Flashback Fridays: Jim Thome
The year was 1993. Jurassic Park was #1 at the box office. Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You” was the top song on the charts and Michael Jordan – the G.O.A.T. –announced his retirement from the NBA in October of that year. In Major League Baseball, teams like the
The year was 1993. Jurassic Park was #1 at the box office. Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You” was the top song on the charts and Michael Jordan – the G.O.A.T. –announced his retirement from the NBA in October of that year.
In Major League Baseball, teams like the Toronto Blue Jays, Chicago White Sox, Atlanta Braves, and Philadelphia Phillies were on top, and new franchises like the Florida Marlins and Colorado Rockies made their much-anticipated debuts.
In Minor League Baseball, fans were in for a real treat as some of the game’s brightest stars were on their way up – especially in Triple-A. Fans in the Charlotte area would finally get a glimpse of those Triple-A players as the Charlotte Knights moved up from a Double-A team to a Triple-A team beginning in 1993. As the area said goodbye to the Southern League and hello to the International League, the Knights also welcomed in a new affiliate. After four years as the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs (1989-1992), the franchise welcomed the Cleveland Indians to Knights Stadium in Fort Mill, SC. With that, a bevy of young talented players also arrived. There was one, however, that stood out right away and went on to have a Hall of Fame career.
THE MAN, THE MYTH, THE LEGEND
James Howard Thome -- better known to the baseball world as Jim Thome -- made his mark on the Charlotte area in 1993. Drafted in the 13th round of the 1989 MLB June Amateur Draft, Thome made his way through Cleveland's organization and found himself in Fort Mill, SC in 1993 -- just in time for the Knights to become a Triple-A franchise.
THE 1993 KNIGHTS
Thome was surrounded by a wealth of veterans such as Sam Horn, Jeff Schaefer, Dennis Cook, Don August, Bob Milacki, Alan Cockrell, and Heathcliff Slocumb -- as well as youngsters such as Mark Lewis, Kelly Stinnett, Paul Byrd, Chad Ogea, Jerry Dipoto -- and later, Manny Ramirez. At the helm of the team was Charlie Manuel, a player's manager who took the team to 86 wins and the Governors' Cup Championship.
INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE MVP
In a league with Chipper Jones, Ryan Klesko, Javy Lopez, Rico Brogna, and Cliff Floyd, Thome shined. In his one and only season with the Knights, the Peoria, IL native quickly showed his ability on the baseball diamond. At the age of 22, he hit a remarkable .332 and clubbed 25 home runs while driving in 102 RBIs in 1993 with the Knights en route to a September call-up with the Indians. For his efforts as the batting champ, he earned the International League’s Most Valuable Player Award.
JEFF SCHAEFER ON JIM THOME
When Thome was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2018, I caught up with his former teammate, Jeff Schaefer, who talked about what Thome meant to the team that year.
GOVERNORS' CUP CHAMPS
Perhaps most importantly for the franchise, Thome, along with the guidance of Manuel, helped lead the Knights a 1993 Governors’ Cup Championship in their first season as a Triple-A franchise. The team's 86 wins are still the most in a season for the franchise.
MEMORIES OF THE 1993 SEASON WITH KARL LYLES
Back in 2013, when the Knights were closing down Knights Stadium in Fort Mill, I sat down with Karl Lyles. Karl had an up-close experience with the Knights as he was the team's Media Relations Director that season. Karl shared his memories of Jim Thome, Charlie Manuel, and more.
MLB CAREER
For his career, Thome mashed 612 career home runs at the major league level over 22 seasons -- four of those with Manuel at the helm. A five-time All-Star, he led the National League in home runs in 2003 with an impressive 47 while playing for the Philadelphia Phillies, one of six teams he played for in his major league career (Indians, Phillies, White Sox, Dodgers, Twins and Orioles). He finished his illustrious big league career with 2,328 career hits and 1,699 RBIs.
RETURN TO CHARLOTTE
On April 11, 2014, Thome helped usher in a new era of professional baseball in Charlotte as he threw out a ceremonial first pitch at the opening of BB&T Ballpark in Uptown Charlotte.
CHARLOTTE BASEBALL ROUND TABLE OF HONOR
In 2016, in conjunction with hosting the Triple-A Baseball All-Star Game at BB&T Ballpark in Uptown Charlotte, the Charlotte Knights relaunched the "Charlotte Baseball Hall of Fame" and renamed it the "Charlotte Baseball Round Table of Honor" during the All-Star game festivities. The team decided that the first two inductees would be Thome and Manuel.
