61-667: James Alan Bouton ( / ˈ b aʊ t ə n / ; March 8, 1939 – July 10, 2019) was an American professional baseball player. Bouton played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a pitcher for the New York Yankees , Seattle Pilots , Houston Astros , and Atlanta Braves between 1962 and 1978. He was also a best-selling author, actor, activist, sportscaster and one of the creators of Big League Chew . Bouton played college baseball at Western Michigan University , before signing his first professional contract with
122-635: A Ball Six , updating the stories of the players in Ball Four , for the 20th anniversary edition. All were included (in 2000) as Ball Four: The Final Pitch , along with a new coda that detailed the death of his daughter and his reconciliation with the Yankees. After his return to the majors, Bouton continued to pitch at the semi-pro level for a Bergen County, New Jersey team called the Emerson-Westwood Merchants, among other teams in
183-399: A 1.48 ERA in three career World Series starts. Bouton's frequent use by the Yankees during these years (he led the league with 37 starts in 1964 in addition to pitching in that year's World Series) probably contributed to his subsequent arm troubles. In 1965, an arm injury slowed his fastball and ended his status as a pitching phenomenon. Relegated mostly to bullpen duty, Bouton began to throw
244-519: A New York sportscaster. Bouton retired midway through the 1970 season, shortly after the Astros sent him down to the minor leagues. After a handful of unsatisfactory appearances, Bouton left baseball to become a local sports anchor for New York station WABC-TV , as part of Eyewitness News ; he later held the same job for WCBS-TV . In 1973, Bouton published a collection of manager tales, including one by Bouton himself about Joe Schultz his manager with
305-808: A contract with the Atlanta Braves . After a successful season with the Double-A Savannah Braves of the Southern League , he was called up to join Atlanta's rotation in September, and compiled a 1–3 record with a 4.97 ERA in five starts. His winding return to the majors was chronicled in a book by sportswriter Terry Pluto , The Greatest Summer. Bouton also detailed his comeback in a 10th anniversary re-release of his first book, titled Ball Four Plus Ball Five , as well as adding
366-630: A home run and 27 RBI in 66 games with the A's before being sent to the Chicago Cubs for the last two weeks of the season. The Cubs released him in December, and he re-signed with the A's as a free agent , rebounding with a .324 campaign, three home runs and 42 RBI in 79 games in 1971. However, Oakland released him at the end of 1972 spring training; he signed with the Cubs again in July, but played only
427-797: A month before being traded to the Baltimore Orioles , where he would spend the next three seasons. In Baltimore, he served as the designated hitter from 1973 to 1975, finishing third in the 1973 batting race with a .306 mark and placing tenth in the MVP vote. Then in 1974, he was second in the American League with 181 hits. Also in 1974, he won the Outstanding Designated Hitter Award (later renamed for Edgar Martínez ). He played in two American League Championship Series (both times, in 1973 and 1974 ,
488-508: A statement saying that the book was completely fictional. Bouton, however, refused to deny any of Ball Four' s revelations. Some teammates never forgave him for disclosing information given to him in confidence, and naming names. The book made Bouton unpopular with many players, coaches, and officials on other teams as well; he was informally blacklisted from baseball. Bouton's writings about Mickey Mantle 's lifestyle were most notorious, though they comprise few pages of Ball Four and much of
549-448: A walk, wild pitch and single by Tommy Davis that bounced off the pitching mound. Bouton won both his starts in the 1964 World Series . He beat the St. Louis Cardinals 2–1 with a complete-game six-hitter on October 10 on a walk-off home run by Mickey Mantle , then won again on October 14 at Busch Stadium , 8–3, backed by another Mantle homer and a Joe Pepitone grand slam. He was 2–1 with
610-420: A year to where my brain worked again. I no longer think of grass as harmless. We were in the death throes of a marriage. She should ask herself how did she not see these things. In 1997, Laurie was killed in a car accident at age 31. Bouton later married Paula Kurman. They had six grandchildren. In 2012, Bouton had a stroke that did not impair him physically but damaged his memory and speaking. Bouton promoted
