Jim King (baseball)

James Hubert King (August 27, 1932 – February 23, 2015) was an American professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for all or parts of 11 seasons between 1955 and 1967, mostly with the Washington Senators. He also was a member of the Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals, San Francisco Giants, Chicago White Sox and Cleveland Indians. He batted left-handed, threw right-handed, and was listed as 6 feet (1.8 m) tall and 185 pounds (84 kg).

Jim King
King with the Senators in 1961
Right fielder
Born: (1932-08-27)August 27, 1932
Elkins, Arkansas
Died: February 23, 2015(2015-02-23) (aged 82)
Elkins, Arkansas
Batted: Left Threw: Right
MLB debut
April 17, 1955, for the Chicago Cubs
Last MLB appearance
September 24, 1967, for the Cleveland Indians
MLB statistics
Batting average.240
Home runs117
Runs batted in401
Teams

Career

King began his professional career in 1950 in the Cardinals' farm system, from which he was drafted by the Cubs as a Rule 5 selection in 1954. After spending 1955 and 1956 on the Cubs' big-league roster, he was traded back to the Cardinals (1957) and then dealt to the Giants (1958), but spent most of the next four seasons in the minor leagues, getting into only 56 total MLB games between 1957 and 1960. In the latter year, he was named the International League's Most Valuable Player. That December, King was taken by the brand-new, replacement Washington franchise with the 50th overall selection in the 1960 Major League Baseball expansion draft.

During his major league career, King played in 1,125 games (796 as a Senator), batting .240 with 699 hits, 112 doubles, 19 triples, 117 home runs and 401 runs batted in. Notable games during his career include;

  • On April 15, 1958, King played in the first major league game ever contested in California, as a member of the Giants against the Los Angeles Dodgers.[1][2]
  • On May 26, 1964, King hit for the cycle, playing for the Senators against the Boston Red Sox.[3]
  • On June 8, 1964, King had a three home run game, playing for the Senators against the Kansas City Athletics.[1][4]

Personal life

King was born in Elkins, Arkansas. After his retirement from baseball, he returned to Arkansas and worked for a telephone company.[5] He died in Elkins at the age of 82.[5]

See also

References
  1. "Cardinals prepared Jim King for big-league career". RetroSimba. March 1, 2015. Retrieved November 22, 2017.
  2. "San Francisco Giants 8, Los Angeles Dodgers 0". Retrosheet. April 15, 1958.
  3. "Boston Red Sox 3, Washington Senators 2". Retrosheet. May 26, 1964.
  4. "Kansas City Athletics 5, Washington Senators 4". Retrosheet. June 8, 1964.
  5. "Jim King, baseball player". The Washington Post. March 12, 2015. p. B5.

Further reading
Achievements
Preceded by
Jim Hickman		 Hitting for the cycle
May 26, 1964		 Succeeded by
Ken Boyer


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