11 home runs and 38 RBIs. Cleveland Indians Thornton was dealt from the Expos to the Cleveland Indians for Jackie Brown on December 10, 1976. The trade would prove to be one of the most lopsided deals of the 1970s, as Brown would only pitch one more year in the majors. Thornton sustained high levels of production through much of his Cleveland career. After hitting 28 home runs in 1977, his debut season in Cleveland, Thornton hit a career-high 33 home runs in 1978 (a total he would match in 1984). In 1979, he was honored with the Roberto Clemente Award, given to the player who best exemplifies the game of baseball, sportsmanship, community involvement, and team contribution. Thornton missed all of 1980 with a severe knee injury that required two surgeries, and all but 69 games in 1981 due to other injuries. From 1981 to 1984, Thornton played primarily as a designated hitter. In 1982, Thornton hit 32 home runs and set career highs with 116 runs batted in, 109 walks, and 285 total bases. From 1982 through 1986, a healthy Thornton appeared in an average of 140 games each season, and hit a total of 121 home runs with 446 RBIs while hitting for a .261 average. He won a Silver Slugger Award as a designated hitter in 1984, and then played exclusively as a designated hitter from 1985 to 1987. In 1987, he started 12 of the first 20 games, but injuries and a decision to essentially bench him kept him out of all but 24 games for the rest of the season, including only seven starts. He retired after the season. Overall, in his ten seasons with the Indians, Thornton appeared in 1225 games, batting .254 with 214 home runs and 749 RBIs. He spent most of his career as one of the few marquee players on a team that was usually barely competitive; he only played on a winning team twice (not counting the strike year of 1981) during his time in Cleveland. He later said that while the Indians had some very good players, management simply couldn't keep them in Cleveland for any period of time. Career stats Thornton was selected as an American League All-Star in 1982 and 1984. He finished his career with 244 doubles, 253 home runs, a batting average of .254, an on-base percentage of .360, and a slugging percentage