Ball FourBall Four
Score Classic
What it's about
In 1969, Jim Bouton, a former New York Yankees star trying to come back as a knuckleball pitcher with the expansion Seattle Pilots, kept a diary of the season. It was the first book to show what professional baseball was really like: the pranks, the drinking, the petty managers and the players' lives.
Why it's worth reading
It's on TIME's list of the 100 best nonfiction books. When it was published in 1970, it shocked baseball and changed sports writing.
You'll love it if you liked
Moneyball
The Boys of Summer
The Boys in the BoatGood to know
It's very funny and still candid. You don't need to be a baseball fan.
By the numbers
- Readers64 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics59 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller1 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #161 of the 290 memoirs and biographies we rank
- #307 of the 762 classics we rank
- #1004 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
True story
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Quick answers
Is Ball Four worth reading?
Yes. It's on TIME's list of the 100 best nonfiction books. It ranks #1,004 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 73.0 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Ball Four about?
In 1969, Jim Bouton, a former New York Yankees star trying to come back as a knuckleball pitcher with the expansion Seattle Pilots, kept a diary of the season. It was the first book to show what professional baseball was really like: the pranks, the drinking, the petty managers and the players' lives.
How long does it take to read Ball Four?
About 9 hours (371 pages), or about 3 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after Ball Four?
If you liked it, try Moneyball by Michael Lewis, The Boys of Summer by Roger Kahn or The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown.