35 special things about Frank Thomas
Here are 35 thoughts, facts, moments and memories of No. 35, Frank Thomas:
1 The Big Hurt was drafted by the White Sox on the first round (No. 7 overall) in 1989 after playing college baseball at Auburn.
2 Thomas won two American League MVP trophies - in 1993 and '94.
3 In his first full major-league season with the Sox (1991), Thomas finished third in MVP voting with a .318/.453/.553 hitting line to go with 32 home runs, 109 RBI and a league-leading 138 walks.
4 A year after exiting the White Sox in a messy split, Thomas finished fourth in MVP voting after batting .270 with 39 home runs and 114 RBI while playing for the Oakland Athletics.
In his first game back at U.S. Cellular with the A's, Thomas hit 2 solo homers off Jon Garland.
5 Thomas went to five straight All-Star Games (1993-97). In 1995, he won the Home Run Derby in Texas.
6 Over his career, Thomas was the AL leader in six offensive categories - batting average, slugging percentage, extra-base hits, walks, on-base percentage and doubles.
7 From 1991-97, Thomas became the first player in baseball history to hit .300 or higher with at least 20 home runs, 100 RBI, 100 walks and 100 runs scored in seven straight seasons.
8 Along with Al Simmons, Ted Williams and Albert Pujols, Thomas is the only player in major-league history to drive in 100 or more runs in each of his first eight full seasons.
9 In 2000, Thomas wasn't happy after finishing a close second to Jason Giambi in the AL MVP vote. Had he won, Thomas would have been the ninth player in history to win three MVP trophies.
10 Thomas, who played from 1990-2008, ranks 10th all time with 1,667 walks.
11 Thomas hit 11 grand slams, tying him for 41st place in baseball history.
12 After winning AL MVP honors in 1994, Thomas became the 12th player in history to win the award in consecutive seasons, and the first since the Yankees' Roger Maris in 1960-61.
13 Thomas played with No. 13, shortstop Ozzie Guillen, from 1990-97. He also played for Guillen, who returned as White Sox manager, in 2004-05.
“The best hitter to ever wear this uniform was Frank,” Guillen said.
14 Thomas was voted AL player of the week 14 times.
15 In 1997, Thomas reached base safely in 15 consecutive plate appearances, one shy of Ted Williams' record. During the streak, which ran May 16-20, Thomas was 10-for-10 with 5 walks.
16 Thomas played 16 seasons with the White Sox, and he ranks fourth in franchise history behind Luke Appling, Paul Konerko and Nellie Fox with 1,959 games played.
17 Thomas hit 17 home runs at Fenway Park in Boston, his highest total as a visiting player.
18 With 521 career home runs, Thomas is tied with Ted Williams and Willie McCovey for 18th place on the all-time list.
19 Playing for Auburn in 1989, Thomas hit 19 home runs while batting .403 and winning Southeastern Conference MVP honors.
20 Thomas ranks 20th all time with a career .419 on-base percentage.
21 As a freshman at Auburn, Thomas hit 21 home runs, and his success on the baseball field prompted him to quit the Tigers' football team, where he played tight end.
22 In major-league history, Thomas ranks 22nd with 1,704 RBI and a .555 slugging percentage.
23 On June 23, 2002, Thomas launched a 495-foot home run off the Twins' Johan Santana. At the time, it was the longest home run ever hit at U.S. Cellular Field.
24 Thomas never liked facing Pedro Martinez. In 24 career at-bats vs. the right-handed starter, Thomas had 2 hits and struck out 11 times.
25 On June 25, 2003, Thomas hit his 400th career home run, off Tampa Bay's Jorge Sosa.
26 While he wasn't on the postseason roster in 2005 due to injury, Thomas was with the team Oct. 26 when the White Sox completed a four-game sweep over the Houston Astros to win the World Series.
27 Thomas was born on May 27, 1968, in Columbus, Georgia.
28 On Aug. 28, 1990, Thomas hit his first major-league home run, off the Twins' Gary Wayne.
29 Thomas' 1,028 career extra-base hits rank 29th all time.
30 Thomas hit 30 or more home runs in a season nine times.
31 Thomas hit 2 home runs in a game 31 times.
32 In his 19 major-league seasons, Thomas stole 32 bases in 55 attempts.
33 Thomas ranks 33rd in baseball history with 168 intentional walks.
34 In 2005, his final season with the Sox, Thomas played in only 34 games because of foot and ankle injuries.
35 The White Sox retired Thomas' uniform No. 35 at U.S. Cellular Field on Aug. 29, 2010. The following year, the Sox unveiled a bronze statue of Thomas on the left-field concourse.
“You can never dream of anything like that,” he said. “You can always dream, but it's only happened to a select few, and I'm honored to be one of those select few to be out on that concourse.”