Editing Johnny Mize (section)

==Early life and career==
Mize was born in [[Demorest, Georgia]] to Edward and Emma Loudermilk Mize. After his parents separated, his mother went to Atlanta for work, but Mize remained in Demorest with his grandmother.<ref name=SABR>{{cite web|last=Grillo|first=Jerry|title=Johnny Mize|url=http://sabr.org/bioproj/person/a7ac6649|publisher=[[Society for American Baseball Research]]|access-date=August 20, 2013}}</ref> He excelled in tennis as a child and played on his high school baseball team.<ref name=NYT>{{cite news|last=Thomas|first=Robert|title=Johnny Mize, home run slugger and Hall of Famer, is dead at 80|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/06/03/obituaries/johnny-mize-home-run-slugger-and-hall-of-famer-is-dead-at-80.html|access-date=January 31, 2014|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=June 3, 1993}}</ref> He later played baseball for [[Piedmont College]].<ref name="piedmont1">{{Cite news|url=http://media.www.piedmontnavigator.com/media/storage/paper524/news/2008/02/11/Features/Johnny.Mize.Collection-3202076.shtml |title=Johnny Mize Collection |last=Phelps |first=Myron |work=The Navigator |date=February 11, 2008 |access-date=June 10, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120216075043/http://media.www.piedmontnavigator.com/media/storage/paper524/news/2008/02/11/Features/Johnny.Mize.Collection-3202076.shtml |archive-date=February 16, 2012 }}</ref><ref name="piedmont2">{{Cite news|url=http://media.www.piedmontnavigator.com/media/storage/paper524/news/2008/01/28/Features/Living.At.The.mont-3172172.shtml |title=History of Sports |last=Suda |first=Tim |work=The Navigator |date=January 28, 2008 |access-date=June 10, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120216075114/http://media.www.piedmontnavigator.com/media/storage/paper524/news/2008/01/28/Features/Living.At.The.mont-3172172.shtml |archive-date=February 16, 2012 }}</ref> Mize was a cousin of [[Ty Cobb]] and his second cousin was the [[Claire Merritt Ruth|second wife]] of [[Babe Ruth]].<ref name=SABR/>

Mize came up through the [[St. Louis Cardinals]] minor league system but was traded to the [[Cincinnati Reds]] in 1934.<ref name="Theme">{{cite web|url=http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/stl/hof/theme_of_the_week.jsp?partnerId=aw-4808082534736377793-1068|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121215042616/http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/stl/hof/theme_of_the_week.jsp?partnerId=aw-4808082534736377793-1068|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 15, 2012|title=Cardinals Interesting Fact|publisher=St. Louis Cardinals team website|date=December 1, 2012|access-date=December 12, 2012}}</ref> However, he suffered a groin injury and the Reds nullified the trade. In 1935, while struggling with one bad leg, he injured the other leg. Mize retired from baseball and returned home until the Cardinals asked him to see a physician in St. Louis. He had surgery for bone spurs.<ref name=Eisenbath>{{cite book|last=Eisenbath|first=Mike|title=The Cardinals Encyclopedia|date=1999|publisher=[[Temple University Press]]|isbn=1566397030|page=245|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hymGG28xYcoC&pg=PA245}}</ref>

He was kept with the Cardinals in St. Louis after surgery, as he would not have been able to play regularly that season in the minor leagues anyway. The organization thought that he might get some opportunities to pinch hit with the major league team. Mize made his major league debut for the Cardinals in 1936. In 126 games, Mize hit for a .329 [[batting average (baseball)|batting average]], 19 home runs and  93 [[runs batted in]] (RBI). He later said, "I'm the only guy who played in the major leagues because I couldn't play in the minors."<ref name=Eisenbath/>