For many MLB enthusiasts, this moment was definitely expected. Legendary MLB star Frank Thomas is being inducted into the Hall of Fame! According to the Chicago Tribune, it was announced that the 5-time MLB All-Star, as well as Braves legends Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine were all elected to the MLB Hall of Fame.
Thomas had a blow-out professional baseball career. Spending 16 of his 19 year career in Chicago, Thomas has long been accredited for legitimizing the White Sox baseball franchise. With a .301 career batting average, 2,468 hits, and an impressive 521 home runs, Thomas has definitely left his mark on the MLB record books. His most notable accomplishment came from his staggering home run record. His menacing swing denotes his famous nickname “The Big Hurt.” Thomas’ was ranked as the third player in MLB history to hit more than 500 career home runs.
Thomas recently shared his sentiments of the esteemed honor on a conference call. He said that the honor “an incredible time for me and my family. I’m overjoyed, overwhelmed. It’s been an overwhelming day, but I’m just so happy and proud right now, and thank you all.”
The Chicago White Sox Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf released a laudatory statement in reference to Thomas’ commendable feat.
Reinsdorf’s statement read, ““Congratulations to Frank Thomas on today’s first-ballot election to Baseball’s Hall of Fame. Induction into Cooperstown is the game’s greatest honor, and to see Frank’s plaque placed alongside baseball’s other outstanding hitters brings his White Sox career full circle. Frank is the greatest offensive player in White Sox history, a line drive hitter and on-base machine in a slugger’s body,” said Reinsdorf.
“He now deservedly joins baseball royalty like Babe Ruth, Ted Williams and Hank Aaron, as well as Sox legends like Louie (Aparicio), Nellie (Fox) and Luke (Appling), in Cooperstown. To have had the opportunity to see his career begin in 1990 and then end in the Hall of Fame has been a special privilege for me and for many with the White Sox, including so many fans who witnessed his greatness firsthand. Frank should be very proud today, celebrating along with his family, friends, teammates and every Sox fan who had the chance to cheer for The Big Hurt.”
However, the congratulatory responses didn’t stop there. Former White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen also tweeted his praises of Thomas.
https://twitter.com/OzzieGuillen/statuses/420998466643722241
https://twitter.com/OzzieGuillen/statuses/420998576735797248
Image via Wikimedia Commons | Frank Thomas
