Jim Bottomley

2.1. Early Life and Education

Born on April 23, 1900, in Oglesby, Illinois, James Leroy Bottomley was the son of John and Elizabeth Bottomley (née Carter). His family later relocated to Nokomis, Illinois, where he attended grade school and Nokomis High School. At the age of 16, Bottomley made the decision to leave high school to provide financial support for his family. This early responsibility shaped his character and work ethic.

2.2. Early Jobs and Discovery

To help his family, Bottomley took on various jobs, including working as a coal miner, truck driver, grocery clerk, and railroad clerk. His family background was rooted in mining and farming. During this period, his younger brother, Ralph, tragically died in a mining accident in 1920. Despite his demanding work schedule, Bottomley actively played semi-professional baseball for local teams, earning about 5 USD per game, which supplemented his family's income. His talent on the field caught the attention of a local police officer, who recommended him to Branch Rickey, the then general manager of the St. Louis Cardinals. Following this recommendation, the Cardinals dispatched scout Charley Barrett to observe Bottomley. Impressed by what they saw, the Cardinals invited Bottomley for a tryout in late 1919, leading to him signing his first professional contract for 150 USD per month.

3.1. St. Louis Cardinals

Bottomley began his professional career in minor league baseball in 1920. He played for the Mitchell Kernels of the Class-D South Dakota League, achieving a .312 batting average in 97 games, with scout Charley Barrett continuing to monitor his progress. He also played six games for the Sioux City Packers of the Class-A Western League. During his time in the minor leagues, the media began calling him "Sunny Jim" due to his pleasant disposition.

In 1921, Bottomley played for the Houston Buffaloes of the Class-A Texas League. An early-season leg injury became infected, hindering his performance, resulting in a .227 batting average in 130 games and fielding struggles. The Cardinals initially tried to sell him back to Houston for 1.20 K USD, but when unsuccessful, they sold him to the Syracuse Chiefs of the Class-AA International League for 1.00 K USD. Fully recovered in 1922, Bottomley excelled for the Chiefs, batting .348 with 14 home runs, 15 triples, and a .567 slugging percentage. His impressive performance led the Cardinals to re-acquire him from the Chiefs for 15.00 K USD after the season.

Bottomley made his Major League Baseball debut for the St. Louis Cardinals on August 18, 1922, replacing Jack Fournier. He batted .325 in 37 games. In 1923, he became the Cardinals' starting first baseman and, as a rookie, batted an impressive .371, finishing second in the National League (NL) only to teammate Rogers Hornsby's .384. He also ranked second in on-base percentage (.425), sixth in slugging percentage (.535), and tenth in RBIs (94).

3.2. Major Records and Awards

In 1924, Bottomley maintained a .316 batting average. On September 16, 1924, in a game against the Brooklyn Dodgers, he set a major league record by driving in 12 runs in a single nine-inning game, surpassing Wilbert Robinson's 1892 record of 11. Bottomley achieved this feat by going 6-for-6 at the plate, including two home runs, a double, and three singles. This record has only been tied once, by Mark Whiten in 1993. He finished the 1924 season with 111 RBIs (third in NL), 14 home runs (seventh), and a .500 slugging percentage (tenth). On August 29 of that year, he became the last left-handed player to record an assist while playing second base.

In 1925, Bottomley batted .367, again finishing second in the NL to Hornsby. He led the NL with 227 hits, while his 128 RBIs were third-best, and his .413 on-base percentage was seventh-best. The 1926 season saw him bat .298 and lead the NL with 120 RBIs. His 19 home runs placed him second in the NL, and his .506 slugging percentage was sixth-best.

Bottomley's stellar performance continued in 1928, where he batted .325 with 31 home runs and 136 RBIs, leading the league in both home runs and RBIs. That year, he became only the second Major League player in history to join the 20-20-20 club (20+ doubles, 20+ triples, 20+ home runs in a season), and the first to record a 30 double, 20 triple, 30 home run season, a feat later achieved by Jimmy Rollins in 2007. For his exceptional season, he was awarded the League Award as the NL's Most Valuable Player.

Between 1924 and 1929, Bottomley consistently drove in 100 or more runs each season as the Cardinals' cleanup hitter. He holds the single-season record for most unassisted double plays by a first baseman, with eight. He is also known as the only player to be sued for hitting a home run ball that struck a fan who was not looking. In his career, he was the second player in baseball history to hit 20 or more doubles, triples, and home runs in one season (after Frank Schulte), and the first of two players (the other being Lou Gehrig) to collect 150 or more doubles, triples, and home runs in a career.

3.3. World Series Appearances

Bottomley played a crucial role in the Cardinals' World Series successes. In the 1926 World Series, he batted .345, helping the Cardinals defeat the New York Yankees to win their first World Series championship.

The Cardinals reached the 1928 World Series again, but Bottomley batted .214 as they lost to the New York Yankees. In the 1930 World Series, Bottomley struggled significantly, batting just .045 in 22 at-bats as the Cardinals lost to the Philadelphia Athletics. He publicly described his performance as "a bust as far as hitting goes."

