Bouton attended Western Michigan University, and pitched for the Western Michigan Broncos baseball team. 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. Bloom's star pitcher at that time was Jerry Colangelo, who later would become owner of the Arizona Diamondbacks and Phoenix Suns. īouton was nicknamed 'Warm-Up Bouton' because he never got to play in a game, serving much of his time as a benchwarmer.

Bouton enrolled at Bloom High School, where he played for the school's baseball team. He lived with his family in Ridgewood, New Jersey until he was 15, when his family relocated to Homewood, Illinois. He grew up as a fan of the New York Giants in Rochelle Park, New Jersey, where he lived until the age of 13. Amateur and college career īouton was born in Newark, New Jersey, the son of Gertrude (Vischer) and George Hempstead Bouton, an executive. 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. Later in his career, he developed and threw a knuckleball. 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. He was also a best-selling author, actor, activist, sportscaster and one of the creators of Big League Chew.īouton played college baseball at Western Michigan University, before signing his first professional contract with the Yankees. Bouton played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a pitcher for the New York Yankees, Seattle Pilots, Houston Astros, and Atlanta Braves between 19. James Alan Bouton ( / ˈ b aʊ t n/ Ma– July 10, 2019) was an American professional baseball player. September 29, 1978, for the Atlanta Braves

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