the chicago gale chronicles a baseball season in the life of moses gallagher green, a 36-year-old, jewish-irish, knuckleball pitcher from chicago. this marathon-running, banjo-picking loner with a bad shoulder, glasses, and a law degree earns a spot on the hometown gales, a perennial national league also-ran. moses tries to the lead the gales to baseball's promised land, the world series. along the way, he is assisted by a japanese pitcher, who instills in him a fighting spirit, and a hypnotherapist, who helps him overcome emotional barriers to success. green helps the team owner's wife discover her jewish roots. and green falls in love with the gales' publicity director. in the final play of the season, green grabs a handful of dirt to get a better grip on his bat. he remembers digging a hole at the beach when he was a little boy. when he dug deep enough, the hole filled with water from lake michigan. the feeling that he is going to come through fills him from some deep source, seemingly remote but immediate and limitless....