Thomas Howard (baseball) facts for kids

Thomas Sylvester Howard, born on December 11, 1964, is a former American professional baseball player. He played for 11 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1990 to 2000. Thomas Howard was an outfielder for several teams. These included the San Diego Padres, Cleveland Indians, Cincinnati Reds, Houston Astros, Los Angeles Dodgers, and St. Louis Cardinals. On April 11, 2000, he made history by hitting the very first grand slam at Minute Maid Park. A grand slam happens when a batter hits a home run with all three bases loaded. This scores four runs at once!

Early Life and College Sports

Thomas Howard grew up in Germantown, Ohio. He was a talented athlete from a young age.

High School Achievements

At Valley View High School, Thomas played three different sports. This showed his amazing athletic skills.

Ball State University Years

After high school, Thomas went to Ball State University. There, he continued to play two college sports. He played college baseball and college football. In football, he was a backup quarterback.

Baseball Star at Ball State

Thomas truly shined in college baseball. In 1986, he was named the first-ever Mid-American Conference Baseball Player of the Year. He earned this award by leading the conference in two important stats. He had a .448 batting average and hit 23 home runs. A batting average shows how often a player gets a hit.

Hall of Fame Recognition

Because of his great achievements, Thomas Howard was honored in 1996. He was inducted into the Ball State athletics hall of fame. He also made history for Ball State in another way. He was the first athlete from Ball State to be picked in the first round of a major sports draft. The San Diego Padres chose him as the 11th overall pick in the 1986 Major League Baseball Draft.

Major League Baseball Career

Thomas Howard played in 1015 Major League games during his 11 seasons. He had a career batting average of .264. This means he got a hit about 26.4% of the time he was at bat.

Key Statistics

During his career, Thomas Howard achieved several important statistics:

• He scored 297 runs.
• He hit 123 doubles. A double is when a batter hits the ball and reaches second base safely.
• He hit 22 triples. A triple is when a batter hits the ball and reaches third base safely.
• He hit 44 home runs.
• He had 264 RBI (Runs Batted In). An RBI means a player helped a teammate score a run.
• He stole 66 stolen bases. A stolen base is when a runner advances to the next base while the pitcher is throwing the ball.

Outfield Defense

Thomas Howard was also a strong defensive player. He played all three outfield positions. He finished his career with a .986 fielding percentage. This means he made very few errors when catching or throwing the ball.

Postseason Play

He also played in nine postseason games. In these games, he had a .158 batting average and one RBI.

Life After Baseball

As of 2014, Thomas Howard lived in Atlanta. He had five children and worked in the health and fitness industry.