Ball Four
Book by Jim Bouton and Leonard ShecterWikipedia
20
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11
EPISODES
11
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Search complete. 20 mentions across 11 episodes found for "Ball Four".
Sep 10, 2026
Jedidiah CollinsGUEST
And so I truly think this is going to be kind of a first of its kind moment.
Jedidiah CollinsGUEST
Another time capsule is a book called Ball Four by Jim Bouton.
Jedidiah CollinsGUEST
You remember Ball Four.
Jedidiah CollinsGUEST
Wow.
Jedidiah CollinsGUEST
That's an awesome book.
Jedidiah CollinsGUEST
That's an awesome book.
Jedidiah CollinsGUEST
While I was in Detroit, a reporter told me about this book, gave me a copy of the book, and I looked at it, and by December of the season, I go, I'm writing my own version of ball four.
Jedidiah CollinsGUEST
This is exactly what he did.
Tim KurkjianHOST
eitherAll right.
Tim KurkjianHOST
So Jim Bouton's Ball Four was one of my favorite books growing up.
Tim KurkjianHOST
It just broke, uh, broke the mold on how we write baseball books.
Tim KurkjianHOST
It was great.
Robyn NewtonHOST
August 24th, 1969, the expansion Seattle Pilots trade knuckleballer Jim Bouton to the Houston Astros for pitchers Dooley Womack and Rorick Harrison.
Robyn NewtonHOST
Bouton will become a celebrity one year later when his book Ball Four is published and becomes a bestseller.
Robyn NewtonHOST
August 24th, 1940, left fielder Ted Williams of the Boston Red Sox makes his only appearance as a pitcher going the last two innings in a 12-1 loss to the Detroit Tigers.
Robyn NewtonHOST
Williams allows three hits and one run while striking out Tiger slugger Rudy York.
Rob WeirGUEST
And all these guys, you know, they did a lot of stuff.
Rob WeirGUEST
I mean, we learned that from Jim Bouton's book when Ball Four came out, right? We had learned that, uh, angels they were not.
Rob WeirGUEST
[laughs] So, so I wanted to try to just show that what made Mantle special, but also what made him problematic.
Leonard AbermanHOST
Right.
Mary CarilloGUEST
...
Mary CarilloGUEST
he put down on my bed Jim Bouton's Ball Four.
Patrick McEnroeHOST
Mm, right.
Mary CarilloGUEST
Do you remember that book?
Buster OlneyHOST
If that's going to happen, November.
Buster OlneyHOST
Before just we're going to see all these free agents like Tarek Skobel, there's going to be a rush of the elite guys to get deals in the books before December 1st.
Buster OlneyHOST
And if you're Otani, if you're Nez, you're making noises starting November 1.
Buster OlneyHOST
Like, let's go.
Judd ZulgadHOST
stories off the field.
Judd ZulgadHOST
Give Me Mantle, Whitey Ford, Billy Mark, like the 50s and 60s, Jim Boughton, Ball Four.
Judd ZulgadHOST
Ball Four is one of the great, it remains a great
Trevor PlouffeGUEST
book.
Trevor PlouffeGUEST
No 2010 twins you want to talk to? No? Not interesting enough?
Markus BoucherHOST
I, yeah.
Brian MurphyHOST
Or as Pete Rose yelled at Jim Bouton, who wrote a book called Ball Four, which exposed all the secrets of life on the road as a Major League Baseball, Pete Rose yelled at him from the dugout, "F you, Shakespeare."
Markus BoucherHOST
[laughs]
speaker_7UNKNOWN
[laughs]
Judd ZulgadHOST
Jim Boughton.
Judd ZulgadHOST
Ball Four.
Judd ZulgadHOST
Ball Four is one of the great.
Judd ZulgadHOST
It remains a great book.
Trevor PlouffeGUEST
Yeah.
Brian MurphyHOST
Yeah.
Brian MurphyHOST
Or as Pete Rose yelled at Jim Boughton, who wrote a book called Ball Four, which exposed all the secrets of life on the road as a major league baseball, Pete Rose yelled at him from the dugout.
Brian MurphyHOST
F.U. Shakespeare! He yelled at one of the great baseball heckles of all time.
Marcus BoucherHOST
F.U.
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