Former major leaguer Jim Piersall, who had a public battle with bipolar disorder during his MLB career, passed away Saturday after a long illness. He was 87.
While playing for the Red Sox organization in 1952, Piersall was admitted to a mental health facility after a nervous breakdown. He underwent treatment and counseling and was later diagnosed with bipolar disorder. He returned to the Red Sox the next season and went public with his issues to help combat the public’s perception of mental illness. He later detailed his highly publicized struggles in his book “Fear Strikes Out,” which was later made into a movie starring Anthony Perkins.