Jim Thome became only the eighth player to reach the 600 home run milestone yesterday. He powered a pitch into the bullpen just beyond the left field wall off Daniel Schlereth of the Detroit Tigers in the seventh inning as two were on base. It was his second home run of the game to help the Twins to a 9-6 victory.
Thome is a powerful man. I like the term country strong. Mitch Williams uses the term "hay hauler strong". He is thick with muscles and built like a bear. In the era of performance enhancers you can tell that Thome is a natural. His father was there to join in the celebration after the game and he has the same build. I seriously doubt that Papa Thome is juicing.
The Hall of Fame will have a spot reserved for Thome. Twenty one seasons in the majors with time on the rosters of the Twins, Dodgers, White Sox, Phillies and Indians. He reached the 40 home run mark six times with his personal best in 2002 when he hit 52 for the Indians. For his career he has hit .277/.403/.558 with 600 home runs, 1662 RBI, 1553 runs and 19 steals in 2456 games. While he did lead the league in strikeouts in 1999, 2001 and 2003 he was able to counter that by leading the league in walks in 1997, 1999 and 2002. He was originally drafted by the Indians in the 13th round in 1989.
No comments:
Post a Comment