On September 13, his shutout over the Minnesota Twins clinched the Yankees’ fourth straight pennant. The next year proved to be a breakthrough season as he soared to a 21-win league-leading season. The rest, as they say, is history.īouton made it to the Yankees in 1962 finishing with a mediocre 7-7 record. The New York Yankees’ Art Stewart offered $30,000, and the Boutons signed late summer. George Bouton wrote a letter to all 16 major-league teams telling them his son was planning to sign a contract by Thanksgiving, advising them to places their bids. While playing in a Chicago amateur league during the summer of 1958, he pitched two great games in the league tournament, and suddenly professional scouts were coming around and asking him to work out. But early on, he also displayed a good sense of the business side of baseball that stayed with him even to this day. Those fortunate enough to play on those great Yankees teams during the 1950’s looked forward to and needed those World Series checks every year.įor the most part, Bouton fit that mold. They worked off-season jobs selling insurance and driving trucks. They never expected to get rich and negotiated one-year contracts for themselves that placed them in the middle class of America.
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