BOSTON -- Former major leaguer Jim Piersall, who bared his soul about his struggles with mental illness in his book "Fear Strikes Out," has died. He was 87.
The Boston Red Sox, for whom Piersall played for eight of his 17 seasons in the majors, say Piersall died Saturday at a care facility in Wheaton, Illinois, after a monthslong illness.
Piersall played 56 games in the majors in 1952 before being admitted to a mental hospital with what was later diagnosed as bipolar disorder. He wrote in his book that he had almost no memory of the season or his time in the hospital.