James Howard Sundberg (born May 18, 1951) is an American former professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

player, television sports analyst, and executive. He played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

as a

catcher Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the catc ...

from 1974 to 1989, most prominently as a member of the Texas Rangers where he established himself as one of the top defensive catchers of his era. A three-time

All-Star An all-star team is a group of people all having a high level of performance in their field. Originating in sports, it has since drifted into vernacular and has been borrowed heavily by the entertainment industry. Sports "All-star" as a sport ...

player, Sundberg won six consecutive

Gold Glove Award The Rawlings Gold Glove Award, usually referred to as simply the Gold Glove, is the award given annually to the Major League Baseball (MLB) players judged to have exhibited superior individual Fielding (baseball), fielding performances. It is awar ...

s during his tenure with the Rangers. Later in his career, he won a

World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB). It has been contested since between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winning team, determined through a best- ...

championship as a member of the

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team ...

in 1985. He also played for the

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. The Brewers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Di ...

and the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...

. Sundberg was inducted into the Texas Rangers Hall of Fame in 2003.

Playing career

Born in

Galesburg, Illinois Galesburg is a city in Knox County, Illinois, United States. The city is northwest of Peoria, Illinois, Peoria. At the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census, its population was 32,195. It is the county seat of Knox County and the principal cit ...

, Sundberg graduated from the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (U of I, UIowa, or Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized int ...

. While attending the nniversity, he joined the Delta Upsilon fraternity. On January 10,

1973 Events January * January 1 – The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 14 - The 16-0 19 ...

, he was selected by Texas Rangers in the first round of the secondary

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

draft Draft, the draft, or draught may refer to: Watercraft dimensions * Draft (hull), the distance from waterline to keel of a vessel * Draft (sail), degree of curvature in a sail * Air draft, distance from waterline to the highest point on a v ...

. On April 4,

1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; ...

, Sundberg made the rare jump from Class A-level baseball to Major League Baseball (MLB) with the Rangers at the age of 22. As a rookie, Sundberg was selected to be a reserve in the 1974 All-Star Game and finished fourth in the Rookie of the Year balloting (teammate

Mike Hargrove Dudley Michael Hargrove (born October 26, 1949) is an American former professional baseball first baseman and Manager (baseball), manager. He is currently employed as an advisor with the Cleveland Guardians in Major League Baseball (MLB). Hargrov ...

won the award). Sundberg had 101 assists in

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 – Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

, becoming the first American League catcher to have more than 100 assists in a season since the end of the Second World War. His solid defense helped the Rangers finish above the .500 winning percentage mark for the first time since the club relocated to Texas from Washington, DC, in 1972. In December 1983, after 10 years with the Rangers, he was traded to the

.Jim Sundberg Trades and Transactions at Baseball Almanac
/ref> After playing one season with the Brewers, in which he was named to the American League All-Star team, he was traded to the Kansas City Royals. Sundberg's veteran experience helped bolster the Royals' young pitching staff, and the team's combined

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

improved to second-best in the American League. as the Royals narrowly prevailed over the

California Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West Division. Since 1966, the team has pl ...

by one game to win the 1985 American League Western Division championship. In the

1985 American League Championship Series The 1985 American League Championship Series was a semifinal matchup in Major League Baseball's 1985 Major League Baseball postseason, 1985 postseason played between the 1985 Kansas City Royals season, Kansas City Royals and the 1985 Toronto Blue ...

against the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Since 1989, the team has p ...

, Sundberg, normally known for his defensive skills, became an offensive standout when he drove in four runs in the deciding game seven to help the Royals clinch the American League pennant. The Royals went on to win the 1985 World Series. In game six of that series, Sundberg scored the dramatic ninth

inning In baseball, softball, and similar games, an inning is the basic unit of play, consisting of two halves or frames, the "top" (first half) and the "bottom" (second half). In each half, one team bats until three outs are made, with the other tea ...

winning run by sliding into

home plate A baseball field, also called a ball field or baseball diamond, is the field upon which the game of baseball is played. The term can also be used as a metonym for a baseball park. The term sandlot is sometimes used, although this usually refers ...

, skillfully avoiding the tag of St. Louis Cardinals catcher Darrell Porter. Sundberg reached base when he laid down a bunt that resulted in a force-out at third. In 1986, Sundberg helped the Royals pitching staff lead the league in earned run average, but they fell to third place in the American League's Western Division. Sundberg was traded to the Chicago Cubs in

1987 Events January * January 1 – Bolivia reintroduces the Boliviano currency. * January 2 – Chadian–Libyan conflict – Battle of Fada: The Military of Chad, Chadian army destroys a Libyan armoured brigade. * January 3 – Afghan leader ...

, before signing back with Texas, where at the age of 38, he ended his career at the end of the 1989 season.

