The Last Innocents: The Collision of the Turbulent Sixties and the Los Angeles Dodgers is a book by author
Michael Leahy, centered around the
Los Angeles Dodgers teams of the 1960s. The book was the winner of the 2016
Casey Award as the best baseball book of the year.[1]
The principle players were chosen by Leahy due to their different backgrounds, upbringings, ethnicities, and political affiliations:
Sandy Koufax, widely considered one of the greatest
pitchers in baseball history. The book covers Koufax's prime years, his career-ending chronic arm troubles, and his highly publicized contract disputes with the Dodgers' front office, including the
1966 holdout with teammate
Don Drysdale. It also covers his encounters with
antisemitism within baseball.[3][4]
Maury Wills, who sparked an offensive change in baseball by reintroducing the
stolen base, then considered to be a lost art. The book covers Wills' early struggles in the minor leagues, his unexpected rise to stardom, and his leadership qualities within the team. It also covers his later struggles with drugs and alcohol.[3][4]
Dick Tracewski, a utility
infielder who came from a
Polish immigrant family. The book covers Tracewski's relationship with Koufax, his roommate and close friend on and off the field, as well as his unexpected roles in both the
1963 and
1965 World Series due to the injuries of teammates.[4]
Wes Parker, one of the best fielding
first basemen in the 1960s. The book covers Parker's upper-class upbringing in
California, the abuse he suffered at the hands of his mother as a young boy, and his unlikely rise to the
Major Leagues.[4]
Tommy Davis, at the time considered to be one of the best hitters in the
National League. The book discusses Davis' hitting prowess, his season-ending injury in 1965, a turning point in his career, and his later struggles to return to form. It also discusses his role in the integration of
Dodgertown, his
Brooklyn background, and his first encounters with racism as young
minor leaguer.[4]
Lou Johnson, a journeyman
outfielder who played a large role in the 1965 and 1966 pennant-winning Dodger teams. Johnson's early struggles in the minors and his early experience in the Majors is covered extensively as is his sudden rise to prominance after Davis' season-ending injury in 1965.[4]