The iconic duo received their plaques and spoke to the "Voice of the Charlotte Knights" Matt Swierad in front of players, coaches, and guests at the 2016 Triple-A Baseball All-Star Game Luncheon on the morning of July 13th at the Charlotte Convention Center. Later that night, they threw out a ceremonial first pitch later that evening at the 2016 Sonic Automotive Triple-A Baseball All-Star Game.
NATIONAL BASEBALL HALL OF FAME
Thome was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame on Wednesday, January 24, 2018 becoming the first player in Charlotte Knights franchise history to earn entrance into the Hall.
"He’s the nicest, gentlest guy you will ever meet...to everything except the baseball. " - Michael Cuddyer
Charlotte Knights and Lowe’s Announce Three-Year Partnership
CHARLOTTE, NC- The Charlotte Knights and Lowe’s Companies Inc. announced a three-year partnership that will unify two historic North Carolina-based organizations. For over a century, both Lowe’s and the Charlotte Knights have displayed the commitment and dedication of putting the people they serve at the heart of everything they do.
Wednesday's Knights Game in Buffalo Postponed
BUFFALO, NY- The Charlotte Knights and the Buffalo Bisons early afternoon game on Wednesday has been postponed due to weather conditions. The contest will be made up Thursday in Buffalo as part of a double-header.
Bisons Inch Past Knights in Series Opener
BUFFALO, NY- The Charlotte Knights showed their comeback spirit on Tuesday night. Charlotte erased a three-run deficit in the top of the ninth inning, but unfortunately the Buffalo Bisons scored a walk-off, 10-9 victory courtesy of a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch. The Bisons had the bases loaded with no outs before the
Knights Take Care of Business Against the Express
CHARLOTTE, NC- The Charlotte Knights topped the Round Rock Express 7-4 on Sunday evening at Truist Field. Charlotte used a big inning offensively and some timely pitching and defense to come away with the victory.
Montgomery Delivers a Career Night in 8-6 Loss
CHARLOTTE, NC- Colson Montgomery took center stage at Truist Field on Saturday night for the Charlotte Knights. The Holland, Indiana native connected with a career-high four hits, and all of them went for extra-bases. Montgomery belted two Home Runs, two doubles, and drew a walk for good measure. Unfortunately, the
Express Outlast Knights in 35-Run Marathon
CHARLOTTE, NC- The Charlotte Knights and the Round Rock Express played a crazy game on Friday night. The two teams combined for 34 hits and 35 runs in a nine-inning contest that lasted four hours. Round Rock came out on top by a final score of 22-13.
Knights Hit Five Home Runs in Shutout Win
CHARLOTTE, NC- The Charlotte Knights recorded their first shutout victory of the 2025 season on Thursday. The Knights also clubbed five Home Runs in the process. Charlotte’s complimentary effort produced an 8-0 thrashing of the Round Rock Express. Kyle Teel led the offensive charge with a pair of round-trippers; his
Lee, Maton, and Gray All Homer in Knights Win
CHARLOTTE, NC- The Charlotte Knights bounced back against the Round Rock Express on Wednesday night with a 7-3 victory at Truist Field. Three different Knights players hit Home Runs and the Charlotte pitching staff did not allow a single earned run.
Montgomery Tallies Three Hits in 5-1 Loss
CHARLOTTE, NC- The Charlotte Knights squared off against the Round Rock Express of the Pacific Coast League on Tuesday night. It was the first time the Knights faced a team from the PCL since 1999. Charlotte jumped out to an early lead, but Round Rock rallied to defeat the home
Sting, Big Time Wrestling, Coming to Truist Field on July 25
CHARLOTTE, NC- The Charlotte Knights are proud to present Big Time Wrestling at Truist Field on Friday, July 25! Headlining the event is none other than WWE Hall of Famer, Sting. A total of eight hard-hitting matchups will take place in the ring, which will be positioned right on top
Scoring Position Woes Haunt Knights
LAWRENCEVILLE, GA- The Charlotte Knights were dealt a 6-0 shutout loss on Sunday afternoon by the Gwinnett Stripers. The Knights went 1-for-15 with runners in scoring position, left 12 runners on base, and suffered their third shutout loss of the season.