Despite questions about his future with the Cardinals, Bottomley showed renewed hitting ability in spring training for the 1931 season. Although Ripper Collins, a superior fielder, joined the team, manager Gabby Street confirmed Bottomley as the starting first baseman. After an early-season injury and a brief struggle upon his return, Bottomley regained his form, finishing the season with a .3482 batting average, placing third in the NL in one of the closest batting title races in MLB history (behind teammate Chick Hafey's .3489 and Bill Terry's .3486). His .534 slugging percentage was the sixth-best in the league. The Cardinals returned to the 1931 World Series, where they defeated the Athletics, though Bottomley batted .160 in the series.

3.4. Cincinnati Reds and St. Louis Browns Periods

After the 1932 season, in which Bottomley batted .296 in 91 games, the Cardinals traded him to the Cincinnati Reds for Ownie Carroll and Estel Crabtree. This move was intended to bolster the Reds' offensive attack by pairing Bottomley with Chick Hafey. Bottomley had also sought the Reds' managerial position that offseason, which ultimately went to Donie Bush.

His tenure with the Reds began with a salary dispute, as Bottomley threatened to quit baseball while negotiating a raise from his 8.00 K USD salary, a reduction from the 13.00 K USD he earned with the Cardinals the previous year. He eventually signed a one-year contract believed to be worth between 10.00 K USD and 13.00 K USD. In 1933, he finished eighth in the NL with 83 RBIs and ninth with 13 home runs. Over three seasons with the Reds (1933-1935), Bottomley's performance declined, as he never batted higher than .283 or recorded more than 83 RBIs in a season. He briefly left the Reds during spring training in 1935 due to another salary dispute but returned to the team in April.

Before the 1936 season, the Reds traded Bottomley to the St. Louis Browns of the American League (AL), then managed by his former teammate Rogers Hornsby, in exchange for Johnny Burnett. In July 1936, Bottomley announced his retirement due to a back injury, but he soon changed his mind and remained with the team, batting .298 for the season.

Bottomley decided to return to baseball in 1937. When the Browns struggled with a 25-52 win-loss record during the 1937 season, Hornsby was fired, and Bottomley was named their player-manager. He led the Browns to 21 additional victories, but the team finished in eighth place with a 46-108 record, 9.5 games behind the seventh-place Athletics and 56 games out of first place. As a player, Bottomley batted .239 in 65 games that season. He was among the ten oldest players in the AL that year. The Browns did not retain Bottomley after the 1937 season, replacing him with Gabby Street, who had served as his first assistant.

3.5. Career Statistics

Below are Jim Bottomley's career statistics in Major League Baseball:

• Bold indicates league leader for that season.

5.1. Family and Marriage

Jim Bottomley married Elizabeth "Betty" Browner, who owned and operated a beauty parlor in St. Louis, on February 4, 1933. The couple did not have any children.

5.2. Post-Playing Career

After his official retirement from baseball in 1938, Bottomley and his wife moved to the Bourbon, Missouri area, where he engaged in raising Hereford cattle. In 1939, he ventured into radio broadcasting, signing a deal with KWK, an AM broadcasting station, to broadcast games for both the Cardinals and the Browns.

Bottomley returned to baseball in 1955 as a scout for the St. Louis Cardinals. In 1957, he joined the Chicago Cubs organization as a scout and also managed the Pulaski Cubs of the Class D Appalachian League. While managing in Pulaski, Bottomley suffered a heart attack. Following this health event, the Bottomleys moved to nearby Sullivan, Missouri. Jim Bottomley died of a heart ailment in December 1959. He and his wife Betty were interred in the International Order of Odd Fellows Cemetery in Sullivan, Missouri.

6.1. Baseball Hall of Fame Induction

Bottomley was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame posthumously in 1974 by the Veterans Committee. His induction, along with several other players during that period, sparked controversy within the baseball community. The Baseball Writers' Association of America criticized the Veterans Committee for not being selective enough in its choices, leading to charges of cronyism. At the time of Bottomley's election, the Veterans Committee included Frankie Frisch, a former teammate of Bottomley's with the Cardinals. Frisch, along with Bill Terry, another committee member, were perceived as having influenced the selections of their former teammates, including Jesse Haines (1970), Dave Bancroft and Chick Hafey (1971), Ross Youngs (1972), George Kelly (1973), and Freddie Lindstrom (1976). This controversy ultimately led to a reduction in the Veterans Committee's powers in subsequent years.

6.2. Other Honors and Commemorations

In 2014, the St. Louis Cardinals announced that Jim Bottomley was among the 22 former players and personnel selected for induction into the inaugural class of the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame Museum.

His adopted hometown of Sullivan, Missouri, has a city park named in his honor. Additionally, the city park in his birthplace of Oglesby, Illinois, also bears his name. In Nokomis, Illinois, where he grew up, the Bottomley-Ruffing-Schalk Baseball Museum is dedicated to Bottomley and fellow Hall of Famers Ray Schalk and Red Ruffing, who were also residents of Nokomis.

6.3. Legacy and Impact

Jim Bottomley's legacy in baseball is marked by his exceptional offensive production and his consistent performance as a cleanup hitter. He is remembered for his cheerful disposition, which earned him the nickname "Sunny Jim." His major league record of 12 RBIs in a single game remains a significant milestone. He was also a trailblazer in achieving the "20-20-20 club" (20 or more doubles, triples, and home runs in a season) and was among a select few to accumulate 150 or more doubles, triples, and home runs over his career. His induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, despite the surrounding controversy, underscores his lasting impact and statistical achievements in the sport.