Thompson made his major league debut with the Giants on April 8,
1986, at the age of 24. Despite his rocky start, Thompson ended the season with a .271 batting average as the Giants
leadoff hitter and provided steady defense. Thompson had surgery at the end of the season to have cartilage removed from his right knee. Thompson continued to perform well defensively in
1987, teaming up with Giants shortstop
José Uribe to form one of the best
double play combinations in baseball, and helped the Giants lead the major leagues with 183 double plays. The Giants clinched the
National League Western Division title by six games over the Cincinnati Reds. In the
1987 National League Championship Series, Thompson played in pain with a bulging disc but still played well defensively helping the Giants set a playoff record with 10 double plays. In
1988, Thompson was hitting above .300 at mid-season to earn a spot as a reserve on the 1988
National League All-Star team. Unfortunately, he was once again plagued by an injury and had to miss the game due to a pinched nerve in his leg.
Brett Butler took over as the Giants leadoff hitter and Thompson, as the new number two hitter in the
batting order, struggled to make contact,
striking out 111 times and ending the year with a .264 average. The Giants once again won the Western Division crown and faced the
Chicago Cubs in the
1989 National League Championship Series. Thompson hit 2 home runs in the series including a game-winning two-run home run in Game 3 as the Giants went on to win the series in five games. The victory marked the first time in 27 years that the Giants had won the
National League pennant. Thompson was held to only one hit in the
1989 World Series against the
Oakland Athletics as the Giants were swept in four straight games. Thompson's best year statistically was in
1993 when he was hitting for a .325 average at mid-season to earn his second
All-Star selection; however, a leg injury would once again force him to miss the game. The Giants had a nine-game lead on August 11 but faltered in September and were caught by the
Atlanta Braves, though by no fault of Thompson, who increased his offensive output late in the season including a period in August where he hit home runs in five consecutive games. With 10 games left in the season on September 24, Thompson suffered a broken cheek bone when he was
hit by a pitch thrown by
Trevor Hoffman of the San Diego Padres. He missed 8 games due to the injury, but with the Giants and Braves tied for first place Thompson returned to play the final game of the season. Thompson ended the season with career highs in batting average (.312),
doubles (30), home runs (19) and
runs batted in (65). He was rewarded by the Giants in November when he signed a three-year contract for $12 million, making him the second-highest paid second baseman in baseball after Sandberg. During
spring training in
1994, Thompson received a scare when he was hit on the left ear flap of his batting helmet by pitcher
Mike Harkey of the Colorado Rockies. Thompson later stated the two
beanings by Hoffman and Harkey were on his mind when he batted during games. In May, he went onto the
disabled list and missed almost two months of the season. He returned in late June, but played in only seven games before undergoing surgery on his right shoulder and missed the rest of the season. Thompson's injuries continued to hamper his playing time in
1995 and in September he had to undergo surgery again, this time on his left shoulder. He returned to play in
1996 but injuries continued to take their toll as he appeared in only 63 games. Thompson played his last major league game on September 22, 1996, at the age of 34. Thompson was known for the well-used
baseball glove with which he played for almost his entire career. He was offended when the
San Francisco Chronicle printed a story titled, "Thompson's Ugly, Pathetic Glove is a Gem."
Rich Aurilia, who played at shortstop next to Thompson near the end of his career said, "I think by the time Robby was done, the glove mainly consisted of
pine tar and
chew spit. I don't even know how much leather was left in it. I know for a fact Robby still has that glove." == Career statistics ==