Thompson, Hank, 1925-1969

Henry Curtis Thompson (December 8, 1925 – September 30, 1969), more commonly known as Hank Thompson, was an American player in the Negro leagues and Major League Baseball who played primarily as a third baseman. A left-handed batter, he played with the Dallas Green Monarchs (1941), Kansas City Monarchs (1943, 1946–47, 1948), St. Louis Browns (1947) and New York Giants (1949–56). He was the first acknowledged black player to play for the Giants. He was also the first acknowledged black player to take the field for the St. Louis Browns, having received a brief trial with the American League club in 1947. Thus, Thompson is the only black player to break the racial barrier for two different major-league franchises.

During World War II, Thompson was drafted into the Army. He was a machine gunner with the 1695th Combat Engineers at the historic Battle of the Bulge. A few years later, he was nicknamed Ametralladora (Spanish for "machine gun") by Cuban fans while playing in the Cuban Winter League. Sergeant Thompson was discharged on June 20, 1946, and immediately returned to the Monarchs, who were in the midst of capturing the league title.