130: Jim Bottomley - MLB

Sports' Forgotten Heroes

Jim Bottomley played for the St. Louis Cardinals from 1922 to 1933. During his 11 years with the Redbirds, Bottomley just might have been the best first baseman in the National League. If he wasn't you'd be hard-pressed to find another first baseman who was better. During that 11 year span, Bottomley hit .325, whacked 181 home runs and knocked in 1,105. In 1928, he won the National League MVP. Four times, he helped the Cardinals win the pennant and in 1926, he helped St. Louis to a magical World Series Championship over the juggernaut that was to become the New York Yankees. He again, helped the Cardinals to a World Series Championship in 1931 over the Philadelphia Athletics. Bottomley is one of the only players in Major League history to twice have 6 hits in a single game and he once had 12 RBI in a game. Yet, when baseball fans are asked about Jim Bottomley, most have never heard of him. That could be because Bottomley played with Rogers Hornsby who was winning triple crowns while Jim was just going about his business. On this episode of SFH, Kent Krause, the author of "Sunny Jim Bottomley" joins the show as we explore Jim's career and just how magnificent a baseball player he was during a career that also saw him play for the Cincinnati Reds and St. Louis Browns.