Jim Thome
Encyclopedia
James Howard "Jim" Thome (icon; born August 27, 1970 in Peoria, Illinois
) is a Major League Baseball
player for the Philadelphia Phillies
. He is the eighth player to hit 600 home runs in the major leagues. He is widely considered a future Hall of Famer.
in the 13th round of the 1989 Major League Baseball Draft
. While in the minors, he got into a fight with future Major League star Chipper Jones
. Thome and Jones would later become good friends. Thome made his Major League debut on September 4, 1991 as a third baseman
against the Minnesota Twins
. He was 2 for 4 in that game, with his first hit coming off pitcher Tom Edens
in the fourth inning. He hit his first career home run on October 4 against New York Yankees
pitcher Steve Farr
.
Originally a third baseman, he was shifted to first base when the Indians traded for Matt Williams in 1997.
At the plate, Thome hit 25 home run
s and 73 runs batted in with a .314 batting average
in 1995. Thome then hit 38 home runs in 1996 and 40 in 1997. Thome soon became a prolific home run hitter, once hitting a 511-foot (156 m) shot at Cleveland's Progressive Field (then known as Jacobs Field). It is the longest home run ever recorded at a Cleveland ballpark. He hit 49 home runs with the Indians in 2001, followed by a career-high 52 homers in 2002.
Thome has been nicknamed "The Thomenator," "The Pride of Peoria," and more recently as a member of the White Sox "Mr. Incredible"." Wildly beloved by Indians fans, a Plain Dealer fan poll in 2003 named Thome the most popular athlete in Cleveland sports history. Some of Thome's trademarks are his high socks that he helped make popular again in the mid-'90s, at a time when players wore their pant cuffs down around their ankles and his batting stance in which he holds the bat out with his right hand and points it at right field before the pitcher comes set, a gesture he borrowed from "The Whammer" in the film The Natural
.
. Thome hit 47 home runs in his first season with the Phillies to finish one behind Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt
's single-season team record of 48 in 1980. Thome was tied with Alex Rodriguez
for the MLB lead in homers in 2003, and both received the Babe Ruth Home Run Award
.
On June 14, 2004, Thome hit his 400th career home run off of Jose Acevedo
to the left-center field seats at Citizens Bank Park
, surpassing Al Kaline
for 37th on the all-time home run list. He ended the 2004 season with 42 homers, giving him 423 for his career, which placed him 35th on the career list.
Injuries caught up with Thome during the first half of the 2005 season
, where he hit only .207 with seven home runs and 30 RBI going into the All-Star break. He had season-ending surgery on his right elbow in August. Ryan Howard
proved to be a very successful replacement at first base in the 2005 season, leading all National League rookies in home runs (22) and winning the NL Rookie of the Year award.
The emergence of Ryan Howard made Thome expendable to the Phillies. On November 25, 2005, only days after new GM Pat Gillick took the reigns of the team, Thome was traded to the Chicago White Sox along with $22.0 million. The White Sox sent CF Aaron Rowand
and minor league pitching prospects Gio Gonzalez
and Daniel Haigwood to Philadelphia in return.
in April 2006 and flourished in his first season in Chicago. In April, he set the team record for most home runs in the month of April (10), beating Frank Thomas's record by one. He also set a major league record by scoring in each of the White Sox's first 17 games. The modern and AL record for consecutive games with a run scored is 18 held by Red Rolfe
(1939) and Kenny Lofton
(2000). For the season, Thome hit 42 homers, batted in 109 runs, and hit .288. He also struck out 30.0% of the time, the highest percentage in the American League.
On May 1, 2006, Thome returned to Cleveland to play his first game as a visitor at Jacobs Field
. The "loud boos Thome heard in each of his six at-bats" were in "sharp contrast" to the "exhilarating reaction Johnny Damon
received from Red Sox Nation
upon his return to Fenway Park
with the Yankees
."
On April 15, 2007, Thome was one of three White Sox players (also two coaches) who wore jersey number 42 in recognition of the 60th anniversary of Jackie Robinson
's Major League debut in the White Sox vs. Indians game in Cleveland
. Thome pinch-hit for Brian Anderson
in the ninth inning and hit an infield
single. Alex Cintron
, also wearing 42, pinch ran for Thome.
On September 16, 2007, Thome hit his 500th career home run off Los Angeles Angels pitcher Dustin Moseley
. The home run was a walk-off
in the bottom of the ninth inning with one man on base, which gave the White Sox a 9–7 victory. Thome became the 23rd major leaguer to reach the milestone and the third in the 2007 season (the others were Frank Thomas and Alex Rodriguez
) as well as the first ever to do it with a walk-off shot.
25 members of Thome's family and friends were in attendance to witness his milestone, including his father and wife. The game in which Thome hit the home run was also the Jim Thome bobblehead giveaway day at U.S. Cellular Field
. Thome rounded the bases pointing upward in homage to his mother, who died from breast cancer in January 2005.
