St. Louis Browns right fielder, Tommy Thompson, was born on May 19, 1910, in Elkhart, Illinois. Born Rupert Lockhard Thompson, he would grow up in a small town along the Illinois Traction Rail System connection St. Louis to Peoria, Illinois.
In the history of the St. Louis Browns, it would be hard to find a player with more miles traveled
St. Louis Browns right fielder, Tommy Thompson, was born on May 19, 1910, in Elkhart, Illinois. Born Rupert Lockhard Thompson, he would grow up in a small town along the Illinois Traction Rail System connection St. Louis to Peoria, Illinois.
In the history of the St. Louis Browns, it would be hard to find a player with more miles traveled and more uniforms collected than Tommy Thompson. His career of 26 years in professional baseball included 22 minor league seasons, and six seasons in the Major Leagues. He played for 16 minor league organizations that played in every time zone across the country. He would record 2,269 hits in 8,919 plate appearances (.286 career batting average), in a total of 2,452 career games.
Thompson began his career at the age of 18, when he signed with the Bloomington Bloomers in 1928. Over the next six years he would see actions with the Bloomers (1928-29), Hagerston Hubs (1930-31), Chattanooga Lookouts (1932), Youngstown Buckeyes (1932), and Albany Senators (1933). He would make his MLB debut with the Boston Braves on September 3, 1933, and would spend most of the next four seasons with the Braves. After spending a year with the San Diego Padres of the Pacific Coast League (1937), he returned to the Major Leagues with the Chicago White Sox in 1938.
The Browns would acquire Thompson on April 27, 1939, after he played just one game for the ChiSox. Thompson would become the Browns' primary right fielder for a six week stretch in May and June of 1939. He would appear in the starting line up in 20 of the 31 games. He recorded 26 hits, including five doubles, a home run, eight RBIs, while only striking out seven times on his way to a .302 average. Thompson's offense also included two four-hit games, two three-hit games, and two two-hit games. As impressive as these numbers look, the Browns were just 5-26 in games he played. Thompson's contract would be picked up by the New York Yankees, who optioned him to the Newark Bears and Kansas City Blues to finish the 1939 season.
Tommy Thompson would not make it back to the Major Leagues, spending the next 14 years in the minors. He would play for Hollywood Stars (1940), Portland Beavers (1941-43), Buffalo Bisons (1944), and San Diego Padres (1944-46). He continued as a player-manager for the Modesto Reds (1946), Salt lake City Bees (1947-49), Winatchee Chiefs (1950-51), Magic Valley Cowboys (1952), and the Pampa Oilers (1953).
It is safe to say that Tommy Thompson was a baseball lifer who loved the game and the relations it brought. He would eventually settle down in Auburn, California, to raise a family and tell stories of his incredible career.
HEADLINE
"SUDHOFF SHUTS DOWN HIGHLANDERS IN CAREER GAME"
FEATURED GAMES
1905 - RHP Willie Sudhoff pitched his finest game of the season in a 3-1 victory over the New York Highlanders. He would record a complete game while only giving up four hits, two walks, and an unearned run. The offense was fueled by only seven hits, but they all came at
HEADLINE
"SUDHOFF SHUTS DOWN HIGHLANDERS IN CAREER GAME"
FEATURED GAMES
1905 - RHP Willie Sudhoff pitched his finest game of the season in a 3-1 victory over the New York Highlanders. He would record a complete game while only giving up four hits, two walks, and an unearned run. The offense was fueled by only seven hits, but they all came at the right time. RF Emil Frisk would go 2-for-4, including a double, while scoring a run and driving a second one in. 1B Tom Jones would also score a run and drive one in, while going 1-for-4 with a double. CF Ben Koehler, would score the winning run in the 3-1 victory
BROWNS' ALL-TIME RECORD ON THIS DAY
17 WINS, 23 LOSSES, ONE TIE
WINS BY DECADE
1902-09: 1-4-1
1910-19: 6-3
1920-29: 3-4
1930-39: 3-5
1940-49: 3-5
1950-53: 1-2
DOUBLE-HEADERS:
Split series in 1952
(NYY, walk off win in Game One)
Swept in a series in 1947
(PHA, walk off loss in Game One)
TRANSACTIONS
1919 - Browns send the contract of RHP Grover Lowdermilk to the Chicago White Sox. Early in his career, Lowdermilk spent two years with the Cardinals (1909, 11) and a year with the Browns (1915). He returned to the Browns from 1917-18, where he appeared in 99 innings in 16 games and had a combined ERA of 2.82. He had a dreadful start to the 1919 season, appearing in 12 innings over seven games. He would finish the season at 5-5 with a 2.79 ERA
DEBUTS
NO DEBUTS MADE ON THIS DAY
BROWNS' BIRTHDAYS ON THIS DAY
1923 - OF Don Lund (1948)
The 1947 Browns were a team that underperformed on the mound and at the plate. With a record of 59-95 they would finish in 8th place, 38 games behind the New York Yankees. They were the youngest team in the American League and the least experienced. Their new Browns manager, Muddy Ruel, would last only one season with the Browns before be
The 1947 Browns were a team that underperformed on the mound and at the plate. With a record of 59-95 they would finish in 8th place, 38 games behind the New York Yankees. They were the youngest team in the American League and the least experienced. Their new Browns manager, Muddy Ruel, would last only one season with the Browns before being relieved by Zack Taylor. Both the daily lineup and pitch staffs would finish below the league average in most categories. There were a few players that had career seasons.
Season Breakdown