July 4, 1948: Thomas first Canuck to break color barrier in pro ball
OF Fred Thomas (Windsor, Ont.) was the first black Canadian to sign with a major-league organization ... making his debut July 4, 1948.
68 years ago this July 4th, one Canadian made professional baseball history on a sunny afternoon in Wilkes-Barre, PA.
By Andrew Hendriks
Canadian Baseball Network
Founded in the summer of 1971, the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) is an inimitable community of ardent fans, media personalities and executives who devote countless hours towards the preservation of baseball’s illustrious history.
Drawing information from a multitude of regional chapters, established research comities and an unrivaled online database, rarely is there ever a question SABR cannot find an answer to when it come to the Grand Old Game.
With this in mind, noted baseball historian Gary Fink knew exactly where to turn when he began compiling a list colored ball players who were signed by major league clubs following Jackie Robinson’s debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947.
With the assistance of SABR’s Canadian nexus, Fink was able to track down the first black Canadian to receive a contract from a major league team.
Born on Dec. 26th, 1923, Windsor’s Fred Thomas was signed as a 24 year-old by the Cleveland Indians from the Farnham Pirates in the independent Provincial league in 1948. The Quebec-based league conisted of the Drummondville Cubs, Granby Red Sox, Sherbrooke Athletics, St. Hyacinthe Saints, St. Jean Braves and Farnham.
Perhaps more commonly known for his play on the hardwood, Thomas was a multisport star who, at one point, was named second to only Norm Baker on a list of Canada’s greatest basketball players from 1900-1950 in a poll conducted by the Canadian Press.
When he wasn’t dismantling the Harlem Globetrotters, wreaking havoc on the gridiron or setting records with Assumption College’s basketball team, the 6’2” outfielder was busy making a name for himself on the diamond.
Although Baseball Reference’s account of Thomas’ statistical career is sparse, we can tell you that he hit an impressive .351 over 58 games with Farnham prior to catching the eye of Indians scouts during his first season of professional ball.
With Robinson en-route to another outstanding finish as a pivotal contributor to Leo Durocher’s 84-70 Brooklyn squad, the Indians brass decided to take a flyer on the Canadian import.
On July 4th, 1948, Thomas appeared in right field for Cleveland’s A-ball affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre Barons, and, upon doing so, became the first black player to take the field for an Eastern League club.
Seeing action in only 12 games with the Barons that summer, Thomas’ career in the EL was short lived. Having returned to Farnham in 1949, the Canadian outfielder was out of professional baseball by 1950.
Back in Canada, Thomas joined the Intercounty League’s Kitchener Panthers in 1951 and captured the batting title with a robust .383 average that season.
For his exceptional athletic career, Thomas was inducted into the Windsor Essex Sports Hall of fame in 1981. That honor was followed by an induction into the University of Windsor Alumni Sports Hall of Fame in 1986, and the Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame in 1995.
Dealing with much of the same adversity in which Robinson himself faced during the early days on integration, Thomas’ efforts helped pave the way for droves of future MLB talent including fellow Canadian (and accomplished basketball standout) Ferguson Jenkins.
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