Baseball has been around for the last few hundred years but the 20th century is when the sport started flourishing and became the phenomenon that it is today. Some players from back then were truly iconic when they took the stadiums by storm and set records. One such player was Frank Thomas, born June 11, 1929. Popularly known as the original Met, the outfielder and first baseman passed away on Jan. 16th, 2023.

The 93-year-old had an illustrious career from when he started out in the major leagues in 1951, finishing sixteen seasons in ’66. He debuted with his home team the Pittsburgh Pirates and also played for Cincinnati Reds, Chicago Cubs, Houston Astros, Milwaukee Braves, New York Mets, and Philadelphia Phillies.

Fans offer condolences for the beloved player

There is a second Frank Thomas, popularly known as the Big Hurt, who is perhaps more popular with the current generation. Some people confused the two but most knew who the OG Frank Thomas was. They expressed their sympathies in heartwarming messages on Twitter when the Mets announced the news.

Some Twitter users remembered meeting him in his early days and recalled what he was like back then, both on and off the baseball diamond.

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Why is Frank Thomas known as the original Met?

‘The Original’ was a three-time All-Star winner with the Pirates in the 1950s and hit a total of 263 home runs in his 16-season career. The Milwaukee Braves traded him to the New York Mets in November 1961, who were going to make their National League debut that year. Thomas hit a record 34 home runs, additionally driving in 94 runs, which was the highest recorded in club history till 1975.

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Before that, the Mets had a reputation for losing a record 120 games, under manager Casey Stengle. Thomas joining the roster catapulted them into popularity, though he was ultimately traded to the Phillies in 1964. He once commented that although he enjoyed his time with the Mets, one thing disappointed him.

Thomas told Danny Pearl for his oral history, “I hoped I’d make a lot of money in New York through endorsements. We Played the Game. I made about $2,000.”

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However, it still looked like Thomas and his fellow teammates had a lot of fun. A popular rock band even named themselves after a mixup between Thomas and his teammates!