Joe Stoshack lives for baseball. He knows everything there is to know about the game—except how to play well. His specialty is striking out. Stosh feels like a real loser, and when he takes a low-paying job cleaning a bunch of junk out of his neighbor's attic, he feels even worse—until he comes across a little piece of cardboard that takes his breath away. His heart is racing. His brain is racing. He can hardly believe his eyes. Stosh has stumbled upon a T-206 Honus Wagner—the most valuable baseball card in the world! And he's about to find out that it's worth a lot more than money....

Like every other kid in his class, Joe Stoshack has to write a report on an African American who's made an important contribution to society. Unlike every other kid in his class, Joe has a special talent: with the help of old baseball cards, he can travel through time. So for his report, Joe decides to go back to meet one of the greatest baseball players ever, Jackie Robinson, to find out what it was like to be the man who broke baseball's color barrier. Joe plans on writing a prize-winning report. But he doesn't plan on a trip that will for a short time change the color of his skin—and forever change his view of history and his definition of courage.

On October 1, 1932, during Game Three of the Chicago Cubs—New York Yankees World Series, Babe Ruth belted a long home run to straightaway centerfield. According to legend, just before he hit, Babe pointed to the bleachers and boldly predicted he would slam the next pitch there. Did he call the shot or didn't he? Witnesses never agreed. Like other baseball fans, Joe Stoshack wants to know the truth. But unlike other fans, Joe has the astonishing ability to travel through time and solve one of baseball's greatest puzzles....

When Joe Stoshack hears about Shoeless Joe Jackson—and the gambling scandal that destroyed the star player's career—he knows what he has to do. If he travels back in time with a 1919 baseball card in his hand, he just might be able to prevent the infamous Black Sox Scandal from ever taking place. And if he could do that, Shoeless Joe Jackson would finally take his rightful place in the Baseball Hall of Fame. But can Stosh prevent that tempting envelope full of money from making its way to Shoeless Joe's hotel room before the big game?

When Joe Stoshack's dad ends up in the hospital after a car accident, he has two words to say to his son: Mickey Mantle. For Stosh has a special power—with a baseball card in hand, he can travel back in time. And his dad has a rare card—Mantle's valuable 1951 rookie card. "I've been thinking about it for a long time. Go back to 1951. You're the only one who can do it," Dad whispers. That night Stosh grips the card and prepares for another magical adventure. But when he opens his eyes, he's not in Yankee Stadium—he's in Milwaukee on June 8, 1944. And how he wound up there is not half as surprising as what he finds!

Cannons are blasting! Bullets are flying! Wounded soldiers are everywhere! Stosh has time-traveled to 1863, right into the middle of the Civil War. In possibly his most exciting and definitely his most dangerous trip yet, Stosh has decided to answer the question for all did Abner Doubleday, a Civil War general, really invent the game of baseball? It's all big laughs, dramatic action, fast baseball games in the middle of a battlefield. You'll be blown away by this sixth amazing baseball card adventure!

"You wanna know who threw the fastest pitch ever?" Many baseball players claim that Satchel Paige was the fastest pitcher in the history of the game. Stosh and his coach, Flip Valentini, are on a mission to find out. With radar gun in tow, they travel back to 1942 and watch Satch pitch to power hitter Josh Gibson in the Negro League World Series. They soon learn that everything about Satch is fast—whether it's his talking, driving, or getaways. But is he really the fastest pitcher who ever lived?

He was the world's greatest athlete, and a hero—until his medals were taken away. Stosh is shocked when his enemy, Bobby Fuller, begs him for a favor. He wants Stosh to take him back in time to meet Native American Jim Thorpe—an Olympic champion who lost his medals in a scandal. Thorpe went on to play professional baseball and football, but he could never again achieve such fame. His name was disgraced. Join Stosh and Fuller on a quest to save Jim's reputation. You'll meet Christy Mathewson, John McGraw, and the rest of the New York Giants in this eighth exciting, action-packed baseball card adventure!

Sometimes you can change history . . . and sometimes history can change you. When Stosh travels into the past to meet Roberto Clemente, a legendary ballplayer and a beloved humanitarian, he's got only one goal: warning Roberto not to get on the doomed plane that will end his life in a terrible crash. In the sixties, Stosh meets free-spirited Sunrise, and together they travel across the country to a ball game that leaves them breathless—and face-to-face with Roberto. But when the time comes for Stosh to return to the future, he finds that the adventure has only just begun... Join Stosh and Sunrise on a journey that will take you into the past, from the excitement of Woodstock to a life-changing encounter with Roberto Clemente—and into a surprising future!

The ball hit me. It sounded like a bomb going off in my head. Everything went dark. The last thing I remember was hearing somebody yell, "Call 911!" When Stosh gets hit in the head with a baseball, he's lucky to survive. Then he learns about another player who wasn't so lucky—Ray Chapman, the only player in major league history to get hit by a ball and die. If only they'd had batting helmets back then . . . Get ready to go back in time as Stosh travels to 1920 to try to save Ray—and meets Babe Ruth, Tris Speaker, and even Harry Houdini. This baseball card adventure is a wild ride to a moment that changed baseball history forever!

With more than 1.5 million books sold, the Baseball Card Adventures series brings the greatest players in history to life! Joe "Stosh" Stoshack has an incredible ability. He can travel through time using baseball cards. But the FBI has learned of his talent, and now they have a mission for him: go back to 1941 and warn President Roosevelt about the attack on Pearl Harbor! Stosh is reluctant, until he finds out that his "ticket" to 1941 is a Ted Williams card. Williams was one of the greatest hitters of all time, even though he lost years of his career to serve in the Marines. How many more home runs would the Splendid Splinter have hit if he had those years back? What if Stosh can prevent the attack on Pearl Harbor and convince Williams not to serve in the military? With black-and-white photographs and stats throughout, plus back matter separating fact from fiction, Ted & Me is the perfect mix of history and action for every young baseball fan.

With more than 1.5 million books sold, the Baseball Card Adventures series brings the greatest players in history to life. Featuring black-and-white photographs and stats throughout, plus back matter separating fact from fiction, Willie & Me is the perfect mix of history and action for every young baseball fan. Stosh thought he was finished traveling back in time. But then Ralph Branca shows up in his room one night, begging for Stosh's help. In 1951, Branca pitched a ball to Bobby Thomson that would become the "Shot Heard Round the World," a home run that won the National League pennant for the New York Giants and changed the lives of Branca and Thomson forever. Branca says the Giants were cheating, and he needs Stosh to use his power with baseball cards to go back in time and set things right. Stosh is determined to help, but he quickly learns that you can't change just one little thing in history. If he erases the "Shot Heard Round the World," he may forever alter the life of a young rookie named Willie Mays. With wisdom from all the players he has helped before—plus the surprise return of some familiar faces—Stosh uses his power to travel in time using baseball cards one last time in a fabulous finale to the adventure of a lifetime. Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in the English Language Arts