Ever wonder how Frank Thomas acquired the nickname “The Big Hurt?” Surely, if baseballs could talk, they would be able to tell us.
The White Sox drafted Thomas No. 7 overall in 1989 out of Auburn University, where he played both baseball and football. Some scouting reports were skeptical of Thomas’s hitting ability, projecting him as a guy who could hit home runs and not much more. But from the first time the 6’5” 245-pound first baseman appeared on the diamond, he proved to be everything the White Sox hoped for – and more.
After breezing through the minors, Thomas arrived in Chicago in August 1990, and hit .330 in his first taste of big league action. The following season, it all came together – batting average (.318), power (32 home runs) and patience (138 walks). Thomas established himself as a superstar, and he went on a seven-year tear unlike anyone had seen before. He notched 100 runs, 100 RBI, 100 walks and at least a .300 average every year. Fairly early in Big Frank’s big-league career, White Sox legendary broadcaster Ken “Hawk” Harrelson gave him a nickname which would fit him as snugly as the baseball uniforms on his massive frame.
The Big Hurt.
In his 33 years behind the mic for the White Sox, Hawk Harrelson concocted a number of nicknames. Lance “One Dog” Johnson, “Black Jack” McDowell and Carlos “El Caballo” Lee, just to name a few. But “The Big Hurt” is probably the best and most enduring. The moniker was used in the title of a video game, was used on several baseball cards, and when Thomas started up his own beer, it was called Big Hurt Beer.
Frank Thomas was “The Big Hurt” because of the hurt he put on a baseball. And because, well, he was big! Ballplayers simply didn’t come in king size. And surely, somebody that large wasn’t supposed to be a complete hitter. But Thomas broke the mold. He was unlike anyone else in the game. He won an MVP in 1993. Then he did it again the following season.
Whoever watched a ball jump off the bat of Frank Thomas knew that they were watching something special. Sometimes the shortstop might think he could leap and grab one of Big Frank’s line drives, but the ball would continue on over the fence. Other times, he’d launch a moonshot into the night. He could do it so many ways.
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Thomas generated so much power that he could hit a ball out of the park even as his back foot left the ground. It’s a shame that Statcast technology didn’t exist during his career; we would have gasped at the exit velocities produced by The Big Hurt’s bat.
Thomas played his final game for Chicago in 2005, but he remains the White Sox career leader in runs, doubles, home runs, RBI, walks, extra base hits, on-base percentage and slugging percentage. He’s one of only 27 players in major league history to hit 500 home runs, finishing his career with 521. In 2014, Thomas achieved the game’s highest honor, induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.
Frank Thomas is a giant of a man who had a knack for punishing baseballs… and hurting pitchers’ feelings in the process. It’s hard to sum up the total package any better than “The Big Hurt.”
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