Career statistics

In a 16-year MLB career, Sundberg played in 1,962

games A game is a Structure, structured type of play (activity), play usually undertaken for entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an Educational game, educational tool. Many games are also considered to be Work (human activity), work (such as p ...

, accumulating 1,493 hits in 6,021

at bats In baseball, an at bat (AB) or time at bat is a batter's turn batting against a pitcher. An at bat is different from a plate appearance. A batter is credited with a plate appearance regardless of what happens upon completion of his turn at bat, b ...

for a .248 career batting average along with 95 home runs, 624 runs batted in, and an

on-base percentage In baseball statistics, on-base percentage (OBP) measures how frequently a batting (baseball), batter reaches base (baseball), base. An official Major League Baseball (MLB) statistic since 1984, it is sometimes referred to as on-base average (OBA ...

of .327. His .993 career fielding average was 8 points higher than the league average over the span of his playing career. Sundberg led American League catchers six times in fielding percentage,

putouts In baseball statistics, a putout (PO) is awarded to a defensive player who (generally while in secure possession of the ball) records an out (baseball), out by one of the following methods: * tag play, Tagging a runner with the ball when he is no ...

, and assists.2001 Fielding Leaders
Baseball Digest, July 2001, Vol. 60, No. 7, He completed 145

double play In baseball and softball, a double play (denoted as DP in baseball statistics) is the act of making two outs during the same continuous play. Double plays can occur any time there is at least one baserunner and fewer than two outs. In Major Le ...

s in 1,962 games in his career, and holds the MLB record for the best ratio of double plays to errors of any catcher in major league history behind the plate for at least 1,000 games. Sundberg still holds the American League record for games caught in one season with 155 in 1975. Sundberg was the first catcher to win six American League Gold Gloves, although Bob Boone won five in the American League and two more in the National League. His 1976 Gold Glove was the first by any Rangers player. He caught 130 shutouts in his career, ranking him fifth all-time among catchers. Sundberg played more games as a catcher than any other player in Rangers history (1,512). At the time of his retirement, Sundberg had caught more MLB games than any man in history except his contemporary Bob Boone. He still ranks fifth today. Richard Kendall of the

Society for American Baseball Research The Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) is a membership organization dedicated to fostering the research and dissemination of the history and statistical record of baseball. The organization was founded in Cooperstown, New York, on Au ...

devised a study that ranked Sundberg as the third-most dominating fielding catcher in MLB history.

Post-playing career

After retiring as a player, Sundberg became a

color commentator A color commentator or expert commentator is a sports commentator who assists the main (play-by-play) commentator, typically by filling in when play is not in progress. The person may also be referred to as a summariser (outside North America) ...

on Rangers' television games from 1990 to 1995. He later served as a minor league instructor for the Rangers before joining their front office as an executive vice president of communications & public relations, executive director to the president, and director of business development from 2004 until his retirement at the end of the 2014 season. Galesburg High School named their main baseball field after Sundberg.

Highlights

* Sundberg spent his 1984 All-Star season playing for the Milwaukee Brewers, when he was traded by the Rangers to Milwaukee for Ned Yost and Dan Scarpetta. * He was a three-time All-Star (1974, 1978, 1984). * He won a Gold Glove six times consecutively (1976–81). * He was in the top 10 in

sacrifice hit In baseball, a sacrifice bunt (also called a sacrifice hit) is a batter's act of deliberately bunting the ball, before there are two outs, in a manner that allows a baserunner to advance to another base. The batter is almost always put out, a ...

s three times (1974, 1975, 1977). * He caught Bert Blyleven's

no-hitter In baseball, a no-hitter or no-hit game is a game in which a team does not record a hit (baseball), hit through conventional methods. Major League Baseball (MLB) officially defines a no-hitter as a completed game in which a team that batted in ...

on September 22,

1977 Events January * January 8 – 1977 Moscow bombings, Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (no ...

.September 22, 1977 Rangers-Angels box score at Baseball Reference
/ref>

References

External links

The Greatest Royals of All-Time- #93 Jim SundbergJim Sundberg
at

SABR Sabr () (literally 'endurance' or more accurately 'perseverance' and 'persistence'"Ṣabr", ''Encyclopaedia of Islam'') is one of the two parts of Iman (concept), faith (the other being ''shukr'') in Islam. It teaches to remain Spirituality, sp ...

Bio Project {{DEFAULTSORT:Sundberg, Jim 1951 births Living people American League All-Stars Baseball players from Knox County, Illinois Chicago Cubs players Gold Glove Award winners Iowa Hawkeyes baseball players Kansas City Royals players Major League Baseball broadcasters Major League Baseball catchers Milwaukee Brewers players Sportspeople from Galesburg, Illinois Pittsfield Rangers players Águilas del Zulia players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Texas Rangers (baseball) announcers Texas Rangers players Alaska Goldpanners of Fairbanks players 20th-century American sportsmen