671-511: Is Foul Ball , a non-fiction account of his attempt to save Wahconah Park , a historic minor league baseball stadium in Pittsfield, Massachusetts . The book was released in 2003 and later updated in 2005. Although Bouton had never been officially declared persona non grata by the Yankees or any other team as a result of Ball Four ' s revelations, he was excluded from most baseball-related functions, including Old-Timers' Games . It
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#1732801424917732-561: Is for Steinbrenner to spite Bouton). Not long after, the Yankees elected to invite him to the Old Timers Game. On July 25, 1998, Bouton, sporting his familiar number 56, received a standing ovation when he took the mound at Yankee Stadium. Bouton and his first wife Bobbie had two children together, Michael and Laurie, and adopted a Korean orphan, Kyong Jo. Kyong Jo later changed his name to David. Bobbie and Bouton divorced in 1981. In 1983, Bouton's ex-wife teamed up with Nancy Marshall,
793-705: Is often applied as an umbrella term for all leagues — major and minor — under the authority of the Commissioner of Baseball . Operating outside the Minor League Baseball organization are many independent minor leagues such as the Atlantic League , American Association , Frontier League , and the feeder league to these the Empire Professional Baseball League . Japan has had professional baseball since
854-545: Is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada consists of the National League (founded in 1876) and the American League (founded in 1901). Historically, teams in one league never played teams in
915-504: The China National Baseball League , Israel Baseball League , and Baseball Philippines . During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, players of black African descent were barred from playing the major leagues , though several did manage to play by claiming to be Cubans or Native Americans . As a result, a number of parallel Negro leagues were formed. However, after Jackie Robinson began playing with
976-543: The Los Angeles Dodgers —who had moved from Brooklyn to the west coast prior to the 1958 season—during spring training 1960 and batted .276 in his 1960 rookie season, and .278 in 1961, before enjoying his breakout year in 1962 as the team moved into the new Dodger Stadium . His .346 batting average edged out Frank Robinson 's .342 for the National League batting crown, and his 230 hits and 153 RBI led
1037-583: The Miracle Mets winning the 1969 World Series . In 1968, in what would become the "Year of the Pitcher", Davis led the White Sox in hitting with a .268 average, and posted eight home runs and 50 RBI in 132 games. Teammate Tommy John felt the trade was a mistake because the White Sox at that time were based more on defense and speed, neither of which was Davis's strong point. In October 1968, Davis
1098-721: The Portland Mavericks of the Class A Northwest League in 1975, compiling a 5–1 record. He skipped the 1976 season to work on the TV series, but he returned to the diamond in 1977 when Bill Veeck signed him to a minor league contract with the Chicago White Sox . Bouton was winless for a White Sox farm club; a stint in the Mexican League and a return to Portland followed. In 1978, Ted Turner signed Bouton to
1159-523: The Vintage Base Ball Federation to form vintage clubs and leagues internationally, to codify the rules and equipment of its 19th-century origins, and to organize competitions. Bouton was a delegate to the 1972 Democratic National Convention for George McGovern . Bouton died at home on July 10, 2019, after weeks of hospice care for cerebral amyloid angiopathy , at age 80. Professional baseball Professional baseball
1220-504: The Western Michigan Broncos baseball team. He earned a scholarship for his second year. That summer, he played amateur baseball, catching the attention of scouts . Yankees scout Art Stewart signed Bouton for $ 30,000. Bouton signed with the Yankees as an amateur free agent in 1959. After playing in minor league baseball , Bouton started his major league career in 1962 with the Yankees, where his tenacity earned him
1281-685: The knuckleball again, in an effort to lengthen his career. He was 1–1 in 12 appearances when his contract was sold on June 15, 1968, by the Yankees to the Seattle Pilots before the expansion franchise ever played a game. He was assigned to the Seattle Angels for the remainder of the campaign. In October 1968, Bouton joined a committee of American sportsmen who traveled to the 1968 Summer Olympics , in Mexico City , to protest
