Dickie Thon

In 2013, Thon said, "I couldn't see the ball very well after I got hit in my left eye. I had to make adjustments, and open up a little bit and see the ball better. It's tough to do that in the big leagues, but I did manage to play 10 [more] years."

As of 2013, Thon owned a Puerto Rican Winter League team in Santurce.

Thon's son, Dickie Joe Thon, was selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 5th round, 156th overall in the June 2010 baseball draft and played the 2016 season for the Dunedin Blue Jays.

Thon was inducted into the Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum Hall of Fame on September 13, 2003.

Touted by some as a future Hall of Famer, his career was permanently altered on April 8, 1984, when he was hit in the face by Mike Torrez's fastball. The pitch broke the orbital bone around his left eye and ended his 1984 season. He returned in 1985, but suffered from problems with depth perception that permanently hampered his potential. In 1991, Thon received the Tony Conigliaro Award in recognition of his recovery from this severe injury.

He was signed by the California Angels as an amateur free agent on November 23, 1975, while in high school in Río Piedras, Puerto Rico. During his 15-year career, Thon spent two seasons with the Angels (1979–1980), seven seasons with the Houston Astros (1981–1987), one season with the San Diego Padres (1988), three seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies (1989–1991), one season with the Texas Rangers (1992), and finished his career with the Milwaukee Brewers (1993).

Richard William Thon (born June 20, 1958), is a Puerto Rican-American former professional baseball shortstop, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the California Angels, Houston Astros, San Diego Padres, Philadelphia Phillies, Texas Rangers, and Milwaukee Brewers, during the course of his 15-year big league career.