Jim Bottomley
Encyclopedia
James Leroy Bottomley (April 23, 1900 – December 11, 1959) was born in Oglesby, Illinois
Oglesby, Illinois
Oglesby is a city in LaSalle County, Illinois, United States. The population was 3,791 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Ottawa–Streator Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Schools:...

 and grew up in Nokomis, Illinois
Nokomis, Illinois
Nokomis is a city in Montgomery County, Illinois, United States. The population was 2,389 at the 2000 census, and 2,230 at a 2009 estimate.-Geography:Nokomis is located at ....

. Nicknamed "Sunny Jim" because of his cheerful disposition, he was a left-handed Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...

 player. He also served as player-manager for the St. Louis Browns in 1937.

Career

As a first baseman for the St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...

 (1922–1932), Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....

 (1933–1935) and St. Louis Browns (1936–1937), Bottomley was noted for his upbeat demeanor and ability to drive in runs. He had over 100 RBIs in each season from 1924 to 1929.

Bottomley's best season came in , when he hit .325 with 31 home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...

s and 136 RBIs. He also became the second Major League player in history to join the 20–20–20 club
20–20–20 club
The 20–20–20 club is a term coined by sportswriters that describes a fairly exclusive group of Major League Baseball players: those who have reached the 20 double, 20 triple, and 20 home run plateaus in the same season...

. That year, he won the National League
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...

 Most Valuable Player award
MLB Most Valuable Player Award
The Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award is an annual Major League Baseball award, given to one outstanding player in the American League and one in the National League. Since 1931, it has been awarded by the Baseball Writers Association of America...

 and led the Cardinals to the World Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...

, where they lost to the New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...

. He was the first player to win an MVP award after beginning his career in his team's farm system.

He set the Major League record for RBIs in a single game, with 12, on September 16, 1924 (since tied by Mark Whiten
Mark Whiten
Mark Anthony Whiten is a former Major League Baseball outfielder and switch-hitter batter who played for the Toronto Blue Jays , Cleveland Indians , St. Louis Cardinals , Boston Red Sox , Philadelphia Phillies , Atlanta Braves , Seattle Mariners and New York Yankees...

). Bottomley also holds the single-season record for most unassisted double plays by a first baseman, with eight. "Sunny" is also known as the only man to be sued for hitting a home run when a fan was hit by the ball when he wasn't looking.

After his career ended, Bottomley moved to near Bourbon, Missouri
Bourbon, Missouri
Bourbon is a city in Crawford County, Missouri, United States. The population was 1,348 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land.-Demographics:...

, where he raised Hereford cattle. He spent the last years of his life in nearby Sullivan, Missouri
Sullivan, Missouri
Sullivan is a city that straddles the border of Franklin County and Crawford County in the U.S. state of Missouri. The population was 6,351 at the 2000 census. Stephen Sullivan founded the city in the late 1850s and cleared brush, which facilitated the building of the railway depot there, and the...

, where he and his wife Betty were eventually laid to rest in the I.O.O.F. Cemetery. The city park in Sullivan is named for him.

A museum in Nokomis, Illinois
Nokomis, Illinois
Nokomis is a city in Montgomery County, Illinois, United States. The population was 2,389 at the 2000 census, and 2,230 at a 2009 estimate.-Geography:Nokomis is located at ....

, is dedicated to Bottomley and the Hall of Famers Ray Schalk
Ray Schalk
Raymond William Schalk was a professional baseball player, coach, manager and scout. He played as a catcher in Major League Baseball for the Chicago White Sox for the majority of his career. Known for his fine handling of pitchers and outstanding defensive ability, Schalk was considered the...

 and Red Ruffing
Red Ruffing
Charles Herbert "Red" Ruffing was a Major League Baseball pitcher most remembered for his time with the highly successful New York Yankees teams of the 1930s and 1940s...

.

Bottomly was the second player in baseball history to hit 20 or more doubles, triples, and home runs in one season (Frank Schulte being the first) and the first of two players (Lou Gehrig
Lou Gehrig
Henry Louis "Lou" Gehrig , nicknamed "The Iron Horse" for his durability, was an American Major League Baseball first baseman. He played his entire 17-year baseball career for the New York Yankees . Gehrig set several major league records. He holds the record for most career grand slams...

 being the other) to collect 150 or more doubles, triples, and home runs in a career. He is the only player to achieve both.

Hall of Fame induction

Bottomley was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame posthumously in 1974 by the Veterans Committee
Veterans Committee
The Veterans Committee is the popular name of the National Baseball Hall of Fame Committee to Consider Managers, Umpires, Executives and Long-Retired Players, a committee of the U.S...

 (VC). Frankie Frisch
Frankie Frisch
Francis “Frankie” Frisch , nicknamed the "Fordham Flash" or "The Old Flash", was a German American Major League Baseball player of the early twentieth century....

, a member of the VC at the time, shepherded the selections of teammates Jesse Haines
Jesse Haines
Jesse Joseph "Pop" Haines, was a right-handed Major League Baseball pitcher and knuckleballer. He played briefly in 1918, then from 1920 to 1937.-Career:...

 in 1970
Baseball Hall of Fame balloting, 1970
Elections to the Baseball Hall of Fame for 1970 followed the system of annual elections in place since 1968.The Baseball Writers Association of America voted by mail to select from recent major league players andelected Lou Boudreau....

, Dave Bancroft
Dave Bancroft
David James "Beauty" Bancroft was an American baseball player who played Major League Baseball from 1915 to 1930. He is a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame....

 and Chick Hafey
Chick Hafey
Charles James "Chick" Hafey was an American player in Major League Baseball. Hafey was part of two World Series championship teams as a St. Louis Cardinal, and was selected by the Veteran's Committee for the Hall of Fame in .Playing for the St...

 in 1971
Baseball Hall of Fame balloting, 1971
Elections to the Baseball Hall of Fame for 1971 featured a new committee on the Negro Leagues that met in February and selected Satchel Paige. The museum planned to honor Paige and those who would follow in a special permanent exhibit outside the Hall of Fame but controversy about the nature of the...

, Ross Youngs
Ross Youngs
Ross Middlebrook Youngs was a Major League Baseball outfielder best known for his superb defense and consistent hitting....

 in 1972
Baseball Hall of Fame balloting, 1972
Elections to the Baseball Hall of Fame for 1972 followed the system established one year earlier.The Baseball Writers Association of America voted by mail to select from recent major league players and...

 and George Kelly in 1973
Baseball Hall of Fame balloting, 1973
Elections to the Baseball Hall of Fame for 1973 followed the system in place since 1971, except by adding the special election of Roberto Clemente, who died in a plane crash on New Year's Eve....

.

See also


External links


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