Fay Thomas

Fay Wesley Thomas
(Scow)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 2", Weight 195 lb.
• School University of Southern California
• Debut June 27, 1927
• Final Game September 29, 1935
• Born October 10, 1903 in Holyrood, KS USA
• Died August 12, 1990 in Chatsworth, CA USA

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Biographical Information

Fay Thomas played a few years in the major leagues, but was more famous as a top minor league pitcher and for an acting appearance, when he played Christy Mathewson in the movie The Pride of the Yankees.

He was the first major league player to come out of USC, later to become a baseball powerhouse.

Thomas was 214-163 in the minor leagues between 1925 and 1943, leading the Pacific Coast League with 28 W in 1934, and three SO titles: 228 in 1930, 196 in 1932, and 204 in 1934 all in the PCL.

His 1934 year was quite notable as he went 28-4 on the 1934 Los Angeles Angels, considered by some the best minor league team of all time. It earned him another year in the majors in 1935. In 2004 he was elected to the Pacific Coast League Hall of Fame.

Baseball Reference and the 1934 Spalding guide list him as having allowed 464 hits in 1933, though it is impossible for that to be true, as he pitched in 300 innings and had a winning record. Also, the Spalding guide lists him as his opponents having 1152 at-bats against him, thus, the league would have had to have hit .403 against him. The Minor League Baseball Register lists 364 hits allowed, which still seems a bit high but is reasonable.

Both Baseball Reference and the Minor League Baseball Register say that he pitched one game for Wenatchee in 1937, but that is incorrect. Bill Thomas did, not Fay.

He died at 86 from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head in 1990.