Card, Baseball
Object number2021.109.9
Manufacturer
The Topps Company, Inc.
Date1959
MediumPaper; Ink
Credit LineHeinz History Center Collection
DescriptionRectangular baseball card featuring a color photograph of a baseball player wearing a white and red hat, with a handwritten autograph across right side of image. Image is set against a green background.DimensionsHeight x Width: 3.5 × 2.5 in. (8.9 × 6.4 cm)InscriptionsWhite text above image reads: "frank thomas". Autograph text reads: "Frank J. Thomas" in Text below image reads: "CINCINNATI REDLEGS / THIRD BASE -- OUTFIELD".
Text on back in left corner reads: "[490] FRANK THOMAS / HT: 6'3" WT: 205 BATS: R / THROWS: R / BORN: 6/11/29 / HOME: PITTSBURGH, PA.". Text below this reads "The biggest trade of the Spring sent / Frank to Cincinnati. Immediately Redleg / fans constracted an ailment known as / pennant fever. Frank is one of the real / distance hitters and if you doubt it ask / the Dodgers. He hit 7 homers in his first / 8 games at Los Angeles in '58.".
Text next to the cartoon depiction of the baseball player reads: "FRANK HAS / PLAYED IN 3 ALL-STAR / GAMES".
MarksMaker's mark printed vertically along right edge reads: "© T.C.G. PRINTED IN U.S.A.".
Historical NotesThomas played for the Pittsburgh Pirates at the end of 1951 and 1953-1958, then thereafter in succession until 1966 with the Cincinnati Reds, Chicago Cubs, Milwaukee Braves, New York Mets (an original Met), Philadelphia Phillies, Houston Astros, Milwaukee Braves (again), and Chicago Cubs (again). A versatile player who began as a center fielder, Thomas played the most games as a left fielder but also was a regular third baseman and first baseman during his career. A power hitting slugger and three time All-Star, Frank hit 286 home runs over the course of his 16 year career and 163 with the Pittsburgh Pirates, currently 8th on the franchise’s all-time list. Frank hit 30 home runs in his first full season and was considered a factor in the team’s decision to trade long-time favorite Ralph Kiner. Thomas was the first Pirate to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated in 1958 (a cover is included in a scrapbook). The January 1959 trade of Thomas and lesser players Whammy Douglas, Jim Pendleton, and John Powers to the Cincinnati Reds for Smoky Burgess, Harvey Haddix, and Don Hoak is considered to be one of the most significant transactions in Pirates’ history as the team collected key players which proved crucial to securing the 1960 World Series championship. The interesting stories of Thomas’s career are too numerous to mention but fans appreciated Thomas’s noteworthy ability to barehandedly catch the hardest throws of players of the era including Willie Mays. Frank attributed that to his early days of playing baseball without a glove. Later, he also began playing with the Pirates before batting helmets were used. Teammates included Roberto Clemente, Hank Aaron, Ralph Kiner, Ernie Banks, and Eddie Matthews. Thomas of course played against all of the stars of the era including Jackie Robinson and the man he considered to be the greatest all-around player he’d ever seen, Willie Mays. In Pittsburgh, Frank and Delores had a home in Greentree and later lived in the North Hills. They had eight children- Joanne, Patty Ann, Sharon (d. 1974), Frank, Peter, Maryanne, Paul, and Father Mark. Frank actively engaged in charitable work throughout his career and has continued this work in the decades since, especially locally with the Meals on Wheels program.
Related person
Frank Joseph Thomas
(born 1929)
Related institution
Cincinnati Redlegs
On View
Not on view
