"How can you not be romantic about baseball?" Billy Beane asks it in Moneyball — and anyone who has stayed up for extra innings in October already knows the answer. Baseball is the sport people get sentimental about, a sport with so many layers. It’s slow enough to talk through, old enough to have legends, and personal enough to get handed down from one generation to the next.
So this postseason, we’re taking the question literally. Here are four kinds of baseball love and the books that capture each one: a real romance series about six big leaguers, picture books for brand-new fans, the legends and history that keep lifelong fans coming back, and the writers who put the whole thing into words.
Literally Romantic|First Love|The Long Love Affair|The Ones Who Wrote It Down|Notes in the Margins
Literally Romantic: The Belltown Six Pack
Six best friends meet in the college town of Belltown, Massachusetts, and all get called up to the major leagues. Each book in this clean, swoony series follows one of them into love.
Hitching the Pitcher by Rebecca Connolly (Vinci Books)
Sawyer Bennett has a secret, and with the media in a frenzy over the Six Pack, it has to stay hidden if he wants to focus on his pitching. Running into his former college girlfriend, Erica Moore, wasn't supposed to happen. Falling for her again, and telling her his secret, definitely wasn't either.
Falling for Centerfield by Sophia Summers (Vinci Books)
Everybody thinks Cole Hunter is a ladies' man, but his heart belongs to only one. When Harlow Ember is asked to report on a charity event back in Belltown sponsored by Cole and the Six Pack, none of his usual efforts to win her over seem to work. She has goals of her own, and losing her heart to another man who might leave her cold isn't one of them.
Charming the Shortstop by Heather B. Moore (Vinci Books)
He's not looking. She's been burned. Axel Diaz, dubbed "Cold Axe" by his fans, comes back to Belltown University for a friend's wedding with no plans to bring a date, until he meets flight attendant Brighton West. They agree to one date, just this once, and Axel can't figure out why he's breaking his no-dating streak now.
Snatching the Catcher by Rebecca Connolly (Vinci Books)
Rachel Bennett has spent her life reaching for a professional dance career. David "Grizz" McCarthy is one of her brother's best friends, which should put her firmly off limits. The more time they spend together, the less he cares what falling for her could do to his friendships in the Six Pack.
Flirting With First by Sophia Summers (Vinci Books)
Movie star Trista McKinney has been Ryker Stone's from the very beginning. But her production schedule, his baseball season, and a heartthrob co-star running a social media campaign for her attention keep getting in the way. Can two big careers make room for one relationship?
Kissing on Third by Heather B. Moore (Vinci Books)
His past will never go away. Hers has left deep scars. Levi Cox bounced between foster homes protecting his kid brother, and baseball gave him a purpose and a way to provide for him. Finley Gray works through her own past in the boxing ring, and breaking through her tough exterior may be his hardest challenge yet.
First Love: Books for Brand-New Fans
Most people don't choose baseball. Someone hands it to them. These are for the youngest fans, and the grown-ups reading along.
Baseball Legends Alphabet by Beck Feiner (Alphabet Legends)
From Babe Ruth to Joe DiMaggio, Satchel Paige to Dizzy Dean, all the greats step up to the plate, one letter at a time. An illustrated A to Z of the game's legends for little fans and every other lover of baseball.
Dodgers Legends Alphabet by Beck Feiner (Alphabet Legends)
New this fall. From Jackie Robinson to Sandy Koufax, Vin Scully to Fernando Valenzuela, the batters, pitchers, stars and moments that made Dodger Blue, one letter at a time. Made for the families raising the next generation of little Dodgers fans, and for sending a little slugger off to sleep.
Yankees Legends Alphabet by Beck Feiner (Alphabet Legends)
From A-Rod to Derek Jeter, The Sandman to The Babe, the greatest players ever to round the bases in New York, from A to Z. Grab your bat and your mitt for a trip through Bronx Bombers history.