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#17328014249171342-700: The 1930s. Nippon Professional Baseball consists of two leagues, the Central League and the Pacific League , each with six teams. South Korea has had professional baseball since 1982. There are 10 teams in KBO League . Taiwan has had professional baseball since the 1990s. The Chinese Professional Baseball League absorbed Taiwan Major League in 2003. There are currently 6 teams in the CPBL. Other Asian leagues include three now defunct leagues,
1403-753: The Class-D Hornell Dodgers of the Pennsylvania-Ontario-New York League in 1956 before moving to the Kokomo Dodgers of the Midwest League the following season where he won a batting title. During his time in Kokomo, Davis credited manager Pete Reiser for helping him grow as player, recalling years later that Reiser encouraged him to be a more aggressive hitter and base runner. In 1958, he
1464-404: The MVP balloting, with teammate Maury Wills winning the award and Willie Mays finishing second. In two separate games from 1961 and 1962, Davis beat future Hall of Famer Bob Gibson with a solo home run, both times helping teammate Sandy Koufax win the game by a score of 1–0. On May 25, 1961, at Sportsman Park , Gibson and Koufax matched six scoreless innings before Davis hit a home run in
1525-759: The MVP balloting. In the 1963 World Series , the Dodgers swept the New York Yankees ; batting cleanup, Davis hit .400 in the Series, tripling twice in Game 2 and driving in the only run of the 1–0 Game 3 victory, his first-inning single off Jim Bouton driving in Jim Gilliam . To date, Davis' back-to-back batting titles are the only two in the Dodgers' Los Angeles history. Only two right-handed hitters have won multiple National League batting titles since: Bill Madlock with four, and Roberto Clemente with four. Davis won
1586-620: The Metropolitan Baseball League in northern New Jersey, while living in Teaneck, New Jersey . Once his baseball career ended a second time, Bouton became one of the inventors of " Big League Chew ", a shredded bubblegum designed to resemble chewing tobacco and sold in a tobacco-like pouch. He also co-authored Strike Zone (a baseball novel) and edited an anthology about managers, entitled I Managed Good, But Boy Did They Play Bad (published 1973). His most recent book
1647-550: The National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues, oversees nearly all minor league baseball in the United States and Canada. The minor leagues are divided into classes AAA, AA, High-A, A, and Rookie. These minor-league divisions are affiliated with major league teams, and serve to develop young players and rehabilitate injured major-leaguers. "Affiliated baseball" (archaically, " organized baseball ")
1708-601: The Orioles lost to the eventual World Series champion Oakland Athletics). The Orioles released him in 1976 spring training, and he signed with the Yankees but did not play for them. From June to September he hit .265 with three home runs and 26 RBI in 72 games with the California Angels before ending the season with the Kansas City Royals who released him on January 17,1977. After being released by
1769-587: The Red Sox with 1 1 ⁄ 3 innings of relief, again not allowing a hit. Over 57 appearances with the Pilots, he compiled a 2–1 record with a 3.91 ERA. The Pilots traded him to the Houston Astros in late August, where Bouton was 0–2 with a 4.11 ERA in 16 appearances (one start). Around 1968, sportswriter Leonard Shecter , who had befriended Bouton during his time with the Yankees, approached him with
1830-487: The Royals, having played for ten different teams in eighteen seasons, Davis retired from baseball. He occasionally expressed resentment for his numerous moves, remarking late in his career: "I'm very bitter, bitter as hell. Why do I keep getting released? Don't ask me no reason why." But he conceded his reputation as having a casual style of play, noting, "the lazier I felt the better I hit", and admitting that he often went into
1891-567: The Seattle Pilots. Bouton also became an actor, playing the part of Terry Lennox in Robert Altman 's The Long Goodbye (1973), plus the lead role of Jim Barton in the 1976 CBS television series Ball Four , which was loosely adapted from the book. The show was canceled after five episodes. Decades later, Bouton would also have a brief one-line cameo as a pitching coach in the 2010 James L. Brooks film How Do You Know . By
