On this day in 1929 Frank Thomas was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He was 18 when the Pirates signed him as an amateur free agent in 1947 and made his major league debut for Pittsburgh in 1951. He played his first eight major league seasons for the Pirates before becoming something of a major league journeyman.
The Milwaukee Braves were Thomas' fourth team when they acquired him from the Cubs in May of 1961 in exchange for veteran infielder Mel Roach. Thomas went on to appear in 124 games for the Braves that season, hitting .284/.335/.506 with 25 home runs. Following the season the Braves shipped him on to his next team, the expansion New York Mets. After playing in New York, Philadelphia and Houston he returned to the Braves for 15 more games in 1965.
Thomas, who turns 83 today, is not related to the longtime White Sox first baseman with the same name.
Today is also the 13th anniversary of the Brewers' ceremony to retire Paul Molitor's number in 1999. We covered that event in this space last year.