Jumbo Elliott

James Thomas Elliott

• Bats Right, Throws Left
• Height 6' 3", Weight 235 lb.

• Debut April 21, 1923
• Final Game June 9, 1934
• Born October 22, 1900 in St. Louis, MO USA
• Died January 7, 1970 in Terre Haute, IN USA

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BR Minors page

Biographical Information

Left-hander Jumbo Elliott went 15-14 with a 3.49 ERA while pitching 240 innings in 1921 with the Terre Haute Tots of the Three-I League. He rested a few months and came back with the Tots again in 1922, won 20 and lost 8 with a 2.34 ERA and pitched 246 innings for the year. As things go someone sent Jumbo to the St. Louis Browns and on April 21, 1923 he took the mound for the Browns. He lasted one inning, giving up three runs on three walks and a hit, and when he finally got to safety he had a 27.00 ERA. Hopefully, Jumbo had bought a round-trip ticket for his trip.

Back in Terre Haute for the 1923 season, Jumbo got over whatever happened in St. Louis and went on to win 13 and lose 7 while pitching 192 innings. He would be with them again in 1924 and showed a record of 7-4 for the year. In 1925, the big guy led the league with 25 wins and lost only 8 and also was a league leader with a 3.04 ERA while pitching 269 innings. All this action caused interest in Jumbo and the Brooklyn Robins brought him to town for a few days and he ended this year with a 0-2 record while pitching 10 innings for the Robins.

The Brooklyn club would send Jumbo to the Pacific Coast League and the Seattle Indians for the 1926 season and the big guy would go 26-20 with a 2.55 ERA while pitching 367 innings. Jumbo would also lead the league in complete games with 37 and strikeouts with 203. He also made the All-Star team. The inevitable finally came and big Jim would go to Brooklyn in 1927. Unfortunately he went 6-13 the first year, 9-14 the second and only pitched 19 innings in 1929. He would go 1-2 but he perked up in 1930 and went 10-7 with a 3.95 ERA while pitching 198 innings. This caused the Robins on October 14, 1930 to trade Jumbo along with Clise Dudley, Hal Lee and cash to the Philadelphia Phillies for Lefty O'Doul and Fresco Thompson.

Elliott showed he still had it as he led the 1931 National League in games played with 52 and wins with 19, giving him a 19-14 record with a 4.27 ERA in 249 innings, but on the down side Jumbo allowed a league-leading 118 Earned Runs. The big guy would come back strong in 1932, winning 11 and losing 10 in 166 innings. He dropped to 6-10 in 1933 but had a good 3.84 ERA. Elliott was 1-2 in 1934 and on May 16, 1934 the Boston Braves purchased him from the Phillies for an unannounced amount. Jumbo wound up the year at 1-2 in just 20 innings and his 10-year major league run was over.

Elliott was a workhorse. In his eight seasons in the minors, he finished up with a 118-70 record with a 2.66 ERA while pitching 1,657 innings. His major league time shows he finished with a 63-74 record with a 4.24 ERA while pitching 1,206 innings. Jumbo was 33 years old when he played his last pro game.

After baseball, Jumbo returned to Terre Haute, IN, where he lived and worked, until his death on January 7, 1970, at 70 years of age.

Notable Achievements

• NL Wins Leader (1931)
• NL Games Pitched Leader (1931)
• 15 Wins Seasons: 1 (1931)
• 200 Innings Pitched Seasons: 1 (1931)