Jocko Thompson

Jocko Thompson
A middle-aged man in a white pinstriped baseball uniform looks into the camera while facing to the left side. He is wearing a baseball cap with a white "P" on the front, and his jersey reads "Phillies" across the chest.
Thompson, pictured during his Phillies tenure
Pitcher
Born: (1917-01-17)January 17, 1917
Beverly, Massachusetts, U.S.
Died: February 3, 1988(1988-02-03) (aged 71)
Olney, Maryland, U.S.
Batted: Left
Threw: Left
MLB debut
September 21, 1948, for the Philadelphia Phillies
Last MLB appearance
September 16, 1951, for the Philadelphia Phillies
MLB statistics
Win–loss record6–11
Earned run average4.24
Strikeouts81
Teams

John Samuel "Jocko" Thompson (January 17, 1917 – February 3, 1988) was a professional baseball pitcher. He played all or part of four seasons for the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball from 1948 to 1951. He also served in the Army of the United States as a first lieutenant in the European theater during World War II. Thompson played in Major League Baseball during the Whiz Kids era during a career which spanned 12 seasons (1940–1941, 1946–1955). After attending Northeastern University, Thompson appeared as a situational pitcher and spot starter during the 1948, 1949, and 1950 seasons with the Phillies, and went 4–8 in his only season as a regular member of the team's starting rotation. After demotion to the minors in 1952, Thompson retired from baseball after the 1955 season.[1]

Before his major league career, Thompson entered the military and participated in Operation Market Garden, where he led a platoon to secure a bridge over the Maas River. He served in the Army from 1941 to 1945. In 2004, the bridge that his platoon captured was renamed in his honor.[2]

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