NEW YORK -- Frank Thomas, a slugging star of the 1962 Mets who held the franchise’s single-season home run record for most of a decade, passed away Monday morning in Pittsburgh. He was 93.
Thomas, whom the Mets acquired in a trade before their inaugural season, quickly became the top offensive threat on a 120-loss team. He hit 34 home runs in 1962, setting a team record that stood until Dave Kingman clubbed 36 in 1975. Over three years in Flushing, Thomas hit 52 homers, making him the franchise’s overall home run king for the better part of four seasons.
“It doesn’t make a difference who I played with or for,” Thomas said in a longform interview with broadcaster Howie Rose in 2019. “I just loved baseball that much.”
Frank Joseph Thomas was born on June 11, 1929, in Pittsburgh. He studied to become a Catholic priest before becoming a professional baseball player in 1947. He reached the Majors four years later with his hometown Pirates, cracking 30 homers and 102 RBIs in 1953. Thomas made three All-Star teams and received MVP votes five times over eight years in Pittsburgh, before bouncing to Cincinnati, Chicago, Milwaukee and, eventually, Queens. (He would later also play in Philadelphia and Houston.)
“Frank was proud to call the city of Pittsburgh home not only as a member of the Pirates but also as a person who spent his entire life here,” Pirates president Travis Williams said in a statement. “He was also a proud family man who was always involved with our alumni association events.”
Thomas, who hit 286 home runs over an 18-year career, returned to the Mets fold when the team invited him and many other alumni back to Citi Field over the course of the summer. Two years later, Thomas took part in Old Timers’ Day festivities at the ballpark.
“I’m so thankful that my dad was able to go to Old Timers’ Day,” his daughter, Maryanne Pacconi said in a statement. “It meant the world to him to see his old teammates. I was thrilled with how the fans greeted him. I was so happy to see him in uniform again. We will treasure those memories forever.”