The author of the bestselling baseball book "Ball Four" passes away at 80
Jim Bouton, the former New York Yankees pitcher who shocked and angered the conservative baseball world with the tell-all book "Ball Four,'' died Wednesday at the age of 80.
His family says the New Jersey native died following a battle with dementia.
Bouton pitched for the Yankees from 1962 to 1969 and helped propel the team to three pennants.
His 1970 tell-all book featured a behind-the-scenes look at baseball and the Yankees in particular, and ended in many of his former teammates shunning him for years until he was brought back for the Old Timer's Day event in 1998.