Jim Bottomley was born on Monday, April 23, 1900, in Oglesby, Illinois. Bottomley was 22 years old when he broke into the big leagues on August 18, 1922, with the St. Louis Cardinals. His biographical data, year-by-year hitting stats, fielding stats, pitching stats (where applicable), career totals, uniform numbers, salary data and miscellaneous items-of-interest are presented by Baseball Almanac on this comprehensive Jim Bottomley baseball stats page.
"I noticed one thing that day, and that was that Bottomley could field," former St. Louis manager and Hall of Famer Branch Rickey said of the first time he saw Bottomley play. "By the sinews of Joshua how he could field! His reach from wrist to ankle was sublime." - National Baseball Hall of Fame (Bridget Bielefield, 12/02/2009, 'JIM BOTTOMLEY NAMED NL MVP', Source)
Jim Bottomley |
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| Biographical Data | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Jim BottomleyJim Bottomley Pitching Stats |
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| Year | Age | Team | G | GS | GF | W | L | PCT | ERA | CG | SHO | SV | IP | BFP | H | ER | R | HR | BB | IBB | SO | WP | HB | BK | HLD |
| - | - | Did Not Pitch | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Career | G | GS | GF | W | L | PCT | ERA | CG | SHO | SV | IP | BFP | H | ER | R | HR | BB | IBB | SO | WP | HB | BK | HLD | ||
Jim BottomleyJim Bottomley Hitting Stats |
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| Year | Age | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | GRSL | RBI | BB | IBB | SO | SH | SF | HBP | GIDP | AVG | OBP | SLG |
| 1922 | 22 | Cardinals | 37 | 151 | 29 | 49 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 35 | 6 | 0 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | .325 | .358 | .543 |
| 1923 | 23 | Cardinals | 134 | 523 | 79 | 194 | 34 | 14 | 8 | 1 | 94 | 45 | 4 | 44 | 15 | 0 | 4 | 6 | .371 | .425 | .535 |
| 1924 | 24 | Cardinals | 137 | 528 | 87 | 167 | 31 | 12 | 14 | 1 | 111 | 35 | 1 | 35 | 17 | 0 | 3 | 9 | .316 | .362 | .500 |
| 1925 | 25 | Cardinals | 153 | 619 | 92 | 227 | 44 | 12 | 21 | 3 | 128 | 47 | 5 | 36 | 13 | 0 | 2 | 8 | .367 | .413 | .578 |
| 1926 | 26 | Cardinals | 154 | 603 | 98 | 180 | 40 | 14 | 19 | 0 | 120 | 58 | 2 | 52 | 19 | 0 | 4 | 4 | .299 | .364 | .506 |
| 1927 | 27 | Cardinals | 152 | 574 | 95 | 174 | 31 | 15 | 19 | 0 | 124 | 74 | 3 | 49 | 26 | 0 | 5 | 4 | .303 | .387 | .509 |
| 1928 | 28 | Cardinals | 149 | 576 | 123 | 187 | 42 | 20 | 31 | 0 | 136 | 71 | 3 | 54 | 17 | 0 | 3 | 9 | .325 | .402 | .628 |
| 1929 | 29 | Cardinals | 146 | 560 | 108 | 176 | 31 | 12 | 29 | 1 | 137 | 70 | 2 | 54 | 17 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .314 | .391 | .568 |
| 1930 | 30 | Cardinals | 131 | 487 | 92 | 148 | 33 | 7 | 15 | 0 | 97 | 44 | 1 | 36 | 24 | 1 | 5 | 15 | .304 | .367 | .493 |
| 1931 | 31 | Cardinals | 108 | 382 | 73 | 133 | 34 | 5 | 9 | 0 | 75 | 34 | 0 | 24 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | .348 | .403 | .534 |
| 1932 | 32 | Cardinals | 91 | 311 | 45 | 92 | 16 | 3 | 11 | 0 | 48 | 25 | 1 | 32 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 7 | .296 | .350 | .473 |
