The only person who seems to have any insight whatever is an aging sportswriters whose interest is certainly piqued by the arrival of the world’s oldest rookie, but who seems to have forgotten all about his striking out the Whammer so long ago. Who he is, what he’s done, how he got there and what he is capable of bringing to the hapless team are all questions that must wait their proper time. What has happened during the interim between being shot and showing up at training camp remains a mystery that Roy seems in no hurry to explain.

Roy is no longer a pitching sensation, but the bat made by hand and named Wonderboy is still capable of being a lethal weapon his hands.

Enticed by the woman’s smoldering sexuality, Roy eager anticipates a night of passion, but when he arrives, what he gets instead is a silver bullet in stomach from the gun pointed at him by Harriet.įifteen years later, Roy is now well past his prime and has signed a contract with the New York Knights, the worst team in the league. When the reaches Chicago, Roy is surprised to get a phone call from Harriet who invites him back to her hotel room. The longest lasting legacy of the contest, however, is that Harriet Bird’s attention switches from Whambold to Roy. Ultimately, the Whammer does get struck out, but in doing so, Roy’s third strike also strikes Sam in the chest with such force that he dies later that night. With each successful pitch from the young phenom, the tension and excitement builds. The contest is arrange and a large crowd gathers around. The Whammer is eventually informed of the existence of Roy Hobbes and makes some less than kind remarks, which stimulates Sam to bet Whambold that Roy can strike him out.

When the locomotive is forced to make an unscheduled stop, the passengers take the opportunity to stretch their legs and hit a nearby carnival to pass the time. Notable passengers who happen to be on the train include a mysterious and alluring woman named Harriet Bird, Max Mercy who is one of the country’s leading sportswriters and, most notably, the most feared hitter in the American League: Walt “The Whammer” Whambold. Along for the ride is Sam, his manager, who has wrangled a tryout for his scouting jackpot with the Chicago Cubs. Roy Hobbes is traveling by train to Chicago as his story commences. On the other hand, those looking for the happy ending which meets Roy Hobbes as the closing credits begin to crawl should probably prepare themselves for bitter disappointment ahead. Those only familiar with this book from the Robert Redford film upon which it is based will find a great deal of faithfulness to the basic structure of the narrative. We are thankful for their contributions and encourage you to make your own. These notes were contributed by members of the GradeSaver community.

The natural by bernard malamud