Publisher's Synopsis
The untold comeback story of Jim Leyritz, the 1996 Toast of New York-the World Series hero whose three-run home run in the eighth inning against the Atlanta Braves tied Game 4 and led to the Yankees' first World Championship since 1978. Since his ticker-tape moment, catcher Jim Leyritz's life has resembled one of a fallen hero, which includes a nasty divorce, a hard-won custody battle, raising a son with two terrible diseases, and most recently a tragic accident in South Florida in which a woman died. Leyritz was arrested and charged with vehicular manslaughter. The case is set for trial on September 20, 2010. - - You don't have to be a baseball fan to appreciate all of the obstacles that Jim Leyritz overcame in both his baseball career and in his personal life. Catching Heat has broad appeal as the story of a young man who used faith and determination to become a national sports hero, fight for his three young sons, and wage a lengthy legal battle for his own freedom, which he has won, so far, against the odds. - - Even before he made it to the major leagues, Jim Leyritz had mastered the mental prodding of a hard-driving and domineering father and overcome numerous physical limitations: he had broken his wrist, his finger, his arm, his leg, blew out his knee, tore a ligament in his ankle, been hit in the face with a pitch, and undergone three surgeries. Five amateur drafts passed him by. But by 1996, he was with the New York Yankees living the dream of every kid. - - Written in conjunction with dynamo brother/author team and baseball experts Douglas and Jeffrey Lyons, this book takes readers inside the batter's box the way only a baseball player can--with inside information and an accurate memory, behind the scenes anecdotes, and the play-by-play of the fateful hit that was the highlight of Leyritz's career--and the subsequent blows Leyritz encountered in life only to persevere. -
