The Sad Saga of New York Giants Third Baseman: Hank Thompson

Henry Curtis Thompson was born December 8, 1925 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The left handed infielder & outfielder played in the Negro Leagues for the Kansas City Monarchs in the nineteen forties. He was drafted into the army and fought at The Battle of the Bulge, then came back to the Monarchs to play in 1946 winning a title.


He was baseballs third black player, integrating the St. Louis Browns three months after Jackie Robinson in 1947. He was in a historic game, with Larry Doby, when the first two black players opposed each other at Cleveland. Thompson didn’t hit well and returned to the Monarchs, batting third best in the Negro Leagues.

He was signed by the New York Giants, & become the first black player to play in both leagues. Another first occurred when he faced Brooklyn’s Don Newcombe, the first black hitter to face a black pitcher. He joined the Giants club on July 4th, 1949 and hit .280 in 75 games that season.


In 1950 he became their regular third baseman hitting 20 HRs, batting .290 and driving in 90 runs. He was 8th in the league in walks (83) and 10th in steals (8). On August 16, 1950, he hit two inside-the-park HRs in the same game. He also set an NL record with 43 double plays at third, topping Hall of Famer Pie Traynors mark.

In the Giants 1951 Pennant season, Thompson had an off year. He was limited to only 87 games, hitting 8 HRs with 33 RBIs and batting .235. He & Bobby Thomson, were called the “Tom Tom twins” by the NY press. Hank was also a favorite of manager Leo Durocher, although Leo constantly warned him about his drinking problem.

Post Season: In the 1951 World Series Hank played in all five games,going only 2-14 with three runs scored. In Game #1 of the 1951 World Series he made history again as he replaced Don Mulller in right field. He along with Willie Mays & Monte Irvin, made up the first all black out field.

The next year he hit 17 HRs with 67 RBIs and a .260 average. In 1953 he hit 24 HRs, scoring a career high 80 runs and hit .300 for the only time in his career.

In 1954 the Giants won the World Series and during the regular season Hank was their slugger second only to MVP Willie Mays. He hit a career high 26 HRs, with 86 RBIs, 76 runs scored and a .263 average. He also set a career high with 90 walks. He hit three HRs at Sportsman’s Park in a game against St. Louis on June 3rd.


Post Season: In the 1954 World Series against Cleveland, he batted .364. He hit safely in all four games, scored a run in each game, while leading all players with a total of six runs scored. He even set a World Series record, with seven walks in a four game Series. 1956 was his last full year with the Giants, while batting only .245 in 83 games.By now his heavy drinking had caught up with him by age 31. In his 9-year career he hit .267, with 129 HRs, 482 RBIs, 492 runs scored, 104 doubles, & 807 hits in 933 games.

Retirement: After baseball, he got divorced and became a cab driver. Then he had his share of problems. In 1948, he shot and killed a man in a Dallas bar, but served no time as it was ruled justifiable homicide. In 1958 he hit a woman and was accused of taking three dollars from her purse. She was the wife of Ink Spots singer Billy Bowen.
On February 26, 1961 at 1:30 AM, Thompson walked into Bill’s Place, on Amsterdam Avenue in Washington Heights, drunk & depressed. He asked the bartender “Do you know who I am” while holding a gun to his head. When the bartender said no, he took his money. A few years earlier in this same bar he sold his 1954 World Series ring, for $250. Letters from Giants owner Horace Stoneham and baseball commissioner Ford Frick convinced a Judge to hand down a sentence of probation. Then in 1963 he stole two pistols from a friend’s print shop and robbed a liquor store. This time, he went to jail for a few years.


In 1968 he moved to Fresno, California and became a city playground director. A movie of his life was planned but never happened. He died of a seizure at age 43 in Fresno. There was only a private ceremony for the former Giants pioneer and World Series winner.