Jim Bouton

James Alan Bouton (/ˈbaʊtn/; 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 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, 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 age 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 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 would later become the Arizona Diamondbacks and Phoenix Suns owner. 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 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.