| Joe Cunningham | |
|---|---|
 Cunningham in 1960 | |
| First baseman /Right fielder | |
| Born:(1931-08-27)August 27, 1931 Paterson, New Jersey, U.S. | |
| Died: March 25, 2021(2021-03-25) (aged 89) Chesterfield, Missouri, U.S. | |
Batted: Left Threw: Left | |
| MLB debut | |
| June 30, 1954, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| April 17, 1966, for the Washington Senators | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .291 |
| Home runs | 64 |
| Runs batted in | 436 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Joseph Robert Cunningham Jr. (August 27, 1931 – March 25, 2021) was an Americanbaseballfirst baseman andoutfielder who played 12 seasons inMajor League Baseball (MLB) for theSt. Louis Cardinals,Chicago White Sox, andWashington Senators from 1954 to 1966. He batted and threwleft-handed, and was a two-timeAll-Star.
Cunninghambatted .291 with 980hits over 1,141 careergames. He finished his career with morewalks (599) thanstrikeouts (369).
Cunningham was born inPaterson, New Jersey, on August 27, 1931,[1] and was raised in Saddle River Township (since renamed asSaddle Brook, New Jersey).[2] He attendedLodi High School in nearbyLodi and was signed as an amateur free agent by theSt. Louis Cardinals before the 1949 season.[1]
Cunningham played four seasons in the minor leagues from 1949 to 1951, and the first part of the 1954 season.[3] He served in the military for two years during theKorean War.[4][5] He made his MLB debut on June 30, 1954, at the age of 22,[1] batting 2-for-5 with his first major leaguehome run and fiveruns batted in (RBI) in a 11–3 win over theCincinnati Redlegs.[6] In his first four major league games, Cunningham became the first Cardinals player to hit at least twohome runs. This feat was equaled 62 years later on April 6, 2016, whenJeremy Hazelbaker also hit two home runs in his first four games.[7]
Cunningham's 1959 season was arguably his best individual year. He led theNational League inon-base percentage at .453 andbatted .345 to finish second toHank Aaron for the NLbatting title.[1][8] He was selected to both thefirst andsecond All-Star game that season.[1]
Cunningham was traded from the Cardinals to theChicago White Sox after the1961 season in exchange for long-time starMinnie Miñoso.[1] Although his first season as the White Sox first baseman was successful,[1] Cunningham would never fully recover from a broken collarbone suffered in a collision on June 3, 1963.[9] He played only 89 games in 1964 and 95 games in 1965, with his batting average dropping to .231 and .229, respectively. He played his final major league game on April 17, 1966, at the age of 34.[1]
In a 12-season career, Cunningham posted a .291batting average (980-3362) with 64home runs, 525runs scored, and 436RBI in 1141games played. Hison-base percentage was .403 (#48 all time) andslugging percentage was .417. He compiled a .989fielding percentage. His primary position was first base, in which he played in 608 games. He also played in the outfield, appearing in 404 games in right field and 46 games in left field.[1] Cunningham collected 599 walks in his career and struck out only 369 times.[10]
After retiring as a player, Cunningham returned to the Redbirds andmanaged in theirfarm system at theClass A level from 1968 to 1971.[3] He was subsequently appointed as director of sales of the Cardinals in 1972. In that capacity, he oversaw the establishment of the group and season ticket departments. He was also influential in starting up team programs such as community nights and high school games atBusch Memorial Stadium.[4] He went on to work as acoach for the Cardinals during the 1982 season.[11]
Cunningham acted as the Cardinals' community relations director in the early 1990s. He collaborated closely with schools in the St. Louis area and in devising the "Say No To Drugs" program (which later became theFredbird & Friends Elementary School Program). In recognition of his work for the franchise, the Cardinals dedicated a new section ofBusch Stadium as "Cunningham Corner" in 2015.[4]
Cunningham was married to Kathe Dillard for 60 years until his death.[4][2] One of their two sons, Joe III, played in the minor leagues from 1984 to 1988 and also worked as abatting instructor and manager in the Cardinals'farm system.[4][12]
Cunningham died on March 25, 2021, at his home inChesterfield, Missouri.[8] He was 89.[4]