Jocko Thompson

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Jocko Thompson
A middle-aged man in a white pinstriped baseball uniform looks into the camera while facing to the left side. He is wearing a baseball cap with a white "P" on the front, and his jersey reads "Phillies" across the chest.
Thompson, pictured during his Phillies tenure
Pitcher
Born: (1917-01-17)January 17, 1917
Beverly, Massachusetts, U.S.
Died: February 3, 1988(1988-02-03) (aged 71)
Olney, Maryland, U.S.
Batted: Left
Threw: Left
MLB debut
September 21, 1948, for the Philadelphia Phillies
Last MLB appearance
September 16, 1951, for the Philadelphia Phillies
MLB statistics
Win–loss record6–11
Earned run average4.24
Strikeouts81
Teams

John Samuel "Jocko" Thompson (January 17, 1917 – February 3, 1988) was a

starting rotation. After demotion to the minors in 1952, Thompson retired from baseball after the 1955 season.[1]

Before his major league career, Thompson entered the military and participated in

Maas River. He served in the Army from 1941 to 1945. In 2004, the bridge that his platoon captured was renamed in his honor.[2]

Early career

Described as a "

Greensboro Red Sox in the Piedmont League during the 1941 season; he amassed an 8–13 record and a 3.56 ERA in 162 innings pitched.[9]

Military service

Bronze Star, Silver Star, and Purple Heart
.

Thompson entered the

C-47 Skytrain was later than expected, moving their landing zone from its intended location near Grave, Netherlands; the plane was passing over buildings when the paratroopers were signalled to leave the aircraft, and Thompson decided to wait until reaching several approaching fields.[10]

Thompson led his platoon in an attack against the nearby bridge spanning the

field commission,[12] and during the Allied occupation of Berlin, where he served as an aide to General James M. Gavin.[2]

Thompson was wounded twice during the war, for which he received two

Bronze Star with cluster, the Silver Star,[2] and various awards from the Belgian, French, and Dutch governments.[12]

Return to baseball

Thompson returned to baseball with the

Eastern League for the 1946 season.[1] He was second on the team in innings pitched (180) and finished with a 13–7 record in 26 games (20 starts). For the season, Thompson allowed 164 hits—the most on the team—and 97 walks.[13] The following year, he was promoted to the Toronto Maple Leafs, one of Boston's two Triple-A-level affiliates. After he posted a 6–12 record—the team's worst mark among starters with 30 or more appearances[14]—the Red Sox did not retain Thompson's rights when their working agreement with the Maple Leafs ended. He remained with Toronto and his rights became the property of the Philadelphia Phillies when those two teams established a new agreement.[6]

A black-and-white photograph of a man with glasses wearing a dark baseball cap and pinstriped baseball uniform with "Phillies" in script across the chest
Thompson and Jim Konstanty were called up to the major league club together.

In 1948, Thompson went 12–8 for the Maple Leafs, the second-best win–loss record among the team's regular starting pitchers (20 or more starts). He was third on the team with 161 innings pitched, allowed the most earned runs (91), and posted a 5.09 ERA.[15] At the end of the season, manager Eddie Sawyer called Thompson and Jim Konstanty up to the major league level. As per the working agreement between the teams, the major league club paid Toronto for the rights to each Maple Leafs player it called up: $25,000 ($317,000 in current terms) for the first player, and $5,000 ($63,000 currently) for each player thereafter.[16] Sawyer recalled that Pete Campbell, Toronto's owner, and Konstanty "didn't get along... [because] they were both the same".[16] Although Campbell was "glad to get rid of Konstanty", he told Sawyer to take Thompson as the $25,000 player because he did not want Konstanty to think he was worth the larger fee.[16]

Major league career

1948–1949

Thompson made his major league debut in the second game of a doubleheader on September 21, 1948. He pitched a

uniform number 9 during his brief call-up.[6]