Red Sox Legends Alphabet by Beck Feiner (Alphabet Legends)
From Ted Williams to David Ortiz, Carl Yastrzemski to Pedro Martínez, the home run heroes, pitching powerhouses and unforgettable moments of Boston's beloved franchise, from A to Z.
Take Me Out to the Ball Game by Jack Norworth, illustrated by Gary Clement (Greystone Books)
Baseball's most beloved anthem becomes a picture book. A boy tries to convince his father to leave work behind for an afternoon out with the crowd, rooting for the home team. Colorful cartoon-style illustrations from the illustrator of The Hockey Song make it a read-aloud for all ages.
Ukaliq Learns to Play Inuktitut Baseball by Nadia Sammurtok (Arvaaq Press)
Ukaliq is excited to spend the day with his arctic animal friends, but nervous about playing Inuktitut baseball. Tiri is fast, Nanuq is strong, and Tuktu has good aim. What if Ukaliq can't even hit the ball? A bilingual Inuktitut and English story about discovering your own talent.
Out at Home by Lisa M. Bolt Simons (Adventure Publications)
In this choose-your-path book for ages 9 to 13, the reader plays Alec, a shortstop who has been in and out of foster care and holds on to baseball as everything else unravels. Readers make the choices, collect points to upgrade their skills, and try to keep their starting spot all the way to the big game.
Baseball Bats for Christmas by Michael Arvaarluk Kusugak (Annick Press)
It's 1955 in Repulse Bay, "smack dab on the Arctic Circle," and a plane lands on the ice with six green, spindly things none of the kids have ever seen before. One boy has a brilliant idea: baseball bats. A 35th anniversary edition with new illustrations by Coco Apunnguaq Lynge, and a head start on holiday shopping.
The Long Love Affair: Legends and History
Every October is part of a longer story. These are for the fans who know it by heart, and the ones still learning it.
Baseball Memories & Dreams from the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum (Turner Publishing)
More than 70 articles selected from the Hall of Fame's member magazine, by Hall of Famers, notable sportswriters, media personalities and the Hall's own historians. Stories from Johnny Bench, Ichiro Suzuki and Joe Torre sit alongside coverage of Black, Hispanic and women players and the game's great teams and rivalries.
Picturing America's Pastime from the National Baseball Hall of Fame (Turner Publishing)
Rarely seen photographs from the Hall of Fame archives in Cooperstown, selected by its historians and curators and spanning more than 150 years. Panoramas of historic stadiums, a thoughtful Honus Wagner studying his bat, and greats like Hank Aaron, Jackie Robinson and Minnie Miñoso, each with a quote and a detailed caption. The coffee table pick of the list.
Baseball Legends by Scott Reeves (Danann Media Publishing)
The lives and careers of baseball's biggest hitters and flame-throwing pitchers across 150 years of the major leagues. Pioneers like Shoeless Joe Jackson and Babe Ruth, golden era stars like Jackie Robinson and Joe DiMaggio, and modern superstars like Mike Trout and Albert Pujols, plus the rivalries that made them.
The Little Guide to Shohei Ohtani (Welbeck)
From humble beginnings in Ōshū, Japan, to the Angels and the Dodgers, Shohei Ohtani has redefined what's possible as both a dominant pitcher and a powerful hitter. This little book of quotes, facts and insights traces his journey and the focused, grounded mindset behind it. Small enough for a stocking.
42 Today edited by Michael G. Long (NYU Press)
Jackie Robinson took the field for the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947, before the Supreme Court ruled against segregation in public schools and before Rosa Parks refused to give up her bus seat. Sportswriters, cultural critics and scholars explore the complicated man behind the icon and his legacy on civil rights, sports, faith, youth and nonviolence. With a foreword by Ken Burns, Sarah Burns and David McMahon.
