For the second time this year we get to celebrate a "clean" MLB milestone. Last night Minnesota Twins DH Jim Thome became the 8th member of the 600 home run club when he belted his second homer in as many innings. For Thome the accomplishment is a historical baseball feat, but for baseball fans this is a monumental relief from PED tainted numbers and benchmarks. Career home run numbers don't mean what they used to but for Thome the recognition is legitimate and well deserved. Jim didn't need steroids. He was just a corn-fed Midwestern boy from Peoria, IL who grew up strong physically and mentally.
Jim Thome will undoubtedly get into the Hall of Fame and when he does we will all remember him as a soft spoken slugger who played the game the right way. He currently ranks 8th all time in home runs (600), 27th in RBI's (1662), and 8th in walks (1710). Thome was also one of only 2 players (A-Rod) in MLB history to hit 40 homers for 3 different teams. Furthermore, he recorded over 30 home runs in 12 seasons and over 100 RBI's in 9 seasons. His legacy will identify him as a home run hitter, but with a .277 career average and over 400 doubles, he was clearly a solid hitter all around. Congrats to Jim Thome for becoming a member of a once revered but still honored club.
Written by: Craig Kibler