Thompson began the 1949 season in the Phillies' starting rotation with Roberts,

Boston Braves.[20] He was sent down to Toronto, amassing a 14–5 record there for the 1949 season,[21] and was later described as the team's "top pitcher" for that year.[22] His 2.73 ERA was second on the team to right-handed starter Bubba Church; Thompson allowed 44 earned runs in 145 innings.[21] He made a spot start in midseason for the Phillies against the Brooklyn Dodgers, but the Phillies lost 8–4. Thompson did not get his first win in the majors that year until September 19, when he defeated the St. Louis Cardinals behind Howie Pollet, 4–3. He made his final start of the season for the Phillies on September 24, against Don Newcombe and the Dodgers; the Phillies lost, 8–1.[20] Thompson finished 1949 with a 1–3 record at the major league level, with a career-high ERA of 6.89, 12 strikeouts and 11 walks in 31+1⁄3 innings.[23] For his 1949 appearance, Thompson's uniform number was 37.[6]

1950–1951

See also: Whiz Kids (baseball)

Although Thompson was expected to contribute during the 1950 Phillies season and the

Bob Miller to a recurring back injury.[30] Thompson appeared in relief of Church after his return on September 15, but the Phillies lost, 5–0, due in part to a Bobby Thomson inside-the-park grand slam.[31] In his 1950 major league appearances, he played in two games, pitching four innings and allowing one run.[32] Although Thompson was on the playoff roster,[33] he made no postseason appearances with the team. His uniform number for the rest of his Phillies career was 33.[6]

1951 was Thompson's only full season as a regular in the major leagues, when he beat out Leo Cristante in spring training to make the team.

nightcap; the Phillies won, 10–0.[39] In August, Thompson entered in relief in the first inning of a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates after Russ Meyer was knocked out of the contest, staging a "respectable duel" with Mel Queen to the eighth inning in a 12–7 Phillies victory;[40] later in the month, he shut out the Reds on three hits to complete a series sweep by the Phillies.[41] Thompson also defeated St. Louis late in the pennant race when the Cardinals were battling the Dodgers for the top position in the league.[42]

After the majors

Maas River in Grave, Netherlands

Minor leagues

Thompson returned to the minor leagues for the 1952 season, playing for the Baltimore Orioles, now affiliated with Philadelphia. He led the Orioles in innings pitched (231) and strikeouts (119) as he compiled a 13–14 record and a 2.49 ERA, third-best on the team.[43] After the season, he played winter baseball in Havana, Cuba, pitching 14+1⁄3 innings in 5 games.[44] Thompson's .714 winning percentage (ten wins and four losses) was best on the 1953 Orioles among pitchers who made 20 or more starts, and he pitched seven complete games. His 1953 ERA was 3.80, and he allowed 16 home runs in 154 innings.[45] When the minor league Orioles moved to Richmond, Virginia, to make room for the transplanted St. Louis Browns of the American League, Thompson left the Phillies' system and remained with the old franchise, the unaffiliated Richmond Virginians, who began play in the 1954 season.[46]

Thompson posted an 8–14 record for the Virginians in 1954; his ERA totaled 5.00 in 29 starts and he placed third on the team in innings pitched (198). His 112 strikeouts led Richmond, as did his 232 hits allowed.[47] After a 6–16 season and a 5.17 ERA in 1955,[48] Thompson retired from baseball.

Post-baseball

After his playing days ended, Thompson worked as a sales manager in Maryland.[49] He died at age 71 on February 3, 1988,[49] and was interred at the Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Silver Spring, Maryland.[6] In 2004, the bridge over the Maas River which Thompson's platoon secured 60 years earlier was renamed the John S. Thompsonbrug ("John S. Thompson Bridge"). Many veterans of World War II, as well as Thompson's wife, attended the ceremony.[2]

