Mike Lupica started writing about sports for The New York Daily News in 1977. While he covers many sports—from football to figure skating—Lupica admits, “My three favorite sports are baseball, baseball, and baseball” (Lupica, Mike. Shooting From the Lip: Essays, Columns, Quips, and Gripes in the Grand Tradition of Dyspeptic Sports Writing. Bonus Books, 1988. p. 41). Lupica’s adoration of baseball manifests in Hutch. The narrator says, “[N]obody [Hutch] knew followed baseball the way he did” (15). Lupica uses Hutch to teach readers about the history of baseball. The reader learns about past legends like Joe DiMaggio, Bob Gibson, and recent icons like Derek Jeter—the Yankees’ Hall of Fame shortstop. As a New York–based columnist, Lupica focuses on the Yankees, so Lupica and Hutch are fans of the franchise that has won more World Series tournaments (27) than any other Major League team.

Lupica’s other baseball novels for young readers are similar to The Big Field. In Heat (2006), the protagonist’s father plays a key role. After Michael’s dad dies, people begin to question his age—they don’t think a 12-year-old can throw as hard as Michael can. Through teamwork, Michael gets a birth certificate and the chance to handle

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