

This book examines the competitive landscape of Major League Baseball during the wild-card era, including the major storylines for all 30 teams, division races, and the state of dynasties in a new age of baseball.

Bryan Soderholm-Difatte is a member of the Society for American Baseball Research and a regular contributor to The Baseball Research Journal. He is the author of The Golden Era of Major League Baseball: A Time of Transition and Integration, America's Game: A History of Major League Baseball through World War II, Tumultuous Times in America's Game: From Jackie Robinson's Breakthrough to the War over Free Agency, and The Reshaping of America's Game: Major League Baseball after the Players' Strike,all published by Rowman & Littlefield.

Author's Note Introduction: Back to Baseball-The Wild-Card Paradigm Shift Part I: Return to Action Trio of Aces Front the Always-First BravesReturn of the Yankees' Forever Dynasty Cleveland's Runaway Central Train The End of the Dodgers' O'Malley Era The Bottom 25 % Part II: Wrestling With History Wild Card World Series Cubs Lose: Blame It On Bartman? Yankees "Apocalypse Now" Becomes Red Sox Resurrection Mets Meltdowns Phillies Flip the '64 Script Baseball Back in Washington Part III: Navigating the Competitive Landscape The Cardinals Longevity Reboot Breaking Through in the AL East Giants and Red Sox Rollercoaster Dynasties Mets Meltdowns: The Superheroes Hubris Episodes Part IV: Paradigm Shifts Cubs Climate Change in Chicago; Droughts Continue Elsewhere Houston's Cheatskates: A Dynasty's Self-Inflicted Wound "Wait 'Til Next Year" Comes to L.A. Not the Same Steinbrenner: The Yankees' Long Road Back to "Forever" EPILOGUE: Baseball in the Year of Coronavirus Quotes and Notes Bibliography Index About the Author