Negro League Baseball by Neil Lanctot (University of Pennsylvania Press)
While most Black businesses of the era struggled year to year, Black professional baseball teams and leagues operated for decades. Lanctot traces that achievement from the Depression through its golden age and World War II to its disappearance in the early civil rights era. He drew on the sports pages of Black newspapers in every league city, interviews with former players, and financial and court records.
Willie's Boys by John Klima (Turner Publishing)
Before he was the "Say Hey Kid," Willie Mays was a raw but gifted 16-year-old on the 1948 Birmingham Black Barons. The team's veterans taught him the ways of the game and the world, and gave him the experience and connections to sign with the New York Giants. Klima tells the story of that rookie season, the last Negro World Series, and the making of a legend.
The Ones Who Wrote It Down
Some fans keep score. Some keep notebooks. These writers turned the game into essays, novels and memoirs.
Field Work by Andrew Forbes (Assembly Press)
Baseball is a sport, a pastime, an obsession, a dream, and for some, a day job. These essays follow the people who make the game happen, from major league stars and Little League coaches to gamblers, ballpark operators and minor leaguers. The Twin Bill named it the best baseball nonfiction book of 2025.
Ball Four by Jim Bouton (Turner Publishing)
When Ball Four came out in 1970, sportswriters called Bouton a traitor and Commissioner Bowie Kuhn tried to force him to declare the book untrue. Fans loved it anyway, including readers who don't usually follow baseball, and critics called it an important social document. This 50th anniversary edition adds a new foreword from his wife, Paula Kurman.
Miko Kings by LeAnne Howe (Aunt Lute Books)
Ada, Oklahoma, 1907: Indian Territory has baseball fever. Moving between 1907, 1969 and the present, Howe's lively, humorous novel follows an Indian baseball team, woven together with newspaper clippings, photographs, letters and journal entries. For the tribes of Indian Territory, baseball extended a sport they had played for centuries.
Sayonara Slam by Naomi Hirahara (Turner Publishing)
It's Japan vs. Korea in the World Baseball Classic at Dodger Stadium, and before the first pitch, aging gardener Mas Arai is caught up in a murder. Who is the woman throwing knuckleballs to warm up the Japanese team? What was on the murdered sportswriter's deleted files? The sixth book in Hirahara's award-winning Mas Arai series.
Tokyo Junkie by Robert Whiting (Stone Bridge Press)
Sixty years of Tokyo, from the 1964 Olympics to run-ins with the Yakuza to interviews with Japan's baseball elite. A memoir of a city's transformation, and the author's own, from the writer of The Chrysanthemum and the Bat and You Gotta Have Wa.
So, how can you not be romantic about baseball? Whether you fell for the game at your first ballpark, through a bedtime alphabet, or by way of a ballplayer with a soft spot, there is a book here for the kind of fan you are. Pick your kind of baseball love, and enjoy the postseason. Happy reading!
A Few Notes in the Margins
Frequently Asked Questions
What are some good baseball romance novels?
The Belltown Six Pack series from Vinci Books is six clean, swoony sports romances about college best friends who all make it to the major leagues. Start with Hitching the Pitcher by Rebecca Connolly, then follow the rest of the friends in Falling for Centerfield, Charming the Shortstop, Snatching the Catcher, Flirting With First and Kissing on Third.
What are good baseball books for kids?
For little ones, Baseball Legends Alphabet by Beck Feiner introduces the greats from A to Z, and Take Me Out to the Ball Game turns the classic song into a picture book. Ukaliq Learns to Play Inuktitut Baseball is a bilingual Inuktitut and English story about a nervous young player. For ages 9 to 13, Out at Home is a choose-your-path book where the reader plays shortstop.
What's a good gift for a baseball fan?
Picturing America's Pastime and Baseball Memories & Dreams, both from the National Baseball Hall of Fame, make great coffee table gifts. For a fan of one team, try the Dodgers, Yankees or Red Sox Legends Alphabet. The Little Guide to Shohei Ohtani fits in a stocking.
Happy reading!