We have changed up the format for our This Date in Phillies History feature. No more burying the lead at the bottom of the post, and we’re including some Phillies information from around this thing called the internet. We hope you enjoy the new format. You can always find any edition of the feature by using the “Phillies History” drop down at the top of the site. From there, just click on “This Date in Phillies History.”

Early Stardom and a Crowded Era

Sam Thompson’s playing career was anything but obscure while it was happening. From the late 1880s into the 1890s, he was one of the most feared hitters in baseball, anchoring the Philadelphia Phillies lineup during some of the franchise’s earliest competitive seasons. Thompson led the National League in runs batted in four times, hit for average, power, and consistency, and played a steady outfield at a time when gloves were primitive and fields were unforgiving. The problem was not that Thompson lacked credentials. The problem was that he played in an era overflowing with them. Nineteenth-century baseball produced a backlog of stars whose careers overlapped before Hall of Fame voting standards had settled into anything resembling consistency.

Why He Was Overlooked for Decades

When Hall of Fame voting began in earnest in the 1930s, the focus leaned heavily toward more recent stars or pioneers who had already achieved legendary status in popular memory. Thompson fell into an awkward middle space. He was neither a founding father of the game nor a twentieth-century icon whose feats were preserved on film or radio. His counting stats, impressive for his time, looked modest once the game modernized and seasons grew longer. Even his RBI totals, which once set records, were undervalued for years because RBI itself was not treated as a primary measure of greatness.

There was also a Philadelphia problem. The Phillies of Thompson’s era were competitive but rarely champions, and baseball history tends to remember winners first. Players from dynastic teams like the early Boston clubs or later Chicago and New York teams received more attention from voters and historians. Thompson quietly slipped into the category of “very good” rather than “must induct,” despite numbers that suggested otherwise when adjusted for context.

The Veterans Committee Reassessment

What ultimately changed Thompson’s Hall of Fame fate was a broader reevaluation of nineteenth-century baseball by the Veterans Committee. By the early 1970s, historians had begun to push back against the idea that early players should be judged by modern raw totals alone. Context started to matter more. Thompson’s dominance relative to his peers became impossible to ignore. For over a decade, he was among the league leaders in nearly every meaningful offensive category. His RBI production stood out even more once analysts realized just how rare that level of run production was in the 1890s.

The Veterans Committee also gave proper weight to his consistency. Thompson was not a one- or two-year wonder. He sustained excellence across multiple seasons and multiple teams, most notably with Philadelphia, where he became a foundational star in franchise history.

A Belated but Earned Honor

Sam Thompson’s election to the Hall of Fame in 1974 was less a surprise than a correction. It acknowledged that greatness does not require modern highlights or championship rings. Sometimes it just requires time, patience, and a willingness to look at history on its own terms. Thompson finally received his plaque because the game caught up to what he had been all along: one of the premier hitters of his era and a cornerstone of early Phillies baseball.

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Philadelphia Baseball Events on January 28

January 28, 1974 – Former Phillies great Sam Thompson was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee, recognizing his outstanding 19th-century career that included 10 seasons in Philadelphia.
January 28, 1982 – The Philadelphia Phillies signed free-agent relief pitcher Ed Farmer to a three-year contract, but he would only last with the team until August of 1983 when he was released. It was his second stint with the team. He pitched for the Phillies in 1974 with an 8.42 ERA in 14 games.
January 28, 2006 – The Phillies acquire reliever Arthur Rhodes from Cleveland for outfielder Jason Michaels. Rhodes became a free agent following the 2006 season and signed with Seattle. Michaels was drafted by the Phillies in the fourth round of the 1998 Draft and began his career with the team playing from 2001 to 2005 and hitting .291 in 383 games.

Philadelphia Baseball Birthdays on January 28
Al Burris (born 1874) — A pitcher who made a single major league appearance for the Philadelphia Phillies in 1894, which turned out to be the only appearance of his career. Burris later became a collegiate coach and athletic director.
Bill White (born 1934) — Born William DeKova White, a standout first baseman and eight-time All-Star who played for the Phillies from 1966 to 1968. White amassed over 200 career home runs and later became a broadcaster and president of the National League.
Elizardo Ramirez (born 1983) — A right-handed pitcher who made his MLB debut with the Phillies in 2004 making seven relief appearances with a 4.80 ERA. He also pitched for the Reds and Rangers.

Also… George Wright (born 1847) – A Hall of Fame infielder who played 12 MLB seasons with the Boston Red Stockings, Boston Reds, and Providence Grays.

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