Former Yankees Pitcher and 'Ball Four' Author Jim Bouton Dies at 80

Bouton had been suffering from dementia in recent years.

Former New York Yankees pitcher Jim Bouton has died at 80 after a battle with dementia, the New York Daily News reported on Wednesday.

Bouton pitched 10 years in the major leagues, including seven with the Yankees where he made one All-Star team and was a member of the 1962 World Series champions. Bouton went 21–7 with a 2.53 ERA in 1963, a performance that earned him a trip to the All-Star Game. He later pitched for the Seattle Pilots and Houston Astros before retiring in 1970 with a career 62–63 record and a 3.57 ERA.

Bouton was better known for his tell-all baseball book Ball Four. Published in June 1970, the best-seller was a controversial personal account of his 1969 season in which he exposed former teammate Mickey Mantle's personal exploits and the use of amphetamines in the game.

After years as an outcast in the Bronx, Bouton was invited to Old-Timer's Day in 1988. He and Mantle had some closure before Mantle's death in 1996. 

Bouton later became a New York sportscaster before suffering two strokes in 2012.

Bouton, a Newark, New Jersey native, was in the Massachusetts home he shared with his wife Paula Kurman when he died.