CLEVELAND -- Cleveland Indians great Jim Thome will wear the “Block C” cap on his plaque at the National Baseball Hall of Fame when he gets inducted this summer.
The National Baseball Hall of Fame made the official announcement Wednesday.
“When Jim Thome’s Hall of Fame plaque is unveiled in July, it will feature the ‘Block C’ logo as opposed to the ‘Chief Wahoo’ logo that the Cleveland Indians have displayed on team caps in many seasons since its introduction in 1947,” the Hall of Fame announced in a release.
“In January, Major League Baseball announced that the Indians will remove the ‘Chief Wahoo’ logo from uniforms after the 2018 season, deeming it no longer appropriate for on-field use. As MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred explained, ‘Major League Baseball is committed to building a culture of diversity and inclusion throughout the game.’”
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The National Baseball Hall of Fame went on to further say that no Indians players who are selected for induction in the future will be able to use the “Chief Wahoo” logo on their plaques.
“The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum concurs with the Commissioner’s sentiment and acknowledges the shifting societal view of Native American logos in baseball,” the Hall’s statement read.
“Although examples of the ‘Chief Wahoo’ logo can be found in our Museum exhibits, and on Early Wynn’s 1972 Hall of Fame plaque, the Hall of Fame will no longer use the logo in the creation of new plaques.”
Following Thome’s selection in his first year of eligibility by being named on 89.8 percent of the 422 ballots cast, the question became a hot topic, especially because the Indians announced the decision to abandon on-field use of the divisive “Chief Wahoo” logo after the 2018 season.
In early February, Thome addressed the matter during a press conference at Playhouse Square after the filming of a career retrospective with radio announcer Tom Hamilton for SportsTime Ohio.
“My decision would be to wear the ‘C’ because I think it’s the right thing to do, and I fully support the way the Indians, through this week, have done the decision that they’ve done,” Thome said at the time.
“To be thoughtful, I think I need to have a conversation with the Hall of Fame because of the history and everything involved. I just think that’s the right thing to do.”
Over 13 seasons with the Indians, Thome was the most prolific power hitter in team history.
A 13th-round pick out of the Illinois Central College who became a three-time American League All-Star, Thome belted 337 home runs and drew 1,008 walks, both of which are franchise records. Additionally, Thome is second in Indians history with 937 RBI and third in on-base (.414), slugging (.592) and on-base-plus-slugging percentages (.980), as well as 10th with 263 doubles.
Thome led the American League in walks three times in his Indians career, and hit 20 or more home runs in each of his last nine full seasons with the Tribe (1994-2002), including a personal best, and team-record, 52 round-trippers in 2002.
During his 22-year MLB career, Thome collected 2,328 hits in 8,422 at-bats (.276 batting average) with 451 doubles, 26 triples and 612 home runs. Thome had 1,699 RBI, scored 1,583 runs, earned 1,747 bases on balls and drew 173 intentional walks.
“The best part of it is when you go into the Hall of Fame, it’s representing Cleveland,” Thome said.