| 1933 | 33 | Reds | 145 | 549 | 57 | 137 | 23 | 9 | 13 | 0 | 83 | 42 | 7 | 28 | 11 | 0 | 7 | 13 | .250 | .311 | .395 |
| 1934 | 34 | Reds | 142 | 556 | 72 | 158 | 31 | 11 | 11 | 0 | 78 | 33 | 4 | 40 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9 | .284 | .324 | .439 |
| 1935 | 35 | Reds | 107 | 399 | 44 | 103 | 21 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 49 | 18 | 3 | 24 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 11 | .258 | .294 | .323 |
| 1936 | 36 | Browns | 140 | 544 | 72 | 162 | 39 | 11 | 12 | 0 | 95 | 44 | 0 | 55 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 4 | .298 | .354 | .476 |
| 1937 | 37 | Browns | 65 | 109 | 11 | 26 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 18 | 1 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .239 | .346 | .330 |
| Career | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | GRSL | RBI | BB | IBB | SO | SH | SF | HBP | GIDP | AVG | OBP | SLG | ||
| 16 Years | 1,991 | 7,471 | 1,177 | 2,313 | 465 | 151 | 219 | 6 | 1,422 | 664 | 37 | 591 | 177 | 1 | 43 | 108 | .310 | .369 | .500 | ||
Jim BottomleyJim Bottomley Fielding Stats |
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| Team | POS | G | GS | OUTS | TC | TC/G | CH | PO | A | E | DP | PB | CASB | CACS | FLD% | RF |
| 1922 Cardinals | 1B | 34 | 33 | 284 | 363 | 10.7 | 358 | 346 | 12 | 5 | 22 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .986 | 34.04 |
| 1923 Cardinals | 1B | 130 | 128 | 3,370 | 1,325 | 10.2 | 1,307 | 1,264 | 43 | 18 | 95 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .986 | 10.47 |
| 1924 Cardinals | 1B | 133 | 132 | 3,400 | 1,369 | 10.3 | 1,345 | 1,297 | 48 | 24 | 110 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .982 | 10.68 |
| 1924 Cardinals | 2B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 0.00 |
| 1925 Cardinals | 1B | 153 | 153 | 4,001 | 1,561 | 10.2 | 1,540 | 1,466 | 74 | 21 | 133 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .987 | 10.39 |
| 1926 Cardinals | 1B | 154 | 154 | 4,114 | 1,680 | 10.9 | 1,661 | 1,607 | 54 | 19 | 118 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .989 | 10.90 |
| 1927 Cardinals | 1B | 152 | 152 | 4,076 | 1,746 | 11.5 | 1,726 | 1,656 | 70 | 20 | 149 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .989 | 11.43 |
| 1928 Cardinals | 1B | 148 | 148 | 4,033 | 1,526 | 10.3 | 1,506 | 1,454 | 52 | 20 | 113 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .987 | 10.08 |
| 1929 Cardinals | 1B | 145 | 145 | 3,822 | 1,435 | 9.9 | 1,422 | 1,347 | 75 | 13 | 122 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .991 | 10.05 |
| 1930 Cardinals | 1B | 124 | 123 | 3,247 | 1,217 | 9.8 | 1,205 | 1,164 | 41 | 12 | 127 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .990 | 10.02 |
| 1931 Cardinals | 1B | 93 | 91 | 2,291 | 952 | 10.2 | 940 | 897 | 43 | 12 | 95 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .987 | 11.08 |
| 1932 Cardinals | 1B | 74 | 74 | 1,944 | 713 | 9.6 | 703 | 662 | 41 | 10 | 67 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .986 | 9.76 |
| 1933 Reds | 1B | 145 | 144 | 3,741 | 1,598 | 11.0 | 1,583 | 1,511 | 72 | 15 | 112 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .991 | 11.43 |