References

Inline citations
  1. ^ a b c "Jocko Thompson Minor League Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 18, 2010.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Bedingfield, Gary (February 10, 2007). "Baseball in Wartime – Jocko Thompson". Baseball in Wartime. Retrieved March 16, 2010.
  3. ISSN 0005-609X
    .
  4. ^ "Northeastern University Huskies (Boston, MA)". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 18, 2010.
  5. ^ "Baseball All-Time Results". Northeastern University Athletic Department. Retrieved March 18, 2010.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g "Jocko Thompson Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 18, 2010.
  7. ^ "1940 Centreville Red Sox". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 18, 2010.
  8. ^ "1940 Canton Terriers". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 18, 2010.
  9. ^ "1941 Greensboro Red Sox". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 18, 2010.
  10. ^ a b Ryan, p. 239.
  11. ^ a b Ryan, p. 240.
  12. ^ a b c Roberts, p. 200.
  13. ^ "1946 Scranton Red Sox". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 21, 2010.
  14. ^ "1947 Toronto Maple Leafs". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 21, 2010.
  15. ^ "1948 Toronto Maple Leafs". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 21, 2010.
  16. ^ a b c Roberts, p. 140.
  17. ^ "Philadelphia Phillies 6, Cincinnati Reds 1 (2)". Retrosheet, Inc. September 21, 1948. Retrieved March 21, 2010.
  18. ^ "Philadelphia Phillies 6, New York Giants 3 (2)". Retrosheet, Inc. September 28, 1948. Retrieved March 21, 2010.
  19. ^ Roberts, p. 172.
  20. ^ a b "The 1949 Philadelphia Phillies Regular Season Game Log". Retrosheet, Inc. Retrieved March 24, 2010.
  21. ^ a b "1949 Toronto Maple Leafs". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 24, 2010.
  22. ^
    ISBN 0-313-32268-6
    .
  23. ^ "1949 Philadelphia Phillies Batting, Pitching, & Fielding Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 24, 2010.
  24. ^ Ruppert, Jim (October 27, 2009). "Roberts remembers Phillies vs. Yankees, 1950". State Journal-Register. Springfield, Illinois. Retrieved April 12, 2010.
  25. ^ "Seven Bonus Players Hold Key To Phillies' Chances This Year". Milwaukee Journal. Associates Press. April 5, 1950. p. 11. Retrieved March 26, 2010.
  26. ^ "Royals Sweep Twin Bill From Baltimore, 11–5, 10–4". Montreal Gazette. Associated Press. June 8, 1950. p. 18. Retrieved March 26, 2010.
  27. ^ "Royals Defeat J. C. Giants, 3–1, Behind Lown's Hurling". Montreal Gazette. Associated Press. August 15, 1950. p. 16. Retrieved March 26, 2010.
  28. ^ "1950 Toronto Maple Leafs". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 26, 2010.
  29. ^ a b Roberts, p. 294.
  30. ^ Roberts, p. 228.
  31. ^ Roberts, p. 303.
  32. ^ "1950 Philadelphia Phillies Batting, Pitching, & Fielding Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 26, 2010.
  33. ^ Talbot, Gayle (October 4, 1950). "Eddie Sawyer Names Jim Konstanty To Face Yankees In Opening World Series Game". The Lewiston Daily News. p. 11. Retrieved March 26, 2010.
  34. ^ Reichler Joe, Joe (April 5, 1951). "Eddie Sawyer Up To Old Tricks; Pilot Picks Champion Phils for Runner-Up Spot". The Lewiston Daily news. p. 12. Retrieved March 26, 2010.
  35. ^ "Training Camp Briefs". Gettysburg Times. Associated Press. March 24, 1951. Retrieved March 26, 2010.
  36. ^ "Surprise Pitchers Boost Dodgers". The Pittsburgh Press. United Press. April 24, 1951. p. 33. Retrieved March 26, 2010.
  37. ^ Reichler, Joe (April 27, 1951). "Bewildered Giants Drop 11th Straight Game". The Rock Hill Herald. p. 8. Retrieved March 26, 2010.
  38. ^ Hand, Jack (June 2, 1951). "Browns' Garver May Start Price War". The Miami News. p. 2-B. Retrieved March 26, 2010.
  39. ^ "Brooklyn Bows To Upstart Bucs". The Spokesman-Review. Associated Press. July 18, 1951. p. 18. Retrieved March 26, 2010.
  40. ^ Biederman, Lester J. (August 6, 1951). "Ralph Blasts Three To Tie Hodges at 31 As Bucs Lose Two". The Pittsburgh Press. p. 19. Retrieved March 26, 2010.
  41. ^ "Hot-Shot Giants Take 16th, Soar Within 5 Games of 1st". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Associated Press. August 28, 1951. p. 10. Retrieved March 26, 2010.
  42. ^ Roberts, p. 298.
  43. ^ "1952 Baltimore Orioles". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 22, 2010.
  44. ISBN 0-7864-1250-X
    .
  45. ^ "1953 Baltimore Orioles". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 22, 2010.
  46. ISBN 978-0-7385-5395-5
    .
  47. ^ "1954 Richmond Virginians". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 23, 2010.
  48. ^ "1955 Richmond Virginians". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 23, 2010.
  49. ^ a b Roberts, p. 357.
Bibliography

External links

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