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1952-497: The Yankees, and wanted to keep it as a reminder of how close he had come to not making the ball club. He wore number 56 throughout most of his major league career.) Bouton appeared in 36 games (16 starts) during the 1962 season, going 7–7 with two saves and a 3.99 ERA. He did not play in the Yankees' 1962 World Series victory over the San Francisco Giants , although he had originally been slated to start Game 7. When
2013-574: The Yankees, which was published in The New York Times , in which Michael described the agony of his father following the August 1997 death of Michael's sister Laurie at age 31, with Michael wishing that the Yankees would invite Bouton to their Old Timers Game on July 25 (he noted Yogi Berra 's decision to not participate in the game as long as George Steinbrenner was owner, but he cited it as just as petty for Berra to spite Steinbrenner as it
2074-484: The Yankees. He was a member of the 1962 World Series champions, appeared in the 1963 MLB All-Star Game , and won both of his starts in the 1964 World Series . Later in his career, he developed and threw a knuckleball . Bouton authored the 1970 baseball book Ball Four , which was a combination diary of his 1969 season and memoir of his years with the Yankees, Pilots, and Astros. Bouton was born in Newark , New Jersey,
2135-426: The batting titles while playing his home games at Dodger Stadium , well known to be a pitcher-friendly ballpark. Davis slumped to .275 in 1964 as the Dodgers finished out of contention for the pennant. On May 1, 1965, against the visiting Giants, he broke and dislocated his ankle sliding into second base while trying to break up a double play and was lost for the remainder of the season, although he did pinch-hit on
2196-481: The clubhouse to read and even to shave between at bats as designated hitter with Baltimore. Davis stayed in baseball after retiring as a player. He worked for the Dodgers as a minor-league instructor and also as part of the community relations department. He also served one year as the hitting coach for the 1981 Seattle Mariners before returning to work for the Dodgers. Davis was married twice and had five children. He had four with his first wife, three daughters and
2257-551: The final day of the regular season. Three days later, the Dodgers called up Lou Johnson to replace him. The Dodgers won the World Series that year, defeating the Minnesota Twins in seven games. Davis rebounded in 1966, batting .313 in 100 games, but he hit just three home runs and recorded 27 RBI in 313 at bats . Los Angeles was swept by the Baltimore Orioles in the World Series , with Davis starting only two of
2318-467: The former wife of pitcher Mike Marshall , to write a tell-all book called Home Games. In response to the book's publication, Bouton commented: We all have the right to write about our lives, and she does, too. If the book is insightful, if it helps people, I may be applauding it. I'm sure most of the things she says are true. I smoked grass , I ran around, I found excuses to stay on the road. It got so bad that I smoked grass to numb myself. It took me
2379-564: The four games and batting .250. On November 29, 1966, Davis was traded to the New York Mets along with Derrell Griffith in exchange for Ron Hunt and Jim Hickman . He batted .302 with 16 home runs and 73 RBI in 154 games during the 1967 season. On December 15, 1967, Davis was traded again, this time to the Chicago White Sox in a six-player deal, with the Mets acquiring Tommie Agee and Al Weis —two men who would play major roles in
2440-411: The game was postponed a day because of rain, Ralph Terry pitched instead. Bouton went 21–7 and 18–13 in the next two seasons, and appeared in the 1963 All-Star Game . In Game 3 of the 1963 World Series , Don Drysdale of the Los Angeles Dodgers pitched a three-hit shutout in a 1–0 victory, while Bouton gave up just four hits in seven innings for the Yankees. The only run scored in the first inning on
2501-451: The idea of writing a season-long diary. Bouton agreed; he had taken some notes during the 1968 season with a similar goal. The diary that became Ball Four chronicled Bouton's experiences the next year with the Pilots. The diary also followed Bouton during his two-week stint with the triple-A Vancouver Mounties in April, and after his trade to the Houston Astros in late August. Ball Four
