In the spring of 1978 the 39 year-old jim Bouton went to spring training with the Atlanta Braves. Braves owner Ted Turner a maverick himself found a kindred spirit in the aging knuckleballer and gave him the chance to make it back to the majors after almost a decade. Bouton impressed the team who farmed him out to their Savannah affiliate. After winning 11 games Jim Bouton was rewarded with a call up to The Show. On September 14 Bouton beat the Giants 4-1 to log his first major league win since 1970. Bouton spent three weeks with Atlanta going 1-3 with a 4.91 ERA and gracefully retired at the end of the season. This 1975 dated jersey was re-issued to Bouton during his 1978 comeback.

The home red pinstripe jersey features “Braves” across the front in red white and blue tackle twill with Bouton’s number “56” below in the same color and material. The v-neck collar and arm openings are trimmed in red ribbing. Wilson size “42” label is sewn in the collar with “76  42” chain stitched in blue on a white strip tag. The back has Bouton’s number “56” in red white and blue tackle twill. The jersey shows medium game use with light toning. The front and back reveals that it previously had a number “1” sewn on and subsequently removed when it was re-issued to Bouton. The back area has more visible wear than the front. The stitching on the lettering has some stray threads but remains tight and the tackle twill exhibits some puckering from repeated laundering.

LOA from Jim Bouton.