The tenacity of a bulldog

Jim Bouton in the early 1960s with the New York Yankees

More than eight years pass – 2,987 days, to be exact – between Jim Bouton’s last victory in the major leagues for the Houston Astros on July 11, 1970 and his next one in the majors 47 years ago today with the Atlanta Braves.

As you might imagine, there is quite a bit of backstory behind Bouton’s eight-year gap between those victories.

Back in 1970, Bouton’s midseason banishment from the Astros is tied, in great part, to the release of his controversial, tell-all biography Ball Four, which sells a gazillion copies and upsets an even greater number of folks in baseball’s ultra-conservative establishment.

Jim Bouton back in the minors in the mid-1970s at Class A Portland

Bouton’s departure from the majors also, in part, has something to do with a knuckleball that no longer knuckles as well as it did during Bouton’s comeback season in 1969 that he splits between the Seattle Pilots and Houston.

Obviously, no one likes a knuckleball pitcher who loses his only good pitch and no one especially likes a knuckleballer-turned-author who pulls back the curtain on some of the not-suitable-for-family-hour details in the lives of his onetime teammates with the New York Yankees (yes, we see you there on the roof of the Shoreham Hotel, renown party animal Mickey Mantle).

Bouton does some TV work in New York in the early 1970s after his baseball career seemingly ends at only 31, less than a decade after he wins two games for the Yankees in the 1964 World Series.

Back in the early and mid-1960s, Bouton lives on a fastball, which all but disappears by the end of the decade.

Now, in the early and mid-1970s, Bouton hopes for another chance with his knuckleball.

There is an abbreviated comeback in 1975 with the Class A Portland Mavericks, for whom the then 36-year-old Bouton goes 4-1 in five starts with four complete games and a 2.20 earned-run average.

Outstanding numbers, of course, but no teams run up their long-distance bills phoning this guy for help.

Bouton takes another season away from the game in 1976 before making yet another comeback in 1977, this time splitting the season between the Mexican League, Class A Portland and Chicago White Sox’s Class AA team in Knoxville.

Jim Bouton 47 years ago today with Atlanta

None of those stops produces much as Bouton combines to go 6-11 with a 4.89 ERA over 22 starts and three relief appearances.

Once again, no one calls. Simply, no one wants Bouton, who by then is 38.

That changes in the spring of 1978 when a call comes from the Atlanta Braves, who are looking to fill a spot on their Class AA roster in Savannah, Ga., and nothing says roster filler more than a 39-year-old knuckleballer who now has not one, but two controversial, baseball-centric books to his credit.

Bouton does well enough in Savannah with a team-high 11 victories in 21 starts with a 2.82 ERA for the last-place Braves to promote him to the majors.

After a rough return and a loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers in his first game back, Bouton picks up the victory in his second start 47 years ago today, beating the San Francisco Giants 4-1 before a Thursday afternoon crowd of 3,358 at Candlestick Park.

Bouton works the first six innings and allows only an unearned run on three hits and three walks before leaving with a 3-1 lead.

And, finally, back at Yankee Stadium in 1998

Turns out that the victory also is Bouton’s last in the majors as he makes three other starts with the Braves before he is granted free agency after the season.

Once again – and for a final time – no team calls.

No matter as Bouton remains quite busy counting the profits from his involvement with Big League Chew and writing five more books between 1994 and 2013.

Perhaps more important for Bouton, he makes amends with the New York Yankees, who in 1998 finally forgive Bouton the tell-all author and invite Bouton the former pitcher to participate in their annual Old Timers’ Day.

That day, wearing pinstripes for the first time in more than 30 years and with his grandchildren among the 55,638 in attendance, Bouton takes to the field with his fellow Old Timers.

He receives a standing ovation.

Looking for more to read? More than 2,700 archived posts may be found at Blog 3 — Baseball (and other cool stuff) … Enjoy!