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110-793: Giambi was the American League (AL) MVP in 2000 while with the Athletics, and is a five-time All-Star , who led the AL in walks four times; in on-base percentage three times; and in doubles and slugging percentage once each; he also won the Silver Slugger Award twice. Giambi has publicly apologized for using performance-enhancing drugs during his career. Giambi attended Sacred Heart Private Catholic School in Covina, California. He then attended South Hills High School in his native West Covina, where he

220-460: A benign tumor , which placed him on the disabled list . He was treated for the tumor, and returned to the team for their game against the Kansas City Royals on September 14. That year, Giambi was voted in as the starting first baseman in the 2004 MLB All-Star Game despite finishing the year with a .208 batting average and just 12 home runs. Giambi's performance in 2004 was so poor that he

330-459: A pinball machine (marketed under the Gottlieb trade name) titled Frank Thomas' Big Hurt ; Thomas made an appearance in the documentary The History of Pinball in which he discusses the similarities between playing baseball and pinball. Frank Thomas' Big Hurt was later added to pinball video game The Pinball Arcade in late July 2016. In 2007, he appeared in a promotional advertisement for

440-597: A players' strike resulted in the cancellation of the Series. Through 2024, American League teams have won 68 of the 120 World Series played since 1903. The New York Yankees have won 27 World Series and 41 American League titles, the most in major league history. The Philadelphia/Kansas City/Oakland Athletics have won the second most AL titles with 15, followed by the Boston Red Sox with 14. For decades, Major League baseball clubs only played teams from their own league during

550-434: A .300 average and at least 100 walks, 100 runs, 100 runs batted in, and 20 home runs (1991–1997). The only other player to have more than five consecutive seasons accomplishing this feat was Ted Williams , with six. This accomplishment is even more remarkable considering that Thomas played only 113 games in the strike-shortened 1994 season. There are only six other players in history who have both hit more home runs and have

660-401: A .301 lifetime batting average, he became the seventh player in history to retire with at least a .300 average and 500 home runs. He holds White Sox franchise records for career home runs (448), RBI (1,465), runs (1,327), doubles (447), extra base hits , walks (1,466), slugging average, (.568) and on-base percentage (.427). The White Sox retired Thomas's uniform number 35 in 2010 and unveiled

770-470: A DH, which would reduce wear on his body but might cost some offensive production. By the late 1990s, minor injuries were tending to keep him unavailable for short periods, and 1997 was the last year in which he played more in the field than as a DH. Thomas rebounded with force in 2000 when he hit .328 with a career-high 43 homers and 143 RBI. Thomas finished second in MVP voting that season, behind Jason Giambi of

880-575: A broken rib, and Giambi missed the first 18 games of the season. He was activated on April 21. On August 2, 2014, Giambi gave up his 25 jersey number to Jim Thome to have it unofficially retired by the Indians; Giambi switched his jersey number to 72 that day. On the jersey that he gave to Thome, Giambi put down a message to Thome saying "Jim, It was an honor to be the last person to wear your uniform number in Cleveland Indians history! – Jason Giambi" It

990-589: A fan favorite in Colorado. On January 23, 2010, Giambi reached an agreement to return to the Rockies. On September 12, Giambi hit a walk-off home run against the Arizona Diamondbacks , extending the winning streak for the Rockies to 10 games. The Colorado Rockies announced on January 17, 2011, a deal to put Giambi in the team's minor league organization with a spring training invite for the 2011 season. Giambi made

1100-463: A free agent after the 2012 season and was a finalist for the Rockies major league managerial opening, which eventually went to Walt Weiss . Giambi was offered the position of Colorado's hitting coach but turned it down. The Cleveland Indians signed Giambi to a minor league contract on February 9, 2013. Giambi made the Indians major league roster following spring training. On July 29, 2013, Giambi became

1210-466: A free agent. After not playing in the 2009 season, Thomas signed a one-day contract with the White Sox on February 12, 2010, and announced his retirement. During the same press conference, the White Sox, for whom he played the first 16 seasons of his career, announced that they would retire his No. 35 on August 29. Thomas is the only player in major league history to have seven consecutive seasons of

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1320-464: A handful of other striking players appeared as themselves in the November 27, 1994, episode of Married With Children (Season 9, Episode 11). In 1995, a baseball video game titled Frank Thomas Big Hurt Baseball was developed by Acclaim Entertainment and released for various platforms, with All-Star Baseball '97 Featuring Frank Thomas following in 1997. Also in 1995, Premier Technologies created

1430-445: A higher career batting average than Thomas: Ted Williams , Hank Aaron , Jimmie Foxx , Babe Ruth , Manny Ramirez , and Willie Mays . Early in his career, Thomas, by his own admission, used greenies to deal with the difficulties of traveling. Thomas implied that he stopped using them after the collective bargaining agreement between the union and the league regulated teams' travel schedules. However, as early as 1995 , Thomas

1540-572: A long time ago was stand up—players, ownership, everybody—and said, 'We made a mistake.'" When asked why he used steroids, Giambi responded: "Maybe one day I'll talk about it, but not now." Giambi did speak with George J. Mitchell , after being forced to do so by Bud Selig . Subsequently, in December 2007, the Mitchell Report included Giambi along with his brother Jeremy Giambi , who also admitted to using steroids during his career. The prosecution in

