When the Chicago White Sox’s social-media account posted a timeline of team Black history to celebrate the first day of Black History Month on Sunday, one player was left off. And he wasn’t happy about it.
Former White Sox first baseman Frank Thomas went to social media to voice his frustration.
“I guess the Black player who made you rich over there and holds all your records is forgettable!” he wrote. “Don’t worry, I’m taking receipts!”
Thomas played for the White Sox for 16 of his 19 seasons in Major League Baseball, and he won the AL MVP award with the franchise in back-to-back seasons in 1993 and 1994. Thomas finished inside the top 10 of MVP voting every year from 1991-97, and he was a five-time All-Star during that span.
The “Big Hurt” was also a four-time Silver Slugger Award winner and the AL batting champion in 1997. Thomas finished first in team history in runs scored, home runs, doubles, RBIs, extra-base hits, walks, total bases, slugging percentage and on-base percentage. His 448 home runs were more than twice as many as the next closest White Sox player at the time. Former White Sox player Paul Konerko narrowed the gap, but Thomas is still the leader. Thomas is only mentioned by name next to Dick Allen, who was the first Black White Sox player to be MVP.
Thomas also won the World Series with the White Sox in 2005, but played only 34 games that season and did not appear in the championship series due to an injury.
Thomas spent his latter years with the Oakland Athletics and the Toronto Blue Jays after feuding with the White Sox and former general manager Ken Williams over contract and medical issues. Williams is also mentioned in the Black History Month post a few times for being the first Black general manager in the team’s history.
After sitting out the 2009 season, Thomas signed a one-day contract and retired as a White Sox player in 2010. The White Sox retired his jersey the same year, and he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2014. While Thomas did attend the 10th anniversary celebration of their World Series title, he was not present for the 20th anniversary.
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