Bouton appeared in 29 games for the Astros in 1970, going 4-6 with an earned run average of 5.40 over 73.1 innings, with 49 strikeouts and a complete game thrown in.
Still only 31 years of age, it turned out to be the last action he’d see on a Big League mound before he made that incredible comeback eight years later with the Atlanta Braves in 1978 when he made five starts at the age of 39 as a knuckleballer.
It was a far cry from his MLB debut in 1962 when he posted seven wins fr the eventual World Champion New York Yankees, following that up with a 21-7 season in 1963 that saw him make his only All-Star team.
After another solid year in 1964 that saw him go 18-13 with a 3.02 ERA and four shutouts, his career stumbled with injuries, never winning more than four games in any season between 1965 and 1970, becoming an arm out of the bullpen by the time he played for the Seattle Pilots in their lone season of 1969.
Nevertheless, he finished with a career 62-63 record, with a 3.57 ERA over 304 appearances, 144 of those starts, with eleven shutouts and six saves along the way, along with a landmark book called “Ball Four” that is still essential reading for any sports fan.