1650-561: A month. However, by June, he had turned his season around and become one of the team's most productive players. On September 3, 2008, Giambi walked into a bathroom door in his hotel room while in Florida before playing against the Tampa Bay Rays . The accident caused him to split his eyelid open but he played through the injury later that night and went 1-for-4 with one RBI, helping the Yankees win

1760-451: A powerful right-handed bat in the middle of the lineup for the division-leading Athletics. He had a stretch where he hit a home run in six straight games. On May 22, 2006, Thomas homered twice in his first game against his former team. Before Thomas came up to lead off the second inning, a musical montage played on the Jumbotron at U.S. Cellular Field , paying tribute to Thomas's legacy with

1870-504: A rusted piece of rebar that he reportedly found during a renovation project in Old Comiskey Park . In his first full season, Thomas established himself as a multi-talented hitter, combining power with hitting for average, drawing walks, and driving in runs. In 1991 , Thomas finished third in MVP voting with a .318 batting average, 32 home runs and 109 RBI, as well as 138 walks. He won the first of four Silver Slugger Awards , and led

1980-522: A second major league as a competitor to the older National League . This was prompted by the NL dropping four teams following the 1899 season after having absorbed its previous rival, the American Association , which disbanded in 1891 after ten seasons. In its early history of the late 1880s, the minor Western League struggled until 1894, when Ban Johnson became the president of the league. Johnson pushed

2090-476: A seven-year $ 120-million deal with the New York Yankees . In line with Yankee team rules , Giambi cut his long hair and shaved his goatee . The signing upset many Athletics fans, who felt betrayed by the departure of their team leader. Giambi became an object of the A's fans' wrath whenever New York visited Oakland. During a game on May 14, 2005, he was hit with a beer thrown by an unruly fan on his way back to

2200-448: A single league, divided into two parts, also called leagues. This change in legal status had no effect on play, scheduling, and so forth. There were eight charter teams in 1901, the league's first year as a major league, and the next year the original Milwaukee Brewers (not to be confused with the current Milwaukee Brewers ) moved to St. Louis to become the St. Louis Browns , and the year after

2310-454: A statue of him at U.S. Cellular Field in 2011. Thomas was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2014 in his first year of eligibility—the first White Sox star to achieve that distinction. Thomas was one of the few major league stars who never fell under suspicion during the performance-enhancing drugs controversies of the late 1990s. An advocate for drug testing as early as 1995, he

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2420-484: A strike-shortened season, Thomas again put up huge offensive numbers, batting .353 with 38 homers and 101 RBI, and he led the league in runs scored (106), walks (109), and slugging percentage with a whopping .729 mark. Thomas handily won his second consecutive MVP award, taking 24 of 28 first-place votes. He is one of only three first basemen in history to win consecutive MVP awards in the major leagues (Hall of Famer Jimmie Foxx, 1932–1933, and Albert Pujols , 2008–2009, are

2530-627: A television drama that debuted on ESPN in 2007, as a taxi cab driver. American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs , known simply as the American League ( AL ), is the younger of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada . It developed from the Western League , a minor league based in the Great Lakes states , which eventually aspired to major league status. It

2640-459: A variety of foot injuries and minor ailments reduced his productivity and often limited him to a designated hitter role. In 2005, his final season in Chicago, he was limited to only 34 games after starting the year on the disabled list and then fracturing a bone in his foot close to where it was surgically repaired the previous off-season. He was unable to play in the post-season while the White Sox won

2750-685: Is an 18,000-square-foot (1,700 m) home on top of the Pedregal sign. His co-owned property was put up for auction in 2019. Giambi's siblings include former major-leaguer Jeremy Giambi , who died in 2022, and a sister named Julie. Giambi has appeared as the featured athlete on the cover of several video games throughout his career. Giambi has also been featured as a playable character in Backyard Baseball 2001 as well as Backyard Baseball 2003 . Giambi also appeared in The Bronx Is Burning ,

2860-698: Is sometimes called the Junior Circuit because it claimed Major League status for the 1901 season, 25 years after the formation of the National League (the "Senior Circuit"). Since 1903, the American League champion has played in the World Series against the National League champion with only two exceptions: 1904, when the NL champion New York Giants refused to play their AL counterpart, and 1994, when

2970-537: Is the worst week of my life," he said during a press conference in Chicago. "First I lose my father, then come back and find out I'm lost for the season." He only played in 20 games that year, batting just .221 with four home runs and 10 RBI. He rebounded from his injury and played in 148 games in 2002, but hit just .252, a career-low for a complete season, and would never again approach a .300 batting average. However, his power and ability to get on base and drive in runs were still in his offensive arsenal, and he finished

3080-518: The San Francisco Chronicle reported it had seen Giambi's 2003 grand jury testimony in the BALCO investigation. The newspaper said that in his testimony, Giambi admitted to using several different steroids during the off-seasons from 2001 to 2003, and injecting himself with human growth hormone during the 2003 season. In a press conference prior to the 2005 season, Giambi apologized publicly to

