Carl Thomas

Carl Leslie Thomas

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 5", Weight 245 lb.
• School University of Arizona
• High School Central High School (Minneapolis)
• Debut April 19, 1960
• Final Game May 14, 1960
• Born May 28, 1932 in Minneapolis, MN USA
• Died March 7, 2013 in Phoenix, AZ USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Carl Thomas pitched briefly in the majors with the Cleveland Indians.

Thomas played for the University of Arizona for three years, from 1954 to 1956, and the team reached the College World Series in each of those years. He was an All-American in 1955 and threw no-hitters in back-to-back starts the following year. He won 35 games over his three seasons at the school and is their all-time leader with 422 strikeouts.

Thomas was signed by the Indians in 1956 and reached the majors with them in 1960. He pitched his first game against the Detroit Tigers on April 20th, throwing a scoreless inning of relief work. He made 4 appearances overall, posting a 7.45 ERA. However, he made his major league debut not as a pitcher but as a pinch-hitter, on April 19th, when he batted for Bobby Tiefenauer in the bottom of the 15th inning; the Tigers had scored twice in the top of the inning to take a 4-2 lead, and he struck out against Pete Burnside to make the second out with a runner on second base. The next batter struck out as well to end the game.

Thomas represented the U.S. at the 1955 Pan American Games in Mexico City; the team won a Silver Medal, losing out to the Dominican Republic.

Related Sites

• Carl Thomas at the SABR Bio Project