Hank Thompson (baseball) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Hank Thompson |
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Thompson in 1955
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| Third baseman | |||||||||||||||||||
| Born: December 8, 1925 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma |
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| Died: September 30, 1969 (aged 43) Fresno, California |
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| Professional debut | |||||||||||||||||||
| NgL: 1943, for the Kansas City Monarchs | |||||||||||||||||||
| MLB: July 17, 1947, for the St. Louis Browns | |||||||||||||||||||
| Last appearance | |||||||||||||||||||
| September 30, 1956, for the New York Giants | |||||||||||||||||||
| MLB statistics | |||||||||||||||||||
| Batting average | .267 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Home runs | 129 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Runs batted in | 482 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Teams | |||||||||||||||||||
Negro leagues
Major League Baseball
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||||||
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Henry Curtis Thompson (born December 8, 1925 – died September 30, 1969) was an American baseball player. He played in both the Negro leagues and Major League Baseball (MLB). Hank Thompson mostly played as a third baseman. He was a left-handed batter.
Thompson played for the Dallas Green Monarchs and Kansas City Monarchs in the Negro leagues. Later, he joined the St. Louis Browns and New York Giants in MLB. He is remembered for being one of the first African American players to break the color barrier in baseball.
Contents
Hank Thompson's Early Life and Baseball Start
Hank Thompson was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He started his baseball career at a young age.
Playing in the Negro Leagues
Thompson became a strong hitter for the Kansas City Monarchs in the Negro American League. He played both infield and outfield positions. When he was just 17, he played right field in his first season. He had a good batting average of .300.
Serving in World War II
After his first season, Thompson joined the Army. He served as a machine gunner with the 1695th Combat Engineers. He even fought in the famous Battle of the Bulge during World War II.
Years later, fans in the Cuban Winter League gave him the nickname Ametralladora. This is Spanish for "machine gun," because of his powerful hitting.
Sergeant Thompson finished his military service on June 20, 1946. He quickly went back to playing for the Monarchs. His team was in the middle of winning the league title that year.
Breaking Barriers in Major League Baseball
In 1947, Jackie Robinson made history by breaking the color barrier with the Brooklyn Dodgers. This opened the door for other Black players.
Thompson's First MLB Game
Hank Thompson played his first game in Major League Baseball on July 17, 1947. He joined the St. Louis Browns. This made him one of the first Black players on that team. Two days later, Willard Brown also joined the Browns.
On July 20, Thompson played second base and Brown played center field. This was the first time two Black players appeared in the same MLB lineup. Later, on August 9, Thompson and Cleveland Indians outfielder Larry Doby became the first Black players from opposing teams to play on the field at the same time.
Thompson played for the Browns for about a month. He hit .256 in 27 games, mostly at second base. He then rejoined the Monarchs until the end of the 1948 season. In his last year with Kansas City, Thompson batted .375. He also led the league in steals with 20.
Playing for the New York Giants
On July 4, 1949, the New York Giants called Thompson up to their main team. He earned a special place in baseball history by joining the Giants. He was the first Black baseball player to play in both the National and American leagues.
More Historic Firsts
On July 8, 1949, Thompson and Monte Irvin became the first Black players for the Giants. This meant Thompson was the only player to help break the segregation barrier on two different teams.
Another important moment happened when Thompson batted against Dodgers pitcher Don Newcombe. This was the first time a Black batter faced a Black pitcher in the major leagues.
In 1951, Thompson helped the Giants win the pennant. He and Irvin, along with Willie Mays, formed the first all-Black outfield in the major leagues during the World Series. For most of his career with the Giants, Thompson played third base.
Career Highlights with the Giants
On August 16, 1950, Hank Thompson hit two inside-the-park home runs in one game. This was a rare feat that hadn't happened since 1939.
His best season was in 1953. He batted .302 with 24 home runs and 74 runs batted in. In 1954, he hit 26 homers and drove in 86 runs. He also hit three homers in one game that year. In the 1954 World Series, he batted .364 and set a record with seven walks in the four-game series against Cleveland. The Giants won the World Series that year.
In his 9-year MLB career, Thompson batted .267. He hit 129 home runs and had 482 runs batted in. He also scored 492 runs, had 801 hits, 104 doubles, and 34 triples. He finished his career playing for the minor league Minneapolis Millers in 1957.
Later Life and Passing
After his baseball career, Hank Thompson faced some challenges. He passed away at the age of 43 on September 30, 1969, after a seizure. This was exactly 13 years after his last game in the major leagues.
See also
- List of first black Major League Baseball players
- List of Negro league baseball players who played in Major League Baseball
Images for kids
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Thompson in 1955