3190-579: The Barry Bonds perjury case indicated they intended to call both Jason and Jeremy Giambi to testify against Bonds in his March 2009 trial. Giambi married Kristian on February 2, 2002. His wife is the designer and owner of a lingerie and loungewear company called Brulee. Giambi is one of the owners of Casa Cielo (also owned by Scott Deskins of SCC Development in Austin, Texas ) in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico . It

3300-518: The Chicago White Sox . A five-time All-Star , he is the only player in major league history to have seven consecutive seasons (1991–1997) with at least a .300 batting average , 100 runs batted in (RBI), 100 runs scored , 100 walks , and 20 home runs . Thomas also won the AL batting title in 1997 with a .347 mark. Thomas is a two-time AL MVP and won a World Series in 2005 although he was injured during

3410-548: The Colorado Springs Sky Sox . Giambi chose to wear the number 23 for his jersey number. His first RBI with the Rockies came in the form of a bases loaded walk in his first plate appearance on September 1, 2009, after being promoted to the club upon roster expansion earlier that day. That year, he had many clutch hits which kept the Rockies in contention for the National League Wild Card. He quickly became

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3520-918: The Detroit Tigers were moved from the AL East to the AL Central, making room for the Devil Rays in the East. Even after expansion, the American League then continued with 14 teams. This situation changed again in 2013 when the Houston Astros moved from the National League Central division to the American League West. The Astros had been in the NL for 51 years since beginning as an expansion team in 1962. Since their move, both leagues now consist of 15 teams. For

3630-541: The Minnesota Twins at the Metrodome (which, coincidentally, would also be the site of his 500th career home run). He hit the home run off pitcher Gary Wayne in the top of the ninth inning as his team lost 12–6. Thomas played in 60 games with the White Sox in 1990, batting .330 with seven home runs and 31 runs batted in (RBI). Thomas became known for his menacing home run power; in the on-deck circle, he routinely swung

3740-666: The New York Highlanders replaced the disbanded original Baltimore Orioles. Those eight franchises constituted the league for 52 seasons until the Browns moved to Baltimore and took up the Orioles name. The eight original teams and their counterparts in the "Classic Eight" were: Following the 1999 season, the American and National Leagues were merged with Major League Baseball, and the leagues ceased to exist as business entities. The position of

3850-557: The Oakland Athletics . Thomas also won the 2000 AL Comeback Player of the Year Award . But this would not mean an end to the rocky path he would follow later in his career. In 2001, after his father died, Thomas also announced during the same week that he would undergo season-ending surgery after an MRI revealed a triceps tear in his right arm. He was distraught from the combined impact of both personal and professional strife. "This

3960-512: The Silver Slugger Award . He also hit an "ultimate grand slam"—a walk-off grand slam against the Twins in a rain-soaked extra-inning game, that won that game 13–12. Although his average dipped to .250 in 2003, he led the league in walks (129) for the third time in his career and in HBP (21) and percent of plate appearances that were walks (19.4%), maintained an extremely high on-base percentage (.412; third in

4070-459: The World Series that year. Thomas spent the final three years of his career with the Oakland Athletics and Toronto Blue Jays , with whom he hit his 500th home run . By the end of his career, Thomas was tied for eighth in AL history for home runs (521), ninth for RBI (1,704), and sixth for walks (1,667). Among players with at least 7,000 at bats in the AL, he ranked eighth in slugging average (.555) and ninth in on-base percentage (.419). With

4180-529: The pitcher in the batting order, compared to the old rule that made it mandatory for the pitcher to bat. In the last two decades, the season schedule has allowed occasional interleague play. In 1969, the AL (and NL) were divided into East and West divisions, with a postseason playoff series for the pennant and the right to play in the World Series. Until the late 1970s, league umpires working behind home plate wore large, balloon-style chest protectors worn outside

4290-769: The 1993 season playing for the Modesto A's , the Oakland Athletics' Single-A farm team. Giambi also played for the Huntsville Stars in the Southern League and the Kauai Emeralds in the Hawaii Winter Baseball league. Giambi made his major league debut with the Athletics in 1995. Originally used occasionally as an outfielder , third baseman , and first baseman , Giambi assumed the fulltime first base job upon

4400-525: The 2000 season, he led the league in on-base percentage (.476; leading the majors) and walks (137; a personal high and still the most walks in the AL since 1991). He hit .333 (seventh in the league) with 43 homers (second; a career high), 137 RBIs (fourth; a career high), 108 runs (10th), and a .647 slugging percentage (third). Giambi narrowly won the American League Most Valuable Player Award over Frank Thomas . His 2001 season

4510-643: The 2000 season. At the time, Thomas was unhappy that his next-to-last deal with the White Sox contained a "diminished skills" clause. He said the White Sox should have traded him after the playoffs that season. "I've got a lot of respect for Jerry Reinsdorf, I do. But I really thought, the relationship we had over the last 16 years, he would have picked up the phone to say, 'Big guy, we're moving forward. We're going somewhere different. We don't know your situation or what's going to happen.' I can live with that, I really can," Thomas said. "But treating me like some passing-by-player. I've got no respect for that." Thomas said he

