Luther Baxter "Bud" Thomas, was a Major League Baseball pitcher who played in 1932 and 1933 and from 1937 to 1941 with the Washington Senators, Philadelphia Athletics, and the Detroit Tigers. He batted and threw right-handed. Thomas had a 25-34 record in 143 career games. He was born in Faber, Virginia and died in North Garden, Virginia. On April 23, 1939, Bud Thomas surrendered the first major League home run ever hit by Red Sox legend Ted Williams. Thomas pitched to Babe Ruth twice, striking him out the second time. His grandson, Paul Thomas, went on to play baseball at UVA and a local team, the Blues. There are now three reserved seats at the UVA baseball field with the Thomas name on them as well as one for the Blues. 

September 9th, 1910 in Statesboro  /  Died:   Aug 15th, 2015