At a time when there is very little good news coming out of Dodger camp, former DodgerTalk Radio co-host and current Albuquerque Isotopes play-by-play man Josh Suchon has given Dodger fans a much needed group hug.

After more than two years of intense research and countless one-on-one interviews, Suchon recently released his new book “Miracle Men – Hershiser, Gibson, and the Improbable 1988 Dodgers” – and not a moment too soon for suffering Dodger fans.

Suchon’s book chronicles in great detail the historic 1988 Dodgers baseball season from the opening days of spring training to their World Series victory celebration in the visiting clubhouse at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, from where the very seed for Suchon’s book was planted – although even he didn’t realize it at the time.

As every Dodger fan knows, 1988 was the last time that the Dodgers won a World Championship, something that non-Dodger fans get tremendous pleasure rubbing in. And though there have already been numerous reviews written and/or blogged about “Miracle Men”, I don’t believe that there has been one that comes right out and says that this book is mandatory reading for every Dodger fan – which is exactly what I am saying about it.

Miracle Men by Josh Suchon
(Image courtesy of Triumph Books)

In addition to a detailed account of the magical 1988 season, Suchon effectively blends in Orel Hershiser’s record breaking six consecutive shutouts that led to him breaking Dodger legend and Hall of Famer Don Drysdale’s consecutive scoreless innings streak – a record that in all likelihood will never be broken because of the way that pitchers are used in the game today (situational relievers, bridge men, set-up men, closers, etc.) Oh sure, I imagine that at some point a starting pitcher may hit the 30 or perhaps even 40 consecutive scoreless innings mark, but I simply do not believe that anyone will ever top Hershiser’s 59 scoreless innings record set during the 1988 miracle season.

The method that Suchon uses to weave Hershiser’s incredible streak into “Miracle Men” is similar to that used by award-winning author Jane Leavy to weave Sandy Koufax’s perfect game into her best-selling book “A Lefty’s Legacy” which is, hands down, the best book ever written about the great Sandy Koufax (and another must read book for every Dodger fan).

There are simply too many great stories and great quotes in “Miracle Men” to even begin to share with you in this brief review, not to mention that I do not want to be a spoiler; but there is one that I simply must share. It involves Dodger right-handed starting pitcher Tim Leary who, in his first season with the Dodgers in 1987, was rather… awful. Leary went 3-11 for the season with an uncomfortable 4.76 ERA. So bad was Leary in 1987 that one of his teammates once told reporters that “His best pitch is a single to right.” In spite of his early struggles with the Dodgers, Leary turned things around in 1988 when he finished the season with an impressive 17-11 record with an outstanding ERA of 2.91. In fact, were it not for Leary’s great season (along with Hershiser’s, of course) the Dodgers never would have made it into the World Series.

What many people do not realize (or have forgotten) is that it was Leary who relieved Tim Belcher in Game-1 of the 1988 World Series after Belcher allowed the grand slam to Jose Canseco. Even though Leary and relievers Brian Holton and Alejandro Pena pitched a combined 7 scoreless innings after the Canseco slam against what is arguably one of the most feared offensive lineups of all time, it is Kirk Gibson’s impossible home run that game-1 will always be remembered for.

Dodger fans will have an opportunity to meet Josh Suchon at a special book signing scheduled for Wednesday, May 15, 2013 at Dodger Stadium. The signing will take place in the Right Field Team Store beginning at 5 P.M. and will run through the third inning of Wednesday night’s game against the Washington Nationals. Copies of “Miracle Men” will be available for purchase at the Team Store during the signing. You can also order the book through Amazon.com.

Did I mention that “Miracle Men” is mandatory reading for every Dodger fan?