DeLoach's Three Hits Help Knights Top Stripers
LAWRENCEVILLE, GA- The Charlotte Knights bounced back on Saturday with an impressive 5-3 victory over the Gwinnett Stripers. Charlotte received a game-high three hits from Zach DeLoach and Kyle Teel added a pair of base hits in the win. Gwinnett was held to only five hits as a team.
Knights Fall to the Stripers after Building Big Lead
LAWRENCEVILLE, GA- Three times this season the Charlotte Knights have erased a deficit of six runs or more to win a ballgame. Friday, the Knights were on the other side of a six-run comeback. Charlotte built a 6-0 lead on the Gwinnett Stripers but fell by a final score of
Fletcher's Highlight Reel Catch Sparks Knights in 7-1 Win
LAWRENCEVILLE, GA- Dominic Fletcher made arguably the catch of the year for the Charlotte Knights and the pitching staff did the rest as the Knights defeated the Gwinnett Stripers 7-1 on Thursday night. Fletcher made an incredible diving catch that saved a pair of runs in the first inning. Charlotte
Gwinnett Takes Game Two from Charlotte, 7-4
LAWRENCEVILLE, GA- The Charlotte Knights fell to the Gwinnett Stripers on Wednesday evening by a final score of 7-4. It is the first time in five meetings this season that the Knights dropped a game to the Stripers. The loss snapped a three-game winning streak and evened up the current
Montgomery Nets Two Hits in Knights 8-5 Win
LAWRENCEVILLE, GA- The Charlotte Knights opened up their six-game road trip on a high note Tuesday morning. The Knights led wire-to-wire and defeated the Gwinnett Stripers by a final score of 8-5. Charlotte has won five of their last seven contests and has moved into the top half of the
Charlotte Takes Down Memphis 6-5 to Win the Series
CHARLOTTE, NC- The Charlotte Knights finished off a winning homestand Sunday afternoon with a 6-5 victory over the Memphis Redbirds. The Knights took the series over the Redbirds four games to two and won seven of their 12 contests at Truist Field over the last two weeks.
Charlotte Tops Memphis 3-2, Splits Double-Header
CHARLOTTE, NC- The Charlotte Knights bested the Memphis Redbirds 3-2 in the second leg of Saturday afternoon’s double-header. Charlotte used a strong pitching performance and timely hitting to secure their third win of the series. The visiting Redbirds took the first contest by a final score of 8-4.
White Sox Call Up Knights Slugger Tim Elko
CHARLOTTE, NC- Earlier today, the Chicago White Sox selected the contract of Charlotte Knights first-baseman Tim Elko. Elko has been one of the Knights most productive players in 2025.
Knights Fall 13-10 to the Redbirds
CHARLOTTE, NC- The Charlotte Knights dropped a high scoring affair to the Memphis Redbirds, 13-10, on Friday evening. Offense was the story as the two teams combined for 23 runs, 25 hits, and 17 walks.
Julks Clobbers Walk-Off Homer for the Knights
CHARLOTTE, NC- For the second time in less than 24 hours, the Charlotte Knights captivated Truist Field with a walk-off, two-run Home Run. Wednesday’s hero was Corey Julks.
Fletcher Clubs Walk-Off Home Run, Knights Beat 'Birds in 11
CHARLOTTE, NC- The Charlotte Knights pulled off a thrilling, 11-inning win over the Memphis Redbirds on Tuesday night at Truist Field. Dominic Fletcher belted a walk-off, two-run Homer in the bottom of the 11th inning that gave the Knights a 5-3 series-opening victory.
Tim Elko Named White Sox Minor League Player of the Month
CHARLOTTE, NC- Earlier today the Chicago White Sox announced their March/April Minor League Player of the Month. The recipient was Charlotte Knights first-baseman Tim Elko. The White Sox also named Birmingham pitcher Grant Taylor as the Pitcher of the Month.
19th Annual Pink Knights Set for May 9th
CHARLOTTE, NC- The Charlotte Knights and Charlotte Radiology of Atrium Health have once again partnered up in the fight against Breast Cancer. Pink Knights, an annual event dedicated to raising money, generating awareness, and honoring survivors and warriors, will take place Friday, May 9th when the Charlotte Knights “Paint The
Big Inning is the Difference in 9-3 Loss
CHARLOTTE, NC- The Charlotte Knights dropped their Sunday afternoon contest to the Norfolk Tides by a final score of 9-3. The Knights led 3-2 going into the seventh inning; however, the Tides plated seven runs over the game’s final three frames and handed Charlotte a third straight loss.