Mario Thomas became the first Spanish Language Broadcaster for the San Diego Padres. Thomas broadcasted for the Padres in 1969.
Thomas called Padres games for 28 years from 1969-1997 (excluding 1970). He served as the Spanish play-by-play announcer on the CBS Hispanic Radio Network for the 1984 NLCS, bringing the Padres thrilling victory over the Cubs to millions of Spanish-speaking fans. Thomas was on the air for each of the Padres’ first three postseason appearances, broadcasting in 1984 and 1996 and appearing as a special guest in 1998 after his 1997 retirement.
In addition to his work with the Padres, Thomas spent his offseasons serving as the voice of the Aguilas de Mexicali of the Mexican League for 16 years and called action from the Caribbean World Series in 1986.
Thomas passed away at the age of 85 on August 21, 2009 in Baja California, Mexico.
Was inducted on 2010 into the Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum Hall of Fame at AT&T Park, San Francisco, California.