| 1934 Reds | 1B | 139 | 139 | 3,589 | 1,395 | 10.0 | 1,380 | 1,303 | 77 | 15 | 106 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .989 | 10.38 |
| 1935 Reds | 1B | 97 | 96 | 2,543 | 995 | 10.3 | 987 | 934 | 53 | 8 | 74 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .992 | 10.48 |
| 1936 Browns | 1B | 140 | 140 | 3,509 | 1,307 | 9.3 | 1,297 | 1,250 | 47 | 10 | 103 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .992 | 9.98 |
| 1937 Browns | 1B | 24 | 20 | 465 | 192 | 8.0 | 191 | 179 | 12 | 1 | 16 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .995 | 11.09 |
| Career | POS | G | GS | OUTS | TC | TC/G | CH | PO | A | E | DP | PB | CASB | CACS | FLD% | RF |
| 1B Totals | 1,885 | 1,872 | 48,429 | 19,374 | 10.3 | 19,151 | 18,337 | 814 | 223 | 1,562 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .988 | 10.68 | |
| 2B Totals | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 0.00 | |
| 16 Years | 1,886 | 1,872 | 48,429 | 19,375 | 10.3 | 19,152 | 18,337 | 815 | 223 | 1,562 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .988 | 10.68 | |
Jim BottomleyJim Bottomley Miscellaneous Stats |
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| Baserunning Statistics | Other Positions | Common Hitting Ratios | Common Pitching Ratios | |||||||||
| Team | SB | CS | SB% | PH | PR | DH | AB/HR | AB/K | AB/RBI | K/BB | K/9 | BB/9 |
| 1922 Cardinals | 3 | 1 | .750 | 3 | 0 | n/a | 30.2 | 11.6 | 4.3 | - | - | - |
| 1923 Cardinals | 4 | 6 | .400 | 4 | 0 | n/a | 65.4 | 11.9 | 5.6 | - | - | - |
| 1924 Cardinals | 5 | 4 | .556 | 4 | 0 | n/a | 37.7 | 15.1 | 4.8 | - | - | - |
| 1925 Cardinals | 3 | 4 | .429 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 29.5 | 17.2 | 4.8 | - | - | - |
| 1926 Cardinals | 4 | 0 | 1.000 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 31.7 | 11.6 | 5.0 | - | - | - |
| 1927 Cardinals | 8 | 9 | .471 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 30.2 | 11.7 | 4.6 | - | - | - |
| 1928 Cardinals | 10 | 0 | 1.000 | 1 | 0 | n/a | 18.6 | 10.7 | 4.2 | - | - | - |
| 1929 Cardinals | 3 | 0 | 1.000 | 1 | 0 | n/a | 19.3 | 10.4 | 4.1 | - | - | - |
| 1930 Cardinals | 5 | 0 | 1.000 | 7 | 0 | n/a | 32.5 | 13.5 | 5.0 | - | - | - |
| 1931 Cardinals | 3 | 2 | .600 | 15 | 0 | n/a | 42.4 | 15.9 | 5.1 | - | - | - |
| 1932 Cardinals | 2 | 0 | 1.000 | 17 | 0 | n/a | 28.3 | 9.7 | 6.5 | - | - | - |
| 1933 Reds | 3 | 0 | 1.000 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 42.2 | 19.6 | 6.6 | - | - | - |
| 1934 Reds | 1 | 1 | .500 | 3 | 0 | n/a | 50.5 | 13.9 | 7.1 | - | - | - |
| 1935 Reds | 3 | 1 | .750 | 10 | 0 | n/a | 399.0 | 16.6 | 8.1 | - | - | - |
| 1936 Browns | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 45.3 | 9.9 | 5.7 | - | - | - |
| 1937 Browns | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 42 | 0 | n/a | 109.0 | 7.3 | 9.1 | - | - | - |
| Career | SB | CS | SB% | PH | PR | DH | AB/HR | AB/K | AB/RBI | K/BB | K/9 | BB/9 |
| 16 Years | 58 | 28 | .674 | 107 | 0 | n/a | 34.1 | 12.6 | 5.3 | - | - | - |
Jim BottomleyJim Bottomley Miscellaneous Items of Interest |
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| Team | Roster | Uniform Numbers | Salary | All-Star | World Series |
