Jim Bottomley facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jim Bottomley
First baseman / Manager
Born: (1900-04-23)April 23, 1900 Oglesby, Illinois, U.S.
Died: December 11, 1959(1959-12-11) (aged 59) St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
Batted: Left Threw: Left
debut
August 18, 1922, for the St. Louis Cardinals
Last appearance
September 16, 1937, for the St. Louis Browns
MLB statistics
Batting average	.310
Hits	2,313
Home runs	219
Runs batted in	1,422
Teams
As player St. Louis Cardinals (1922–1932) Cincinnati Reds (1933–1935) St. Louis Browns (1936–1937) As manager St. Louis Browns (1937)
Career highlights and awards
2× World Series champion (1926, 1931) NL MVP (1928) NL home run leader (1928) 2× NL RBI leader (1926, 1928) St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame
Baseball Hall of Fame
Induction	1974
Election Method	Veterans Committee

James Leroy Bottomley (born April 23, 1900 – died December 11, 1959) was an American baseball player. People knew him as "Sunny Jim" because he was always cheerful. He played as a first baseman in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1922 to 1937.

Jim Bottomley played most of his career with the St. Louis Cardinals. He helped them win four National League championships and two World Series titles. He was a very important player in the Cardinals' batting order. From 1924 to 1929, he drove in over 100 runs each year. In 1924, he set a record by driving in 12 runs in one game!

In 1926, he led the National League in runs batted in and helped the Cardinals win their first World Series. Two years later, in 1928, he was named the National League's Most Valuable Player. He led the league in home runs and runs batted in that year. Jim won another World Series with the Cardinals in 1931. He ended his career with a .310 batting average. After playing, he also worked as a scout and manager.

Early Life and Baseball Start

Jim Bottomley was born on April 23, 1900, in Oglesby, Illinois. His family later moved to Nokomis, Illinois. Jim left high school at age 16 to help his family earn money. He worked in a coal mine, drove trucks, and worked in a grocery store.

To earn extra money, Jim played semi-professional baseball for local teams. He earned $5 for each game. A police officer who knew Branch Rickey, the general manager of the St. Louis Cardinals, saw Jim play. The officer told Rickey about Jim's talent.

Playing for the Cardinals

The Cardinals invited Jim Bottomley to a tryout in 1919 and signed him. He started playing in the minor leagues in 1920. He played for the Mitchell Kernels and the Sioux City Packers. During this time, the media started calling him "Sunny Jim" because of his happy personality.

In 1921, Jim played for the Houston Buffaloes. He got a leg injury that affected his playing. But by 1922, he was fully recovered and played great for the Syracuse Chiefs. The Cardinals then bought Jim from the Chiefs for $15,000.

Jim made his MLB debut for the St. Louis Cardinals on August 18, 1922. He quickly became the team's starting first baseman in 1923. As a rookie, he had a fantastic .371 batting average, which was the second-best in the National League.

Record-Breaking Moments

In 1924, Jim had a .316 batting average. On September 16, 1924, he set a major league record! He drove in 12 runs in a single game against the Brooklyn Dodgers. He hit two home runs, a double, and three singles in that game. This record has only been tied once since then.

Jim continued to play well, hitting .367 in 1925. In 1926, he led the National League with 120 runs batted in. He also helped the Cardinals win their first World Series championship against the New York Yankees.

MVP Season and More World Series

In 1928, Jim Bottomley had an amazing season. He hit .325 with 31 home runs and 136 runs batted in. He led the league in both home runs and RBIs. This earned him the Most Valuable Player Award for the National League. He also became one of the few players to hit 20 or more doubles, triples, and home runs in one season. The Cardinals reached the 1928 World Series again, but they lost to the Yankees.

Jim continued to be a strong hitter. In 1929, he hit 29 home runs and had 137 runs batted in. The Cardinals won another World Series in 1931, defeating the Philadelphia Athletics. Jim played 91 games in 1932 and had a .296 batting average.

Playing for Other Teams

After the 1932 season, the Cardinals traded Jim to the Cincinnati Reds. He played for the Reds for three seasons. He continued to hit well, but not as powerfully as he did with the Cardinals.

In 1936, the Reds traded Jim to the St. Louis Browns in the American League. He batted .298 for the Browns that year. In 1937, Jim became the player-manager for the Browns. This meant he played in games and also managed the team. He led the team to 21 more wins that season. After the 1937 season, Jim retired from playing baseball.

Life After Playing

After his playing career, Jim Bottomley worked as a scout for the Chicago Cubs. He also managed a minor league team called the Pulaski Cubs. While managing, he had a heart attack.

Jim and his wife, Betty, moved to Bourbon, Missouri, where they raised Hereford cattle. In 1939, Jim also became a radio broadcaster for Cardinals and Browns games. Jim Bottomley passed away in December 1959 due to a heart problem.

Honors and Legacy

Jim Bottomley holds a record for the most unassisted double plays by a first baseman in a single season, with eight. He is also known for being the only player ever sued because a home run ball he hit struck a fan!

Jim Bottomley was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974. In 2014, he was also inducted into the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame Museum.

There are parks named after Jim Bottomley in his hometown of Oglesby, Illinois, and in Sullivan, Missouri. There is also a museum in Nokomis, Illinois, called the Bottomley-Ruffing-Schalk Baseball Museum. It honors Jim Bottomley and two other Hall of Famers, Ray Schalk and Red Ruffing, who also lived in Nokomis.

Images for kids

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  Jim Bottomley's baseball card

See also