Fifty of baseball's best recount their most memorable game.

With careers that often span decades, and with more than 160 games in each season, baseball players have a lot to consider when choosing the one game that stands out -- but there is always at least one that leaps to mind for the "boys of summer".

Combed from the vast archives of Baseball Digest, America's longest-running baseball publication, Steve Milton selects 50 such stories from the magazine's celebrated feature, "The Game I'll Never Forget."

From the expressive Yogi Berra, who chose to recount a few of his best and worst moments, to hitting genius Stan Musial's "march to 3000", Milton chooses players from the 1950s through to modern day. They include:

• Blue Jays outfielder Joe Carter recalls his 1993 walkoff World Series-winning homerun against the Philadelphia Phillies
• Former American League star Rod Carew recalls his best season, in 1977, when he finished with a .388 batting mark
• Brewers star Robin Yount recalls how his hitting helped Milwaukee beat the Orioles for the 1982 East Division title
• Rickey Henderson remembers when he broke the all-time stolen base mark
• Pitching great Sandy Koufax recalls his perfect game against the Chicago Cubs on September 9, 1965
• Roger Clemens, the great Red Sox pitcher, remembers throwing a record when he struck out 20 Mariners in a 1986 match-up.

But it is Mike Piazza's memory that may stand out most. He recalls playing an "emotionally excruciating" game at Shea Stadium just a couple of days after the 9/11 attack. Like all New Yorkers those were days he never forgot. For Piazza, he would come to learn over the years that followed how deep and profound an impact that game had on the rest of his life.

The Baseball Game I'll Never Forget includes much of what makes baseball a timeless sport: readers will learn about nail-biting victories, home runs, perfect games and career milestones. Mistakes made, chances lost, fear of failure, coaches and managers with their own often harsh opinions all salt the stories told by these heroes of the diamond.

The Baseball Game I'll Never Forget is a unique account of some incredible games and the players who played them.

STEVE MILTON has over forty years’ experience as a sportswriter and writes for the Hamilton Spectator. He has won numerous Ontario Newspaper Awards and has been both a Gemini and National Newspaper Award finalist. He is the author of more than twenty books and is a member of both the Skate Canada Hall of Fame and the Canadian Football Hall of Fame. He lives in Hamilton, Ontario.

Steve Milton's profile page

Recognizable names tell their stories in "The Baseball Game I'll Never Forget." In it, 50 baseball legends each tell about a specific game and what made that outing so special... Will transport you into the dugout and the batter's box with those who were there.

Salisbury Post

The Baseball Game I'll Never Forget: Fifty Major Leaguers Recall Their Finest Moments lives up to its title as a compendium of amazing, true-life tales from the great sport of baseball through the decades. Vintage black-and-white and color photographs of scenes from the sport, as well as classic trading cards, illustrate these vignettes capturing moments of edge-of-seat excitement. The Baseball Game I'll Never Forget is a joy to browse and makes an excellent giftbook for enthusiasts of the sport. Highly recommended!

Midwest Book Review

Baseball Digest has been continuously published since 1942. One of the most popular features through the years has been the "The Baseball Game I'll Never Forget." Milton, an award-winning journalist and former beat reporter covering the Toronto Blue Jays, has organized this selection of those pieces around themes. The first section includes six standouts discussing different "firsts" in their big-league careers. Fernando Valenzuela recalls his first full year with the Los Angeles Dodgers, unable to speak much English but taking the league by storm and leading the team to the World Series. Hall-of-Famer Brooks Robinson remembers signing with the Baltimore Orioles right out of high school in 1955 for the princely sum of $4,000. He describes himself as "shaky" after being told he was going into his first game. There are pitchers recalling no-hitters and perfect games, batters who had days when the pitches appeared as large as beach balls, and, of course, many still basking in the glow of their first appearances in the World Series. Photos complement the text, along with terrific reprints of the players' baseball cards from the year or years they discuss. A fine trip down memory lane for baseball fans.

Booklist

A look at fifty greats of the sport and games that defined their lives and career... There are so many more to savor that you may not be able to pick your ultimate favourite... These are definitely fifty of the finest moments, ones that will never be eclipsed any time soon.

Shelf Life