The Big Hurt is still with us.
Baseball Hall of Famer Frank Thomas said he is “alive and doing well” after the Fox News Channel mistakenly included him in an “in memoriam” segment Friday morning.
Thomas, 55, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2014, was part of a clip shown on Fox News’ “The Faulkner Focus,” during which the network ran a video to honor prominent figures who died during 2023, USA Today reported.
Fox News mixed up the White Sox legend with former Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Frank Thomas, a three-time All-Star and a member of the original 1962 New York Mets, who died on Jan. 16 at the age of 93.
Ladies and Gentlemen I’m very sorry my ex employer Fox would be this irresponsible on National TV this morning. Yes I’m alive and doing well. This blows my mind also. pic.twitter.com/FWGlVwOIFS
— Frank Thomas (@TheBigHurt_35) December 29, 2023
The Big Hurt worked for years on Fox’s baseball coverage before the network hired Derek Jeter this year, Sports Illustrated reported. The slugger, who hit 521 home runs during his 19-year major league career -- mostly with the White Sox -- swung for the fences against his former employer in a social media post.
“Ladies and Gentlemen I’m very sorry my ex employer Fox would be this irresponsible on National TV this morning,” Thomas wrote. “Yes I’m alive and doing well. This blows my mind also.”
Fox News issued an apology live on the air, WMAQ-TV reported.
“We misidentified the late Frank Thomas, the three-time All-Star for the Pittsburgh Pirates,” anchor Julie Banderas said. “The Frank Thomas we showed you unfortunately was also a former pro baseball player. He is very much alive. We apologize for that mistake.”
Banderas: We need to issue a correction.. We misidentified Frank Thomas for the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Frank Thomas we showed you unfortunately was also a former pro baseball. He is alive pic.twitter.com/fXce9PcKz4
— Acyn (@Acyn) December 29, 2023
The older Frank Thomas played 16 seasons for seven different teams, according to Baseball-Reference.com. He hit 286 home runs between 1951 and 1966, retiring two years before the Big Hurt was born, Sports Illustrated reported.
