Washington, D.C. (March 12, 2010) -- Hall of Fame pitcher Old Hoss Radbourn, who won 59 games in a single season, may also have won the love of his life from another player – in a baseball game -- according to the new book Fifty-nine in ’84. 

Radbourn loved Carrie Stanhope, an attractive and fashionable married woman who was the proprietress of a dubious boarding house that catered to traveling National League ballplayers. But she loved another man – a member of the Chicago White Stockings (today’s Cubs), according to a story that circulated after her death, and was reported in newspapers. 

The two dueled for her affections in a ball game, “one of the fiercest ever played,” according to the story.

“Intently she watched every play, and those nearby noticed a deadly pallor on her face as the deciding run was made.” After the game, as the story went, the player handed her over to Radbourn at home plate. “She’s yours, ‘Rad,’ for you won her and the game,” he said. 

While Fifty-nine in '84 author Edward Achorn finds the story improbable, many of the details in a newspaper account did in the fact check out. He believes it contains a kernel of truth, since Radbourn may well have had to lure her away from another player. Radbourn took her to his home in Bloomington, Ill., and introduced her as his wife and a widow – neither of which was true at the time. 

Eventually, he married her. But fate was cruel to him. Radbourn died of syphilis at the age of 43.

Fifty-Nine in '84 will be available in bookstores on March 16.

You can Pre-Order Fifty-Nine in '84 below for Amazon's special price of $17.15.

Fifty-nine in '84- Old Hoss Radbourn, Barehanded Baseball, and the Greatest Season a Pitcher Ever Had

For more information, please go to EdwardAchorn.com.

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