Ball Four: A Book More About Life Than Baseball
With entertaining vignettes throughout
This book was very controversial when it was first published in 1970. Fast forward 25 years and Ball Four by Jim Bouton was honored by the New York Public Library as one of the greatest books published in the 20th century. Right up there with the likes of Truman Capote (In Cold Blood), Jack Kerouac (On the Road), Dr. Seuss (The Cat In the Hat), and many other literary titans.
Not bad for a former knuckleballer. Jim Bouton was what many would call a journeyman pitcher in The Show. After a few great years with the Yankees, he found himself on the Seattle Pilots for their one and only season in 1969. Ball Four chronicles that season, with Bouton ultimately getting traded to the Houston Astros.
The book is written like a diary. Bouton took notes throughout the season, which didn’t always go unnoticed by his teammates. Ball Four also includes stories from Bouton’s early years with the Yankees, including some unflattering anecdotes about Whitey Ford (doctoring baseballs) and Mickey Mantle (drinking heavily and hating kids).
That is, in part, what made this book so controversial for its era. It gave the American public an unvarnished, raw peek into the life of an everyday ballplayer. Baseball was otherwise portrayed as a pristine…