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2562-558: The involvement of apartheid South Africa. He was used almost exclusively out of the bullpen by the Pilots in 1969. On May 16, he pitched three hitless innings of relief without allowing a run against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park . The Pilots scored six in the top of the 11th inning to earn him the win, even though other Seattle relievers gave five runs back in the bottom of the 11th. Bouton earned another win in July against
2623-425: The major leagues. His 230 hits in 1962 were the most in a season by any player between 1937 and 1969, while his 153 RBI, a franchise record, was the highest total reached between 1949 and 1998. He also had career bests with 27 home runs , 120 runs , and nine triples as the Dodgers finished the regular schedule tied for first place with the San Francisco Giants , but lost a three-game playoff. He finished third in
2684-727: The major-league Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947, the Negro leagues gradually faded. The process of integration did not go entirely smoothly; there were some ugly incidents, including pitchers who would try to throw directly at a black player's head. Now, however, baseball is fully integrated, and there is little to no racial tension between teammates. Between 1943 and 1954, the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League fielded teams in several Midwestern towns. Tommy Davis (outfielder) Herman Thomas Davis Jr. (March 21, 1939 – April 3, 2022)
2745-462: The material was complimentary. For example, when Bouton got his first shutout win as a Yankee, he describes Mantle laying a "red carpet" of white towels leading directly to Bouton's locker in his honor. The controversy and book sales enabled Bouton to write a sequel, I'm Glad You Didn't Take It Personally , in which he discussed both the controversies and reactions to Ball Four , and the end of his original pitching career and his transition to becoming
2806-440: The mid-1970s, a cult audience saw the book Ball Four as a candid and comic portrayal of the ups and downs of baseball life. Bouton went on the college lecture circuit, delivering humorous talks on his experiences. He authored a sequel, I'm Glad You Didn't Take It Personally , and later updated the original book with a new extended postscript that provided a ten-year update, dubbed Ball Five . Bouton launched his comeback bid with
2867-403: The nickname "Bulldog." By this time, he had developed a formidable fastball. He also came to be known for his cap flying off his head at the completion of his delivery to the plate, as well as for his uniform number 56, a number usually assigned in spring training to players designated for the minor leagues. (Bouton later explained that he had been assigned the number in 1962 when he was promoted to
2928-510: The other until the World Series , in which the champions of the two leagues played against each other. This changed in 1997 with the advent of interleague play . The Philadelphia Phillies , founded in 1883, are the oldest continuous same-name, same-city franchise in both Major League Baseball and all of American professional sports. In addition to the major leagues, many North American cities and towns feature minor league teams. An organization officially styled Minor League Baseball , formerly
2989-433: The seventh for the only run of the game. The following season, on June 18 at Dodger Stadium , after the two pitchers matched eight scorless innings, Davis hit a walk-off home run off Gibson. Koufax, who was a Brooklyn native like Davis, would joke after one of the games, "Us Brooklyn boys got to stick together." In 1963, Davis won his second batting title, edging Roberto Clemente by six points, and finished eighth in
3050-584: The son of Gertrude (Vischer) and George Hempstead Bouton, an executive. He grew up as a fan of the New York Giants in Rochelle Park, New Jersey , where he lived until the age of 13. He lived with his family in Ridgewood, New Jersey until he was 15, when his family relocated to Homewood, Illinois . Bouton enrolled at Bloom High School , where he played for the school's baseball team. Bouton
3111-700: The year-end Governors' Cup with the team, defeating the Toronto Maple Leafs in five games. Davis was moved to the Spokane Indians of the Pacific Coast League for the 1959 season, where he won another batting title. During the year, he was briefly called up to the Dodgers, making his major league debut as a pinch hitter on September 22, 1959 against the St. Louis Cardinals ; he struck out against Marshall Bridges after pinch hitting for pitcher Clem Labine . Davis made