Jason Giambi - Misplaced Pages Continue

4620-487: The 2011 Opening Day roster out of spring training . On May 19, 2011, against the Philadelphia Phillies , Giambi hit three home runs in one game, the first such game for him of his career. The three home runs came in his first three at-bats. Giambi is also the second oldest player to accomplish the feat; at age 41, Stan Musial was the oldest player to hit three home runs in one game on July 8, 1962. Giambi became

4730-409: The 2022 season, when the universal DH rule was implemented. In 2023, American League teams played 46 regular season interleague games against all 15 National League teams, 23 at home and 23 on the road. In 2000, the American League ended its status as a legally independent entity when the American and National Leagues were both merged into the legal entity Major League Baseball (MLB). This left MLB as

4840-404: The 20th century, a reputation most exemplified by the introduction of the designated hitter rule in 1973, which encouraged AL managers to largely abandon "smallball" tactics. However, with the advent of free agency in the 1970s allowing for more player movement between leagues, the introduction of regular season interleague play in 1997, umpires working games across MLB beginning in 1999, and

4950-571: The A's first playoff game on October 3, Thomas hit two solo home runs, leading the A's to a 3–2 win over the Twins. His performance during the opening playoff game earned Thomas the distinction of being the oldest player to hit multiple home runs in a postseason game. He led the A's to an ALDS victory, going 5-for-10 with two home runs in the series. In the 2006 ALCS, he went 0-for-13 in what turned out to be his last postseason appearance. On October 7, 2006, he finished behind Jim Thome , his replacement as

5060-601: The American League President and National League President became honorary. Frank Thomas (designated hitter) Frank Edward Thomas Jr. (born May 27, 1968), nicknamed " the Big Hurt ," is an American former professional baseball designated hitter and first baseman in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for three American League (AL) teams from 1990 to 2008, all but the last three years with

5170-513: The American League in walks for the fourth time in his career (109), and in OBP for the third time in his career (.440, as well as in fly ball percentage (47.7%); second in MLB to Todd Helton ), and had an OPS of .975, placing him fifth in the AL. He hit 32 homers (10th in the league), the seventh time in his career in which he has hit 30 or more, and was fourth in HBP (19) and at-bats per home run (13.0). Giambi

5280-540: The Arizona Diamondbacks. He was placed on the disabled list on July 20. At the time, Giambi had the lowest batting average in the majors, and fourth-lowest slugging percentage in the American League. On August 7, 2009, he was released by the A's. Looking for a veteran bat to help their playoff push, the Colorado Rockies agreed to a deal with Giambi on August 23, 2009. He was assigned to their AAA affiliate,

5390-467: The Blue Jays released Thomas. Four days later after his release from Toronto, the Athletics and Thomas agreed to terms for his return. In his final game with the Athletics on August 29, he went 2-for-4. After playing 55 games with Oakland due to time on the disabled list, Thomas hit five more home runs to bring his career total to 521, while posting a .263 batting average. On October 31, 2008, he became

5500-494: The Blue Jays, in which he engages in a pillow fight with children. This ad drew the criticism of the Television Bureau of Canada, who requested a "Dramatization. Do not try this at home." disclaimer be placed on the ad. A similar warning was placed on teammate A. J. Burnett 's commercial. The Blue Jays, humorously, then scheduled a "Frank Thomas Kid's Pillow" promotion for September 2, 2007. In 2012, Thomas participated in

5610-420: The NL's adoption of the designated hitter rule in 2022, the difference in play between the two major leagues has diminished considerably. Though both leagues agreed to be jointly governed by a commissioner in 1920, they remained separate business entities with their own presidents and management. This was the case until after the 1999 season, when the American League legally merged with the National League under

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5720-647: The Pepsi MAX Field of Dreams game in Columbus, Ohio. He batted cleanup and helped the Legends team win the ballgame. In 2013, Thomas participated in the Pepsi MAX Field of Dreams game in Rochester, New York. On June 24, 2017, Thomas gave a live speech during Mark Buehrle 's White Sox #56 retirement ceremony about Buehrle's career and his time being his teammate. Thomas appeared as a guest analyst during TBS 's coverage of

5830-478: The U.S. National Team—preparing for the 1988 Summer Olympics —but was cut from the final squad. By the end of his junior baseball season, he had hit 19 home runs, 19 doubles, and batted .403 with a slugging percentage of .801. Thomas concluded his college career with 49 home runs, a school record. In May 2011, he was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame . The Chicago White Sox selected Thomas with

5940-519: The White Sox to a World Series victory, their first in 88 years. Thomas was not on the postseason roster of the Series-winning team due to injury, but the team honored his perennial contributions to the franchise during Game 1 of the Division Series against the Boston Red Sox . Thomas was chosen to throw out the ceremonial first pitch. "What a feeling," Thomas said. "Standing [ovation] all around

6050-612: The White Sox's DH, in the voting for the AL Comeback Player of the Year Award . He was awarded the AL players' choice award for Comeback Player. He finished fourth in the vote for the MVP award. On November 16, 2006, Thomas signed a two-year, $ 18 million contract with the Toronto Blue Jays . According to MLB.com , Thomas was scheduled to make $ 9 million in each of the two seasons. The contract included an option for 2009 contingent on his reaching 1,050 plate appearances over

