Baseball Hall of Famer Frank Thomas Credits Family for Success

At the plate, Frank Thomas struck fear into the hearts of pitchers throughout Major League Baseball. At Cooperstown on Sunday, Thomas battled back tears during an emotional Hall of Fame speech crediting his family for his success.

A consecutive two-time MVP, and one of the best hitters in baseball history, Thomas chose to celebrate his family rather than the statistics that punctuated his career.

A mountain of a man, the 6-foot-5, 240-pound Thomas broke down when remembering his father, Frank Sr.

As tears fell and voice cracked, the Hall of Famer thanked his father for “pushing me, and always preaching to me, ‘You can be someone special if you really work at it.’ I took that to heart, Pops. Look at us today.”

Looking to his mother, Charlie Mae, Thomas said of his childhood, “raising all of us was tough but you and dad made sure we made it.”

Thomas reserved some of his most tender words for his wife Megan, who came into his life 15 years ago “when life was throwing me a curveball that I could not hit.” Thomas thanked his wife most of all for teaching him the principle of “family first.”

>>> Watch the full 18-minute video of Frank Thomas’ speech

Sunday’s Hall of Fame initiation caps a career of superlatives. Thomas keeps legendary company with the likes of Babe Ruth, Ted Williams and Mel Ott as the only players to hit at least a .300 average with more than 500 homers, 1,500 RBI, 1,000 runs and 1,500 walks in history.

Dubbed “the Big Hurt” by White Sox commentator Ken Harrelson, Thomas would swing a rusty piece of rebar in the warm-up circle before stepping to the plate. During his career, Thomas played most on the South Side with the White Sox, and spent seasons with the Oakland Athletics and Toronto Blue Jays.

A vocal opponent of steroid use, Thomas never used any banned substance and is the first slugger from that era of baseball to become enshrined in the Hall of Fame.