The Perfect Game

THE PERFECT GAME is an astonishing tale of faith, redemption and the human spirit’s ability to overcome all adversity in pursuit of a dream.

In the pews of San Juan Bautista Church, Angel Macias and a ragtag band of street urchins of Monterrey, Mexico’s slums try to escape the dismal conditions that surround them. Hunger, dirt floors and cinder block houses—life holds anything but promise for these forsaken children. But there is one ray of light. After Mass on Sundays, their priest gathers them around an old radio where they listen to crackling Spanish language broadcasts of the far away Brooklyn Dodgers. One day, Angel finds an old baseball in an abandoned dirt lot and begins to throw the ball against a dilapidated shack, only to awaken a down-and-out factory worker named Cesar Faz. Angel goads the gruff man into a game of catch. he soon discovers that when Cesar was a twelve-year old boy, growing up in Texas, he was a batboy for the Double-A San Antonio Missions, and later worked for the major league St. Louis Browns. A chance encounter with the Mexico City All-Star traveling team inspires Angel and his friends to form an organized Little League team. Their dream: To dress up in actual uniforms and play just one “real game” in the United States. But first they must convince Cesar to coach them. Averaging thirty-five pounds lighter and six inches shorter than their American counterparts, the boys journey to Texas for the first round of the 1957 Little League Tournament. Dragging their reluctant coach with them, they cross the Rio Grande on foot and walk twelve miles through scorching desert to the field in McAllen, Texas—each boy wearing his uniform and carrying nothing more than a change of underwear in a paper bag. With a three-day visa and barely enough money to last that long, they whisper their prayers and start what they assume will be their first, last and only game. But a different destiny awaits them…

“A masterfully written book... far more than a sports classic— this is a heroic tale for the ages.” —Louis Gossett, Jr., Academy Award winning actor

“Heartwarming... It appeals to the young in all of us.” —Larry King, Host Larry King Live on CNN

“THE PERFECT GAME hits it out of the park...” —Rennie Dyball, People Magazine

“A perfect story about redemption, faith, family—and baseball.” —Jim Burns, President, HomeWord

“THE PERFECT GAME highlights the 1957 Industrial Little League team from Monterrey, Mexico whose accomplishments are an endearing and enduring benchmark for children around the world.” —Steven Keehner, President Little League Organization