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#17328014249173172-527: Was a basketball teammate of future Hall of Famer Lenny Wilkens and played for coach Mickey Fisher . He was also a long jumper on the school's track and field team with record breaker Bernard Lowther. In 1956, he was considering signing with the New York Yankees , but received a phone call from Jackie Robinson who convinced him to sign with the Brooklyn Dodgers instead. Signing out of high school, Davis began his minor league career for
3233-531: Was also a talented pinch hitter , batting .307 (62-for-202) in his career. In 1962, he finished third in the MVP voting after leading the major leagues in batting average , hits and runs batted in . Davis' 153 RBIs in that season broke Roy Campanella 's team record of 142 in 1953 and remains the franchise record; his 230 hits are the team record for a right-handed batter (second most in franchise history behind only Babe Herman 's 241 in 1930), and his .346 average
3294-495: Was an American professional baseball player and coach . He played in Major League Baseball as a left fielder and third baseman from 1959 to 1976 for ten different teams, most prominently for the Los Angeles Dodgers where he was a two-time National League batting champion and was a member of the 1963 World Series winning team. During an 18-year baseball career, Davis batted .294 with 153 home runs , 2,121 hits and 1,052 runs batted in (RBI) in 1,999 career games. He
3355-608: Was featured heavily in Bouton's book Ball Four which was published the following year. Bouton wrote favorably about his teammate and, as a result, Davis was one of the few players who did not shun Bouton; the two remained friends until Bouton's death in 2019. Davis began 1970 with Houston, hitting .282 with three home runs and 30 RBI in 57 games before his contract was sold to the Oakland Athletics in June; he hit .290 with
3416-566: Was nicknamed "Warm-Up Bouton" because he never got to play in a game, serving much of his time as a benchwarmer. Bloom's star pitcher at that time was Jerry Colangelo , who later would become owner of the Arizona Diamondbacks and Phoenix Suns . In summer leagues, Bouton did not throw particularly hard, but he got batters out by mixing conventional pitches with the knuckleball that he had experimented with since childhood. Bouton attended Western Michigan University , and pitched for
3477-556: Was not the first baseball diary ( Cincinnati Reds pitcher Jim Brosnan had written two such books), but it became more widely known and discussed than its predecessors. The book was a frank, insider's look at professional sports teams, covering the off-the-field side of baseball life, including petty jealousies, obscene jokes, drunken tomcatting of the players, and routine drug use, including by Bouton himself. Upon its publication, baseball commissioner Bowie Kuhn called Ball Four "detrimental to baseball", and tried to force Bouton to sign
3538-753: Was promoted to the Double-A Victoria Rosebuds of the Texas League where he performed well despite playing with an injured wrist. Davis recalled facing racial discrimination while in Victoria, remarking years later: "The more they yelled, the harder I played." Towards the end of the season, Davis was promoted again, this time to the Triple-A Montreal Royals of the International League where he won
3599-416: Was rumored that Mickey Mantle himself had told the Yankees that he would never attend an Old-Timers' Game to which Bouton was invited. Later, Mantle denied this charge during an answering-machine message to Bouton after Mantle's son Billy had died of cancer in 1994 – Mantle was acknowledging a condolence card Bouton had sent. On June 21, 1998 (Father's Day) Bouton's oldest son Michael wrote an open letter to
3660-415: Was selected by the Seattle Pilots in the expansion draft . The following season, he batted .271 with six home runs and 80 RBI in 123 games with the Pilots before being traded to the Houston Astros , where he hit .241 with a home run and 9 RBI; his 20 stolen bases that year were a career high. During the 1969 season, pitcher Jim Bouton was Davis' teammate in both Seattle and Houston. Subsequently, he
3721-433: Was the highest by a Dodgers right-handed hitter in the 20th century until it was broken by Mike Piazza in 1997 with .362. Herman Thomas Davis Jr. was born in Brooklyn , New York and grew up in the neighborhood of Bedford–Stuyvesant . He was the only child of Herman Sr. and Grace Lenore Davis. His mother referred to him as "Tommy" to distinguish him from his father. He attended Boys High School in Brooklyn, where he
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