''The Twenty-Four-Inch Home Run: And Other Outlandish, Incredible But True Events in Baseball History '' is a book about baseball lore written by sportswriter Michael G. Bryson. The title refers to the book's central story, about a game where

Andy Oyler Andrew Paul "Pepper" Oyler (May 5, 1880 – October 24, 1970) was an American professional baseball player who played one season in Major League Baseball for the Baltimore Orioles in . In 27 games as a third baseman, shortstop, and outfielder f ...

hit a baseball that became stuck in the mud 24 inches in front of

home plate A baseball field, also called a ball field or baseball diamond, is the field upon which the game of baseball is played. The term can also be used as a metonym for a baseball park. The term sandlot is sometimes used, although this usually refers ...

, allowing him to score an

inside-the-park home run In baseball, an inside-the-park home run is a play where a batter hits a home run without hitting the ball out of the field of play. It is also known as an "inside-the-parker", "in-the-park home run", or "in-the-park homer". Discussion To score a ...

before the opposing team located it. All told, the book contains 250 such stories, including an anecdote about a team registering a

triple play In baseball, a triple play (denoted as TP in baseball statistics) is the act of making three outs during the same play. There have only been 733 triple plays in Major League Baseball (MLB) since 1876, an average of just over five per season. Th ...

without touching the ball. Bryson also debunks several well-known baseball legends, including

Babe Ruth's called shot Babe Ruth's called shot is the home run hit by Babe Ruth of the New York Yankees against the Chicago Cubs in the fifth inning of Game 3 of the 1932 World Series, held on October 1, 1932, at Wrigley Field in Chicago. During the at-bat, Ruth made ...

and the story that

Abner Doubleday Abner Doubleday (June 26, 1819 – January 26, 1893) was a career United States Army officer and Union major general in the American Civil War. He fired the first shot in defense of Fort Sumter, the opening battle of the war, and had a pi ...

invented baseball. ''

The News Journal ''The News Journal'' is the main newspaper for Wilmington, Delaware, and the surrounding area. It is headquartered in unincorporated New Castle County, Delaware, near New Castle, and is owned by Gannett. History The ancestry of the News Journ ...

'' described the book as being filled with "wisecrack anecdotes" and "amazing facts, ludicrous turns of events, and hilarious quotes." Baseball historian

Stew Thornley Stew Thornley (born July 23, 1955 in Minneapolis, Minnesota) is an author of books on sports history, particularly in his home state. He is an official scorer and online gamecaster for the Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American p ...

described the book as "compilation of strange but supposedly true baseball tales", but questioned the veracity of the Oyler story, saying that Bryson "provides more details and great embellishment but did not give the date of the game." The book has been cited as a source by

Society for American Baseball Research The Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) is a membership organization dedicated to fostering the research and dissemination of the history and record of baseball primarily through the use of statistics. Established in Cooperstown, New ...

, several reference books, and a book about baseball's influence on

American foreign policy The officially stated goals of the foreign policy of the United States of America, including all the bureaus and offices in the United States Department of State, as mentioned in the ''Foreign Policy Agenda'' of the Department of State, are ...

. One review wryly quipped "The title explains this book about as well as any brief review could." It was used as a source for

Matt Tavares Matthew Manuel Tavares (born December 4, 1975) is an American illustrator and writer of children's picture books. Biography New York Times bestselling author-illustrator Matt Tavares was born in Boston, and grew up surrounded by books and re ...

's children's book ''Mudball.'' The book was featured by the

LA84 Foundation The LA84 Foundation (known until June 2007 as the Amateur Athletic Foundation of Los Angeles) is a private, nonprofit institution created by the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee to manage Southern California's endowment from the 1984 Olym ...

in its 1991 convention.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Twenty-Four-Inch Home Run 1990 non-fiction books Baseball books American non-fiction books