| Pinch Thomas | |
|---|---|
 Thomas in 1913 | |
| Born:(1888-01-24)January 24, 1888 Camp Point, Illinois, U.S. | |
| Died: December 24, 1953(1953-12-24) (aged 65) Modesto, California, U.S. | |
Batted: Left Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 24, 1912, for the Boston Red Sox | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| June 19, 1921, for the Cleveland Indians | |
| Career statistics | |
| Batting average | .237 |
| Home runs | 2 |
| Runs batted in | 102 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Chester David "Pinch"Thomas (January 24, 1888 – December 24, 1953) was an American professionalbaseballcatcher who played inMajor League Baseball from1912 through1921 for theBoston Red Sox (1912–17) andCleveland Indians (1918–21). Listed at 5 ft 9.5 in (1.77 m), 173 lb., Thomas batted left-handed and threw right-handed. He was born inCamp Point, Illinois.
The Red Sox signed Thomas in 1911 but allowed him to play the 1911 season with theSacramento Sacts before recalling him to the Major Leagues for the 1912 season.[1] He spent the 1912 season as a little-used backup catcher for1912 World Series championship Red Sox.[1]
A fine defensive replacement, Thomas was the primary catcher for the Red Sox during three years, helping them to theWorld Championship in1915 and1916. On June 23, 1917, Thomas was involved in a combined no-hitter in which he andBabe Ruth were both ejected after disagreement over the strike zone after Ruth walked the first batter.Ernie Shore andSam Agnew replaced Ruth and Thomas respectively and promptly caught the walked batter at second and recorded 26 consecutive outs.
In 1917 he ledAmerican League catchers with a .986fielding percentage, but at the end of the season he was dealt to thePhiladelphia Athletics, with two other players, in the same transaction that broughtJoe Bush,Wally Schang andAmos Strunk to Boston. He did not appear in a game for the Athletics and was sold to the Indians. While in Cleveland, he won a fourthWorld Series ring in1920. A goodpinch-hitter as well, he hit .417 (13-for-31) from 1913 to 1918.
In a 10-season career, Thomas was a .237 hitter (245-for-1035) with twohome runs and 102RBI, including 88runs, 27doubles, eighttriples, 12stolen bases, and a .318on-base percentage. In 423 catching appearances, he committed 52errors in 1,948chances for a .973 fielding percentage. He appeared as himself in the Paramount feature filmWarming Up.
Thomas died inModesto, California at age 65.