| 1922 St. Louis Cardinals | n/a | Undetermined | n/a | - |
| 1923 St. Louis Cardinals | n/a | Undetermined | n/a | - |
| 1924 St. Louis Cardinals | n/a | Undetermined | n/a | - |
| 1925 St. Louis Cardinals | n/a | Undetermined | n/a | - |
| 1926 St. Louis Cardinals | n/a | Undetermined | n/a | Stats |
| 1927 St. Louis Cardinals | n/a | Undetermined | n/a | - |
| 1928 St. Louis Cardinals | n/a | Undetermined | n/a | Stats |
| 1929 St. Louis Cardinals | n/a | Undetermined | n/a | - |
| 1930 St. Louis Cardinals | n/a | Undetermined | n/a | Stats |
| 1931 St. Louis Cardinals | n/a | Undetermined | n/a | Stats |
| 1932 St. Louis Cardinals | 4 | Undetermined | n/a | - |
| 1933 Cincinnati Reds | 3 | Undetermined | - | - |
| 1934 Cincinnati Reds | 1 | Undetermined | - | - |
| 1935 Cincinnati Reds | 1 | Undetermined | - | - |
| 1936 St. Louis Browns | 2 | $6,500.00 | - | - |
| 1937 St. Louis Browns | 2 | $8,000.00 | - | - |
| Jim Bottomley Stats by Baseball Almanac | ||||

Exactly four different St. Louis Cardinals players have had six hits in a 9-inning game: Duff Cooley on September 30, 1893, Roger Connor on June 1, 1895, Terry Moore on September 5, 1935, and Jim Bottomley - who had two six-hit games (September 16, 1924 & August 5, 1931).
Jim Bottomley is one of only five players in baseball history with two six hits game. The other four are Doc Cramer, Doc Cramer, Henry Larkin, and Cal McVey.
Jim Bottomley was the first player in baseball history to drive in twelve runs in a game! On September 16, 1924, Sunny Jim went 6-for-6 and drove in a Major League record 12 RBI - an RBI record that still stands and has only been tied once, by Mark Whiten on September 7, 1993.
Jim Bottomley was the first first-baseman in baseball history turn eight unassisted double plays in a season (1936), a Major league record that still stands and has only been tied once, by American League first-bagger Bill White who had eight unassisted double plays (at first) in 1961.
Jim Bottomley was the first St. Louis Cardinals lefty to hit 30+ home runs in a season (31 HRs in 1928), and Sunny Jim held the team record for homers in a season by a lefty for twelve years, until he was passed by another hall of famer, who still holds the record! Do you know who it was? [Answer]

Jim Bottomley | 1972 Laughlin Great Feats Baseball Card (#13) | Baseball Almanac Collection
Before the Baseball Writers Association of America began awarding the Most Valuable Player Award, there was a League Award which existed from 1922 through 1929. Rogers Hornsby was the first St. Louis Cardinals player to win (1925), a year later
Bob O'Farrell won, then in 1928, the first left-handed Cardinal, Jim Bottomley, won.
During the year Sunny Jim won the League Award, he was the home run champion in the National League, the first time in Cardinals history a left-handed slugger led the league.

Jim Bottomley | National Baseball Hall of Fame Plaque
Jim Bottomley, Rogers Hornsby, Goose Goslin, Lou Gehrig, Stan Musial and Roberto Clemente, not just Hall of Fame legends, but the only players in Major League history with at least one-hundred fifty career triples and two-hundred career home runs - true speed, true power.