6160-418: The White Sox. He was cheered in his introduction by the White Sox fans. Moments later, when he hit his first home run of the night to put his former team behind in the score 1–0, the Chicago crowd gave Thomas a standing ovation. Thomas rejuvenated his career playing with the Athletics, placing fifth in the American League with 39 home runs and eighth with 114 RBI. He also was key to the team's stretch drive to

6270-403: The Yankees declined their option on Giambi for the 2009 season making him a free agent. On January 6, 2009, Giambi agreed to sign with the Oakland Athletics . He officially re-joined the A's the next day, and was given his old No. 16 jersey. Giambi hit his first home run since returning to the Athletics on April 25, 2009. On May 23, 2009, Giambi hit his 400th career home run in an 8–7 loss to

6380-409: The auspices of Major League Baseball, which now operates much like other North American professional sports leagues, albeit with two "leagues" instead of "conferences". Originally a minor league known as the Western League , which existed from 1885 to 1899 with teams in mostly Great Lakes states, the league changed its name to the American League for the 1900 season and the next year developed into

6490-418: The back of this historic offensive output, Thomas collected all 28 votes from baseball writers for a unanimous AL Most Valuable Player award, the first by a White Sox player since Dick Allen in 1972, while leading the White Sox to their first AL West crown in 10 years. At the time, statistical analyst Bill James projected career statistics of 480 homers and a .311 lifetime average. Then-manager Gene Lamont

6600-530: The basketball team. He wanted desperately to win a contract to play professional baseball, but was not selected in the 1986 amateur draft. "I was shocked and sad," Thomas recalled in the Chicago Tribune . "I saw a lot of guys I played against get drafted, and I knew they couldn't do what I could do. But I've had people all my life saying you can't do this, you can't do that. It scars you. No matter how well I've done. People have misunderstood me for some reason. I

6710-475: The dugout. Giambi continued slugging with New York in 2002. He led the league for the second consecutive year in times on base (300), had 109 walks (second), was third in the league with both a .435 OBP and 15 HBP, had 41 home runs (fourth), 120 runs (fourth; a career high), and a .598 slugging percentage (fourth), knocked in 122 runs (fifth), and batted .314 (sixth). He came in fifth in AL MVP voting, and again won

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6820-510: The election of certain players to the Hall of Fame who, he has said, "we all know" used performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs). Thomas said he was "not happy" about the 2017 election of Jeff Bagwell and Iván Rodríguez who, he said, "it's no secret" used PEDs. In a 2018 interview with the Chicago Sun-Times , Thomas complained that his "career was stepped on" by competitors who used PEDs and "was

6930-410: The field, his offensive production wavered during the next two seasons. Never a defensive standout at first base during the early part of his career, Thomas nonetheless preferred playing in the field to serving as a designated hitter , saying that it kept him focused; the fact that he did generally hit better as a first baseman created a dilemma over the years for the White Sox as to whether to use him as

7040-399: The first 96 years, American League teams faced their National League counterparts only in exhibition games or in the World Series. Beginning in 1997, interleague games have been played during the regular season and count in the standings. As part of the agreement instituting interleague play, the designated-hitter rule was used only in games where the American League team is the home team, until

7150-404: The first time also having been against the Red Sox on September 15, 1996 in a White Sox loss. Knuckleballer Tim Wakefield started both games for the Red Sox, and gave up five of the six home runs Thomas hit, including all three in the first game. During spring training in 2008 , Thomas expressed his confidence about his team's chances for the upcoming season. Thomas hit his first home run of

7260-485: The honor when the strike occurred. Pressed by the media to comment on his accomplishments—and his future—Thomas downplayed his own significance, telling the Atlanta Journal-Constitution : "I'm not into being known as the best by fans or the media. I care how I'm perceived by my peers. I can settle for the label 'one of the best' because that means you're considered an elite player." Thomas would continue putting up significant well-rounded offensive numbers, always placing in

7370-429: The last full-time MLB umpire to use the outside protector in 1985. In 1994, the league, along with the National League, reorganized again, this time into three divisions (East, West, and Central ) and added a third round to the playoffs in the form of the American League Division Series , with the best second-place team advancing to the playoffs as a wild-card team, in addition to the three divisional champions. In 1998,

7480-448: The league in on-base percentage , something he would accomplish four times during his career. In 1993, Thomas batted .317 with a club-record 41 homers, 128 RBI, 106 runs scored, and 112 walks. He joined a quartet of Hall of Famers ( Babe Ruth , Lou Gehrig , Jimmie Foxx and Ted Williams ) as the only players in baseball history to eclipse .300 with more than 20 homers and more than 100 RBI, runs, and walks in three straight seasons. On

7590-432: The league to rise to major league status, after the name change to the American League was decided in a league meeting in Milwaukee, Wisconsin , at the former Republican Hotel. A historical marker is at the intersection of North Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and West Kilbourn Avenue where the hotel once stood. In March 1904, Johnson moved the league's headquarters from Chicago to New York. Babe Ruth , noted as one of

7700-400: The league), hit 41 home runs (fourth), and had 107 RBIs (eighth). He was also second in the major leagues in fly ball percentage (52.0%). He remained one of the most patient hitters in the majors. At the same time, he also led the league in strikeouts (140), the only season that he has even been in the top 10 in the league in that category. On July 30, 2004, test results confirmed that Giambi had

