Author Talk: Tyler Kepner, “K: A History of Baseball in 10 Pitches”

From New York Times national baseball writer Tyler Kepner comes K: A History of Baseball in Ten Pitches – a deep dive into the stories, stats, folklore, and nostalgia behind America’s pastime told through vivid anecdotes and insights, examining the fastball, the curveball, the changeup, the slider, the cutter, the sinker, the splitter, the knuckleball, the screwball, and the spitball.

Kepner has found that pitchers almost always love to talk about their craft:  18 of the 25 pitchers with the most strikeouts in the history of the sport have shared their perspectives with him, including Nolan Ryan, Steve Carlton, Bob Gibson, Randy Johnson, and Pedro Martinez.

Kepner, who lives in Wilton, started covering baseball as a teenager, interviewing players for a homemade magazine that was featured in The New York Times in 1989. He attended Vanderbilt University on the Grantland Rice/Fred Russell sportswriting scholarship, then covered the Angels and the Mariners. He joined The New York Times in 2000, covering the Mets for two seasons, the Yankees for eight, and serving as the national baseball writer since 2010.

Q&A will follow the talk. There is no charge to attend, but registration is highly recommended. See the library’s online registration link for more details. Books will be available for purchase and signing courtesy of Elm Street Books, New Canaan. Media Sponsor for the event is GOOD Morning Wilton. Register online or call 203.762.6334.