Jim “Ball Four” Bouton

Jim Bouton died last week.

The former major league pitcher compiled a very respectable record playing for the Yankees, Pilots, Astros, and Braves.

But what really put Jim Bouton on the map, as it were, was his 1970 insider’s book called “Ball Four.” It was kind of outrageous at the time — probably awfullu tame by today’s standards — but it established Bouton as somebody more than just another jock.

I met him 25 years ago this week, after he’d published a baseball novel called “Strike Zone.”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.