House That Hank Built
Fansided

Atlanta Braves Opening Day countdown: 56, Ball Four

By Benjamin Chase

382468 01: Former New York Yankees pitcher Jim Bouton signs copies of his new book, "Ball Four: The Final Pitch" November 27, 2000 at a Waldenbooks store in Schaumburg, IL. "Ball Four: The Final Pitch" is a new and final edition of his controversial 1970 book titled "Ball Four" that has sold more than five million copies worldwide its 30-year life. (Photo by Tim Boyle/Newsmakers)
382468 01: Former New York Yankees pitcher Jim Bouton signs copies of his new book, "Ball Four: The Final Pitch" November 27, 2000 at a Waldenbooks store in Schaumburg, IL. "Ball Four: The Final Pitch" is a new and final edition of his controversial 1970 book titled "Ball Four" that has sold more than five million copies worldwide its 30-year life. (Photo by Tim Boyle/Newsmakers) /
facebooktwitterreddit

Not only have the Atlanta Braves had many famous players on their teams they’ve also had players who went on to fame in other arenas.

The Atlanta Braves have had many players make just a short trip through the organization over the team’s long history. Some had very impressive non-baseball resumes, and one of the most well-known of those was Jim Bouton, former pitcher and author.

Bouton’s background

A talented arm coming out of college, Jim Bouton was signed by the New York Yankees in 1959. The Yankees farm system at the time was one of the deepest, so it required excellence to stand out. Bouton did just that, posting nearly 400 innings between 1960 and 1961 with under a 3.00 ERA.

That got him a job in the Yankees 1962 Opening Day rotation. He worked as the team’s swingman/5th starter in 1962, tossing 133 innings with a 3.99 ERA. He earned an All-Star nod with 21 wins and a 2.53 ERA over 249 1/3 innings in 1963 and led the AL with 37 games started in 1964, winning another 18 games.

Bouton was frequently in disputes with Yankees management regarding his pay, and his arm was toasted quickly. The Seattle Pilots purchased Bouton from the Yankees for the 1969 season. He didn’t last a full season with the Pilots, being traded mid-season to the Houston Astros. He was released less than a year later by the Astros.

The Book

Bouton released his seminal baseball book Ball Four in 1970. The book is a diary of his 1969 season, but he bounces in and out of the current season to relate to time with the Yankees and the dealings of the management of the team and the league ownership.

His revelations of the behind-the-scenes parts of the baseball lifestyle infuriated the Yankees, and he’s not been invited back to Old Timer’s Day since. Commissioner Bowie Kuhn at the time attempted to discredit his book, but no inaccuracies could be found with the information contained in the book.

More from Tomahawk Take

Released in 1970, the fallout made Bouton seemingly toxic to have on a team. He didn’t even pitch on a minor league squad for 7 seasons.

His time with the Atlanta Braves

In May of 1978, at age 39, Jim Bouton signed with the Atlanta Braves, and after he dominated with Savannah in the Southern League, he joined the Atlanta Braves for the last few weeks of the 1978 season. It would be the final hurrah of his career.

The performance was nothing to write home about, making 5 starts, tossing 29 innings, with a 4.97 ERA and a 1.59 WHIP, wearing jersey number 56, making him our choice for today.

Next. Time for the Braves to go after Kimbrel?. dark

While Jim Bouton didn’t have a great performance in his one moment with the Atlanta Braves, his book was tremendous for pulling back the curtain on the game of baseball, and that’s been a huge part of allowing the fans to feel more a part of the game.

Home/Braves History