The Art of Fielding

Published in 2011, The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach is a work of literary fiction depicting the interwoven journeys of characters at Westish, a fictional small liberal arts college in Wisconsin. Henry Skrimshander is a talented baseball shortstop whose future is jeopardized by an errant throw. His development intersects with that of his teammate Schwartz; his roommate, Owen; college president Guert; and Pella, Guert’s daughter and a newly enrolled student of Westish. The novel received wide acclaim and was nominated for The Guardian’s First Book Award. The New York Times named it one of the best books of 2011. The story explores themes related to ambition, family, friendship, love, and commitment.

This guide refers to the 2012 paperback edition published by Back Bay Books.

Content Warning: The source material and guide feature depictions of death, illness, antigay bias, disordered eating, mental illness, addiction, substance use, sexual content, and cursing.

Plot Summary

Henry Skrimshander is an outstanding baseball shortstop from a small town in South Dakota. During a summer tournament, Westish College’s catcher and team captain, Mike Schwartz, notices Henry’s skills and immediately pulls strings to get him a scholarship at Westish. Henry arrives at the campus lacking self-confidence but excited about the baseball season. His roommate and teammate, Owen Dunne, leads an environmentalist student group. After Owen meets with President Guert Affenlight, Guert and Owen begin a clandestine affair. It’s Guert’s first gay relationship, and he feels self-conscious about the age difference.

Schwartz leads Henry through arduous workouts, and Henry thrives as a shortstop. He follows the guidelines in The Art of Fielding, a philosophical baseball text by his shortstop idol, Aparicio Rodriguez. Henry leads the Westish Harpooners to many victories and is eventually in the running for the most consecutive errorless games by a shortstop. On the cusp of beating his hero’s record, Henry makes an uncharacteristically errant throw, which enters the dugout, hitting Owen in the head. Henry panics, thinking that he has killed his friend. Owen has only a concussion and a cheekbone fracture, but Henry’s panic completely throws off his game, and he continues to make errors. His perfect streak ends, and he risks losing the chance to get scouted.

Meanwhile, Schwartz struggles with his own failures. He was confident that he would get into law school and applied only to the most competitive schools, but he receives rejections from them all. Schwartz is at a low point when Pella Affenlight, Guert’s daughter, leaves her husband in San Francisco, California, and returns to Westish. She and Schwartz begin a relationship.

Henry attempts to redeem himself on the field. Guert and Owen go on a genuine date, heading to a restaurant in the middle of nowhere and then staying at a motel together, where they consummate their relationship. Pella was initially eager to spend more time with her father and wants to know why he’s ignoring her. David, her husband, arrives from San Francisco and attempts to win her back.

During a big game against Westish’s rival, Coshwale, Henry makes a catastrophic error. Aparicio, Henry’s family, and many scouts are in attendance. Henry walks off the field and disappears after the game. His sister, Sophie, tells Schwartz that she’s worried, and Schwartz instructs Pella to take care of Sophie. Instead, Pella leaves Sophie with school pitcher Adam Starblind, who takes her to a bar. Henry goes to the lake, despondently considering his errors, and falls asleep there. When he returns to his dorm, Pella meets him there, and they have sex. When Schwartz and Owen find them there, Schwartz is furious.

Henry tells Coach Cox that he wants to quit the team. Pella confronts Guert and says that she knows he’s having an affair with Owen. She decides to move out of his house and finds an off-campus apartment with roommates. Henry helps her move and then starts staying at her apartment.

Schwartz’s doctor worries about him because the pain in his joints has led to an increasing dependence on pain medication, especially Vicodin. Schwartz worries about Henry and watches Pella’s apartment to confirm that Henry is there. Henry sinks into a deeper depression, hiding from Pella’s roommates and barely eating.

The Harpooners are ecstatic about advancing to the championship. School trustees confront Guert about him and Owen. Guert doesn’t deny the allegations and accepts that he must resign. He checks on Henry and arranges for him to fly to South Carolina to watch the championship game. The next morning, Henry waits for Guert to join him, but he doesn’t arrive.

At the stadium, Henry tries to remain inconspicuous, but his teammates insist that he join them. He coaches first base, and the opposing team heckles him. It’s the end of the tournament, and many of his teammates are worn out. Pella calls Schwartz while he’s in the dugout to tell him that Guert has died of a heart attack; his assistant, Mrs. McAllister, found him in his office. They’re all devastated.

The coach asks Henry to pinch-hit. The opposing pitcher throws a mean fastball, and instead of trying to hit it, Henry leans into the pitch, taking a 92-mile-per-hour fastball to the head. Everyone assumes the worst, but he leaps up and insists on running. However, after scoring the winning run, he collapses at home plate.

Henry wakes up in the hospital, where Schwartz tells him that they won. Henry will be hospitalized in the psychiatric ward while the doctors assess his anorexia and the physical toll that his mental state has taken on his body. He’s drafted by the Cardinals in the 32nd round and receives a $100,000 bonus when he signs the contract.

Two months after Guert’s funeral, Pella realizes that her father would have preferred to be laid to rest in the lake. She tells Schwartz that they must move him, and they enlist Henry and Owen to help. During the night, they dig up Guert’s coffin and transfer his body into a rowboat. After eulogizing him and making a toasting with scotch, they drop his body into the lake.

Though Henry’s therapist urged him to gain independence from Schwartz, Henry turns down the opportunity to play in the Minor Leagues so that he can stay at Westish as team captain while Schwartz coaches. They walk straight from Guert’s grave to the baseball field, and Henry’s throws become more accurate.