7810-504: The major leagues in fly ball percentage (54.9%). In 2005, Thomas again suffered from injury, but hit 12 home runs in 105 at-bats over 35 games, demonstrating his continued power at the plate. Adding together 2004 and 2005, he had fewer than 350 total at-bats because of injuries, but hit 30 home runs and drew 80 walks. As a member of the White Sox, Thomas and teammate Magglio Ordóñez tied a major league record for back-to-back homers, with six in one season. In 2005, manager Ozzie Guillén led

7920-414: The media and his fans, though he did not specifically state what for. The lawyer who illegally leaked the testimony later pleaded guilty, and was sentenced to 2 + 1 ⁄ 2 years in prison. Giambi apologized again on May 16, 2007, this time specifically for using steroids, and urged others in the sport to do the same. "I was wrong for using that stuff", he told USA Today . "What we should have done

8030-465: The most hurt" of any players in that era. The White Sox announced that they would honor Thomas with a life-size bronze statue. It was unveiled on July 31, 2011, on the outfield concourse at U.S. Cellular Field . It is the eighth statue on the outfield concourse. Thomas was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2014 with 83.7% of the vote in his initial year of eligibility, and

8140-417: The most prolific hitters in Major League Baseball history, spent the majority of his career in the American League with the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees . From 1973 to 2022 The American League had one notable difference versus the rival National League , as it had the designated hitter rule. Under the rule, a team may use a batter in its lineup who is not in the field defensively, replacing

8250-482: The newly franchised Tampa Bay Devil Rays joined the league, and the Arizona Diamondbacks joined the National League: i.e., each league added a fifteenth team. An odd number of teams per league meant that at least one team in each league would have to be idle on any given day, or alternatively, that odd team out would have had to play an interleague game against its counterpart in the other league. The initial plan

8360-534: The next two seasons or 525 plate appearances in the second year of the contract. On June 17, 2007, Thomas hit his 496th career home run against the Washington Nationals , giving him his 244th home run as a DH, breaking the record previously held by Edgar Martínez . On June 28, 2007, Thomas hit the 500th home run of his career, becoming the 21st major league player to do so. It was a three-run shot off Minnesota's Carlos Silva (Thomas' 500th home run came on

8470-472: The oldest player to hit a walk-off home run. He broke his own record for oldest player to hit a walk-off home run in a season saving win for the Indians against the White Sox on September 24, 2013. Giambi was re-signed by the Indians on October 31, 2013, to a one-year minor league deal. The deal included an invitation to Spring Training . Giambi was hit by an Edwin Jackson pitch on March 7, 2014. This resulted in

8580-518: The others). The 1994 shortened season was due to a players' strike, and perhaps no one felt the sting of the strike more than Thomas, who stood poised to achieve one of baseball's most prestigious honors: the Triple Crown . Not since 1967 had any player finished the regular season first in average, home runs, and runs batted in. Thomas had recorded 32 home runs at the All-Star break, and was contending for

8690-571: The place. People really cheering me. I had tears in my eyes. To really know the fans cared that much about me—it was a great feeling. One of my proudest moments in the game." Though Thomas was not on the postseason roster, he did earn a World Series ring for his contributions during the season. Thomas established several White Sox batting records, including all-time leader in runs scored (1,327), home runs (448), doubles (447), RBI (1,465), extra-base hits (906), walks (1,466), total bases (3,949), slugging percentage (.568), and on-base percentage (.427). At

8800-472: The playoffs: for the week ending September 10, he was the league's player of the week after hitting .462 with five homers and 13 RBI. The 2006 postseason provided Thomas the opportunity to play in his first postseason games since 2000 due to having missed the 2005 playoffs with an injury, when the Athletics clinched the American League West title, defeating the Seattle Mariners 12–3 on September 26. During

8910-453: The regular season and World Series. Thomas is widely considered one of the greatest right handed hitters in MLB history. Drafted seventh overall by the White Sox in the 1989 MLB draft , Thomas made his major league debut the following year and immediately impressed with his hitting ability. Thomas was named the AL's Most Valuable Player (MVP) by unanimous vote in 1993. That year, he became the first White Sox player to hit 40 home runs and led

9020-400: The regular season and playoffs, with only the two pennant winners meeting in the World Series. The AL and NL also employed and trained their own umpires , who only worked regular season games in their own league. These differences resulted in the leagues developing slightly different strategies and styles of play. The American League was usually regarded as the less "traditional" league during

9130-453: The same day Craig Biggio hit his 3,000th career hit ). Despite Thomas being a player for the visiting team in the game, the Metrodome scoreboard still paid notice to his achievement. He was later ejected from this same game. On September 17, 2007, Thomas hit three home runs in his team's 6–1 win over the Red Sox. It was the second time in his career that Thomas hit three home runs in a game,

9240-495: The season against the Red Sox on April 5, in a 10–2 Blue Jays win. The following day, with the bases loaded and a 2–2 tie, Thomas hit a grand slam off Red Sox reliever Manny Delcarmen , leading the Jays to a 7–4 victory. On April 19, before a game against the Detroit Tigers , manager John Gibbons benched Thomas. Thomas expressed his frustration about the decision, and vowed that his career would "not end like this". On April 20, 2008,

