april december american professional baseball player baseman played major_league_baseball cincinnati_reds served player manager playing cardinals brooklyn field september set time single game rbi record born illinois grew illinois dropped high school age raise money family playing semi professional baseball cardinals scouted signed won league award given valuable player world series championship teams played cardinals season traded reds playing cincinnati years played seasons finishing playing career joined chicago cubs organization scout minor league baseball manager suffering heart attack wife retired raise cattle missouri nicknamed sunny jim cheerful disposition elected early life born april elizabeth née carter illinois family later moved illinois enrolled grade school dropped years old order help support family financially worked coal truck driver grocery clerk railroad clerk younger brother died mining accident played semi professional baseball local teams additional money earning game current dollar terms police officer knew general manager saw play recommended professional career dispatched scout investigate cardinals decided invite late signed month current dollar terms contract began professional career minor league baseball year played mitchell class south league posting batting average games continued scout played games time minor leagues media began sunny jim pleasant disposition season played class suffered leg injury early season infected performance season managed batting average games struggled fielding unable sell houston season current dollar terms sold current dollar terms fully recovered leg injury batted home runs triples slugging percentage chiefs season cardinals purchased chiefs current dollar terms major_league_baseball debut august replacing batted games cardinals named starting baseman rookie batted finishing second national_league teammate batted base percentage finished second finished sixth slugging percentage mark runs batted rbis tenth best league posted batting average game september set major league record rbis single game breaking record set robinson serving manager dodgers time mark tied finishing season rbis placing home runs seventh best slugging percentage good tenth hit finishing second led hits rbis best base percentage seventh best league batted season leading rbis home runs placed second slugging percentage sixth best batted world series cardinals defeated new_york_yankees finished season rbis fourth best league slugging percentage finishing sixth hit home runs rbis leading league home runs rbis second major_league player history join club year won league award given valuable player cardinals reached world series batted lost new_york_yankees hit home runs finishing seventh rbis fifth best slugging percentage placed eighth having manager street considered poor year struggled world series batting bats cardinals lost following series described world series performance bust far hitting goes amid questions status cardinals heading season demonstrated renewed hitting ability spring training despite presence superior fielder transferred cardinals international_league street announced remain starting baseman suffered injury struggled early season returning game appeared lose job collins filled injury returned form return finished season batting average placing teammate chick closest batting average finish mlb history slugging percentage sixth best league cardinals reached world series batting cardinals defeated athletics offseason teams began attempt trade collins batted played games cincinnati reds season cardinals traded cincinnati_reds attempt partner chick developing potent offensive attack sought cincinnati managerial position offseason instead went threatened quit baseball salary dispute reds attempted negotiate raise salary current dollar terms reduction salary current dollar terms earned cardinals previous year reds eventually came terms year contract believed worth finished eighth rbis ninth home runs seasons reds failed hit higher record rbis season left reds spring training salary dispute deciding return team april season reds traded american_league managed july road trip announced retirement result injured changed mind decided remain team batted season decided return baseball struggled season beginning season win loss record fired named player manager led victories team finished season eighth place record trailed seventh place athletics games games place player batted games season oldest players year retain season replacing street served assistant season served player manager syracuse bad start season team president adding capable players resigned replaced indicated want continue playing holds single season record double plays baseman known man sued hitting home run fan hit ball looking rbis season second player baseball history hit doubles triples home runs season players collect doubles triples home runs career personal married operated beauty february couple children retired baseball wife moved missouri area raised cattle radio broadcaster signing deal broadcasting station broadcast cardinals games returned baseball scout cardinals joined chicago_cubs scout managed managing suffered heart attack moved nearby sullivan missouri died heart december wife betty interred sullivan missouri honors elected posthumously charged selective choosing members charges levied elected included teammate cardinals member time selections teammates led having powers reduced subsequent years cardinals announced players personnel inducted inaugural class city park sullivan named museum illinois baseball museum dedicated fellow hall red natives
Jim Bottomley