1 of 3 | CLE99100602 - CLEVELAND, OHIO, USA: Cleveland Indians first baseman Jim Thome is congratulated by teammates after hitting a two run home run in the 6th inning off of Derek Lowe of the Boston Red Sox to tie the score 2-2. The Indians went on to win a thriller in the bottom of the 9th to take a 1-0 lead in the American League Division Series. gh/Gary Harwood UPI |
License Photo
The Cleveland Indians will induct four franchise legends into the club's Hall of Fame in a ceremony on July 30 at Progressive Field, the team announced Friday.
Jim Thome, the Indians' all-time home run king; Albert Belle, still the only 50-50 man in baseball history; Frank Robinson, the first African-American manager in baseball history; and Charlie Jamieson, who hit .316 over 14 seasons with the Indians and was a member of the 1920 World Series team, will be inducted before the game against the Oakland Athletics.
Thome will be the lone member of this year's class on hand for the festivities. The quartet's induction now makes the Indians Hall of Fame with 44 members after Omar Vizquel's induction in 2014.
"These are four of the all-time great players in our franchise's storied history, and through their individual personalities and achievements, each has created his own special memories for generations of Indians fans," Indians senior vice president of public affairs Bob DiBiasio said in a statement. "We're excited to officially recognize their contributions to our franchise and the game of baseball by inducting them into the Indians Hall of Fame."
Thome played 13 seasons for Cleveland, and his 337 homers and 1,008 walks in an Indians uniform are the most in club history. He was a three-time All-Star as a member of the Indians, and four times finished in the top 10 in American League MVP voting. He ranks second in team history in RBIs (937), third in on-base percentage (.414), slugging percentage (.592) and OPS (.980), and 10th in doubles (263). Thome is first-time eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2018.
Belle hit 50 homers and 52 doubles in 1995, and remains the only major league player in history to accomplish the 50-50 feat. He was a four-time All-Star and Silver Slugger Award winner with the Indians, and three times finished in the top three in AL MVP voting. He ranks second in team history in homers (242), second in slugging percentage (.580), fifth in OPS (.949) and 10th in RBIs (751).
Robinson played the final three years of his Hall of Fame career in Cleveland and became the first African-American manager in baseball history, serving as player-manager from 1975-1976.
After hitting 586 career homers for five teams, Robinson managed the Indians for parts of three seasons, and eventually managed four teams. He won 1,065 games over 16 seasons, and was the 1989 AL Manager of the Year.
Jamieson played the final 14 years of his career (12 full seasons) with the Indians, hitting .316 and scoring 942 runs over those seasons. He was a member of the 1920 World Series champions. He ranks fifth in club history in hits (1,753), seventh in doubles (296), ninth in average and walks (627), 10th in triples (74) and 11th in on-base percentage (.388).