9350-488: The season with 28 home runs and 92 RBI. Always a patient hitter, Thomas led the AL in walks four times. Through the end of the 2006 season, he was second among all active players in walks and third in on-base percentage, and ranked among the top 20 lifetime in both categories. Thomas had another solid season in 2003. He tied for second in the AL in home runs (42), and was in the league's top ten in walks, extra base hits, slugging average, and on-base plus slugging , as he led

9460-545: The second game of the series. On September 21, 2008, Giambi recorded the final hit in Yankee Stadium , when he drove in Brett Gardner with an RBI single. Giambi ended the season with a home run every 14.3 at-bats, beating out Alex Rodriguez to lead the team by a small margin. He was also one of only three players to hit a home run while pinch hitting in 2008, and the only one to do it twice. However, on November 4, 2008,

9570-513: The second round (58th overall) of the 1992 Major League Baseball draft . He started his career that year with the short-season Single-A Southern Oregon A's of the Northwest League , where he hit .317 in 13 games. He was a member of the fourth place United States national baseball team at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona . The Athletics invited Giambi to spring training in 1993. He then spent

9680-447: The second year in a row. He performed the unusual feat of having as many RBIs as hits, and for the third time in his career had more walks than strikeouts. Giambi's numbers were down precipitously in the 2007 season due to an injury, in which he hit just .236 with 14 home runs and 39 RBIs. He played in just 83 games, 53 of which as a designated hitter. Giambi got off to a horrible start in the 2008 season , hitting below .200 for more than

9790-518: The seventh pick in the first round of the June 1989 Major League Baseball draft . He made his major league debut on August 2, 1990, against the Milwaukee Brewers at County Stadium ; he went without a hit , going 0-for-4, but had an RBI on a fielder's choice which scored Iván Calderón as the White Sox won the game 4–3. On August 28, Thomas hit the first home run of his career in a road game against

9900-527: The shirt or coat, while their colleagues in the National League wore chest protectors inside the shirt or coat. In 1977, new umpires (including Steve Palermo ) had to wear the inside chest protector, although those on staff wearing the outside protector could continue to do so. Most umpires made the switch to the inside protector, led by Don Denkinger in 1975 and Jim Evans the next year, although several did not, including Bill Haller , Russ Goetz , George Maloney , Bill Kunkel and Jerry Neudecker , who became

10010-804: The summer of 1988, Thomas played for the Orleans Cardinals of the Cape Cod Baseball League . Highlights included a three-homer game in Wareham, as well as a home run over the 434' sign in center field at Eldredge Park in Orleans. In 2000, Thomas was named a member of the inaugural class of the Cape Cod Baseball League Hall of Fame . Despite the injury that could have jeopardized his football scholarship, Auburn continued his funding, and baseball became his sole sport. He won consideration for

10120-508: The team to a division title. He repeated as MVP in the strike-shortened 1994 season, batting .353 and leading the league in slugging percentage and runs. Following two sub-par seasons, Thomas lost a close MVP vote in 2000 despite posting career highs of 43 home runs and 143 RBI. Still, he was named AL Comeback Player of the Year , and Chicago finished with the AL's best record. Later in Thomas's career,

10230-590: The time he left the team, his 448 home runs were more than twice as many as any other individual player had hit for the White Sox in their 105-year history. Despite his perennial offensive production and established fan base in Chicago, the White Sox elected to release Thomas in 2005. Thomas later expressed disappointment with how his 16-year tenure with the White Sox was ended, saying that chairman Jerry Reinsdorf did not call him to tell him he wasn't coming back. He also said that he and Kenny Williams did not see eye-to-eye after Williams became general manager following

10340-475: The top finishers in all major offensive categories, though rarely leading in any one stat. In 1995, he hit .308 with 40 homers and 111 RBI; in 1996, he hit .349 with 40 home runs and 134 RBI, and became an All-Star for the fourth time while finishing eighth in MVP voting. From 1991 to 1997, Thomas finished in the top 10 of the MVP voting every year. In 1997 , Thomas won the batting title and finished third in MVP voting. However, due in part to personal strife off

10450-562: The trade of Mark McGwire to the St. Louis Cardinals in 1997. Giambi led the team in 1998 with 27 home runs , 110 runs batted in and a .295 batting average . In 1999, Giambi hit .315 with 33 homers, 105 walks (second in the league), and 123 RBIs (sixth). He came in eighth in MLB Most Valuable Player Award voting. Giambi hit two home runs in Oakland's 2000 season opener on April 3, the first Athletics player to ever do so. In

10560-408: Was a three-sport standout. Giambi was on the baseball team, whose roster also included his brother Jeremy and three other future major league players: infielder Shawn Wooten , pitchers Aaron Small and Cory Lidle . He batted .386 during his three years of varsity baseball, leading his team to the state finals as a senior. He was voted MVP in both baseball and basketball. In American football , he

10670-444: Was advocating drug testing for professional baseball players. After hitting his 500th career home run in 2007, Thomas stated, "It means a lot to me because I did it the right way," alluding to Barry Bonds 's then-ongoing pursuit of Hank Aaron 's career home run record. Thomas was, then, the only active baseball player to be interviewed during the preparation of the Mitchell Report . He did so voluntarily. Thomas has been critical of

