Jim Russell (baseball)

James William Russell (October 1, 1918 – November 24, 1987) was an outfielder in Major League Baseball for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Boston Braves and Brooklyn Dodgers. He played in the majors from 1942 to 1951.

Background

Russell was born in Fayette City, Pennsylvania, on October 1, 1918, the son of James Walch "Doc" Russell and Lillian Johnson. Russell never finished high school, but instead went out to work mines to bolster his family's financial situation. Jim played baseball with rocks (for balls) and tree limbs (for bats) in alleyways when he was a youngster. As a youth, he contracted rheumatic fever twice; his baseball career would be severed short because of his rheumatic heart disease.

Baseball career

Russell had a batting average of .267 and was a switch hitter. After beginning his minor league career in 1937, his contract was bought by the Pittsburgh Pirates in September 1942. In 1944, Russell led the Pirates in hitting with a .312 batting average and 181 total hits, and hit the first pinch-hit home run in Pirates history on August 20.

Russell was traded in 1948 for Danny Murtaugh of the Boston Braves. He contracted bacterial endocarditis brought on by the rheumatic fever he had as a child. It cost him the rest of the season and a chance to play in the World Series. He played again for the Braves in 1949, but the heart problem slowly degraded his ability, as he had a .231 batting average. In 1952 and 1953, he returned to the minor leagues. From 1954 until 1965, he scouted for the Dodgers and Senators.

External links

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)