Jim "Jumbo" Elliott was a pitcher with the Phillies from 1931-1934. A left-hander, Elliott made his Major League debut in 1923 with the St. Louis Browns, but played in just one game with them before landing in the Brooklyn Robins organization. With Brooklyn, Elliott was a reliable pitcher who posted a 3.89 ERA over 4-plus seasons. However, following the 1930 season, Elliott was a piece of the trade that sent Lefty O'Doul to Brooklyn along with Fresco Thompson. The 6-foot-3-inch, 250-pound Elliott came to Philadelphia with Clise Dudley, Hal Lee and cash.
In his first season with Philadelphia, Elliott enjoyed the most successful year of his career. That year the Missouri native appeared in a National League high 52 games (30 starts) and led the league in wins with 19. In 1931, Elliott threw 12 complete games and recorded 5 saves. Although three other Phils pitchers had lower ERA's than Elliott's 4.27, he was the team's only hurler to post a winning record that season, as the club only won 66 games all year. That season marked the only time between 1900 and 1981 that the National League did not have at least one 20-game winner.
Over the next two seasons with the Phillies, Elliott was not as strong, as he posted a 16-20 record and a 4.64 ERA.
The following season, after appearing in just 3 games with the Phillies, Elliott's contract was purchased by the Braves. He went on to pitch in 7 games with the Braves, but was again sold in June, to the Atlanta Crackers of the Southern League.
After retiring from baseball, Elliott resided in Indiana where he was a long-time Deputy Sheriff in Vigo County. He later ran for Vigo County Sheriff as a Democrat in 1968, but lost the election.
Elliott passed away in 1970 at the age of 69.
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