10780-624: Was also a tremendous hitter, posting a .359 batting average and leading the Tigers in RBI as a freshman. During summer 1987, he played for the U.S. Pan American Team, earning a spot on the final roster in the Pan American Games . The Games coincided with the beginning of football practice back at Auburn, so he left the Pan Am team and returned to college—only to be injured twice in early-season football games. In

10890-411: Was always one of the most competitive kids around." In the autumn of 1986, Thomas accepted a scholarship to play football at Auburn University . His love of baseball drew him to the school's baseball team, where the coach immediately recognized his potential. "We loved him," Auburn baseball coach Hal Baird told Sports Illustrated . "He was fun to be around—always smiling, always bright-eyed." He

11000-649: Was an All-League quarterback . Giambi was selected in the 43rd round (1,118th overall) by the Milwaukee Brewers during the 1989 MLB draft . He did not sign and went on to attend college. Giambi attended Cal State Long Beach , where he played college baseball for the Long Beach State 49ers baseball team. Giambi played collegiate summer baseball for the Alaska Goldpanners , in the Alaska Baseball League . The Oakland Athletics selected Giambi in

11110-452: Was inducted as a member of the White Sox on July 27, 2014. He was the first player inducted into the Hall of Fame who played more games as a designated hitter than as a position player. Thomas appeared in the 1992 film Mr. Baseball (as a hot-prospect rookie wearing #68 named Ricky Davis who forces Tom Selleck 's character off the Yankees roster). During the 1994–95 MLB strike, Thomas and

11220-532: Was kept a secret from the fans, the players, Thome himself and his family, happening after Thome signed the one-day contract and threw out the first pitch. On February 16, 2015, Giambi announced his retirement. Late in 2003, Giambi was named by FBI officers investigating the Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative (BALCO) as being one of the baseball players believed to have received anabolic steroids from trainer Greg Anderson . In December 2004,

11330-465: Was laudatory of Thomas' skills: "I've only seen him two years now, but I'm convinced that there isn't a pitch he can't hit." White Sox announcer Ken Harrelson echoed the praise, "In my 30 years in the game, I've never seen anyone like Big Hurt [Thomas]. In another 30 years, we may be talking about Frank Thomas in the same way we talk about Ted Williams." Thomas credited Harrelson with coining the "Big Hurt" nickname. In 1994, playing just 113 games due to

11440-870: Was named the AL Comeback Player of the Year . In 2006, Giambi was named the American League Player of the Month for April, hitting .344 with nine home runs and driving in 27 runs. However, he was left off the 2006 American League All-Star roster. He finished the season leading the majors in walk percentage (19.8%) and leading the league in % Pitches Taken (64.4), second in walks (110), HBP (16), and pitches seen per PA (4.37), fifth in at bats per home run (12.1), sixth in on-base percentage (.416), seventh in home runs (37) and slugging percentage (.558), eighth in intentional walks (12), and ninth in RBIs (113), despite playing in only 139 games (half of them at DH, and half at 1B) for

11550-459: Was nearly identical. He led the league for the second year in a row in both on-base percentage (.477; a career best, and still the highest OBP in the AL since 1995) and walks (129). He also led the league in slugging percentage (.660; a career best), doubles (47; a career high), times on base (320), and extra base hits (87). He batted .342 (second in the American League; a career high) with 38 homers (seventh), 109 runs (sixth), and 120 RBIs (eighth). He

11660-594: Was not added to the Yankees postseason roster. Towards the middle of the 2005 season , Giambi saw a resurgence in his career. On July 31, he hit his 300th career home run off of Esteban Yan of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim . This was his 14th home run of the month, tying Mickey Mantle for the Yankee record for home runs in July. Giambi ended the 2005 season leading the major leagues in walk percentage (20.6%) and leading

11770-406: Was not bitter or angry and had joined the A's with an open mind. Thomas signed with the Oakland Athletics to a one-year, $ 500,000 deal with incentives on January 26, 2006. The Athletics installed Thomas as their everyday DH. He started the season slowly, hitting .178 through May 20, but ended the season as the team leader in home runs, RBI, slugging percentage, and on-base percentage. He provided

11880-485: Was second in the league in intentional walks (24), the only time in his career that he was in the top 10 in this category. He finished a close second in MVP voting to Ichiro Suzuki , and won the Silver Slugger Award . Both years, he led the Athletics to the postseason, both times losing in the American League Division Series to the New York Yankees in five games. On December 13, 2001, Giambi signed

11990-494: Was the only active player who agreed to be interviewed for the Mitchell Report in 2007. Thomas was born and raised in Columbus, Georgia , and attended Columbus High School , where he was a standout in both football and baseball. As a sophomore, he hit cleanup for the baseball team, which won a state championship. As a senior, he not only hit .440, but also was named an All-State tight end in football, and played forward with

12100-454: Was to have three five-team divisions per league with inter-league play year-round—possibly as many as 30 interleague games per team each year. For various reasons, it soon seemed more practical to have an even number of teams in both leagues. The Milwaukee Brewers agreed to change leagues to become the National League's 16th team, moving from the AL Central to the NL Central. At the same time,

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