On June 4, 2008, Thome hit a 464 foot home run—the ninth longest home run in U.S. Cellular Field history—against Kansas City Royals
pitcher Luke Hochevar
in a 6–4 White Sox victory. On August 14 of that year, Thome hit the first of four consecutive home runs by the White Sox. On September 30, he hit a solo shot in the AL Central Tiebreaker game
which proved to be the difference as the White Sox defeated the Minnesota Twins 1–0.
Thome's hitting continued to be strong in 2009, and on June 1, he hit his 550th career home run in a win against the Oakland A's. On July 17, 2009, Thome hit a grand slam and a three-run homer in the same game for a career-high seven RBIs. On August 15, Thome passed Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson
and moved up to 11th on the all time home run list with 564 home runs.
with cash for minor league infielder Justin Fuller. Thome's only appearances with the Dodgers were as a pinch hitter
. He had four hits in seventeen at-bats with the Dodgers.
When the Twins opened their new ballpark, Target Field
, on April 12, 2010 in Minneapolis, Thome, for the third time in his career, was a part of an organization that celebrated the grand opening of a brand new home ballpark. The other two openings he was part of were the 1994 Cleveland Indians as they opened Jacobs Field
(now known as Progressive Field) and the 2004 Philadelphia Phillies
as they opened Citizens Bank Park
. He hit his first homer with the Twins on April 8, 2010, during the Twins' season-opening road trip. Thome hit his first triple since 2004 on June 28, 2010, in a home game.
On July 3, 2010, Thome hit his 573rd and 574th Home Runs. In doing so he displaced fellow Twins player Harmon Killebrew
as the #10 all-time home run hitter. The game was stopped and the Twins played a pre-recorded message from Harmon Killebrew congratulating Thome on the achievement during which he said, "...I'm glad he was able to hit it in a Twins uniform. I only wish I could have been there to see it."
On August 17, 2010, Thome hit the first walk-off hit in Target Field, a 445-foot 2-run home run in the bottom of the 10th inning against the Chicago White Sox
reliever Matt Thornton
. It was the 12th walk-off home run of his career, tying him for first all time with Jimmie Foxx
, Mickey Mantle
, Stan Musial
, Frank Robinson
, and Babe Ruth
. On September 4, 2010, Thome again hit two home runs in a single game to tie and then pass Mark McGwire
for the 9th spot on the career home run list. Thome passed Frank Robinson
on September 11, 2010 when he hit his 587th career home run in the top of the 12th inning in Cleveland. The home run was the only run scored in the game.
Thome finished the 2010 season with a .283 average, 25 home runs and 59 runs batted in. Statistically, in terms of power measurements such as slugging percentage and at bats per home run, it was the best season for Thome since 2002.
On January 14, 2011, Thome accepted a one-year, $3 million contract with incentives to continue playing for the Twins.
On July 17, 2011, Thome hit the longest home run in Target Field for his 596th. The ball went high into the right-center-field upper deck at an estimated distance of 490 feet.
On August 15, 2011, Thome hit his 599th and 600th career home runs (in two straight at bats) off of Rick Porcello
and Daniel Schlereth
respectively, against the Detroit Tigers
at Comerica Park
. This made him only the eighth baseball player to have achieved that feat.
Through 2011, Thome was second among all active major leaguers in home runs (604; behind Alex Rodriguez
) and RBIs (1,674; behind A-Rod), and fifth in career slugging percentage (.556; behind Albert Pujols
, Alex Rodriguez
, Ryan Braun
, and Ryan Howard
).
. He mentioned in his news conference that coming back to Philadelphia was a "no-brainer". He also mentioned that, in light of the achilles injury to Ryan Howard, he would "spend the offseason preparing himself to play first base once or twice a week", despite not playing in the field since 2003.
for a power hitter (his career batting average is .277), and ability to get on base. Despite this, he is still very prone to striking out. He is 2nd on the all-time list of strikeouts by a batter, and the active leader in that category, with 2,487, second only to Reggie Jackson
by only 110. Thome also has 1,708 walks. Only 7 other major league players have more career walks than Thome.
Thome has been named Player of the Month three times: July 2001, September 2003 and June 2004. He is one of only six players to be named Player of the Month in each league (Vladimir Guerrero
, Fred McGriff
, Mark McGwire
, Gaylord Perry
and Dave Winfield
are the others).
Jim Thome has the fifth-lowest career AB/HR (at bats per home run) average in major-league history. His 13.68 is eclipsed only by Mark McGwire (10.61), Babe Ruth (11.76), Ryan Howard (12.16), and Barry Bonds (12.90). Stretching behind Thome, all with averages greater than 14, are such hall-of-famers as Ralph Kiner
, Harmon Killebrew
, Ted Williams
, Mickey Mantle
, Jimmie Foxx
, and Mike Schmidt
, in that order.
Although once a fine first baseman
, with a career fielding percentage
of .994, injuries have hampered Thome so that he is almost completely limited to the DH position
. Thome played one game at first base for the Chicago White Sox
in 2007
, but he has not played the field since aside from a one-pitch appearance at third base on Sunday, September 25, 2011 at Progressive Field versus the Minnesota Twins.
in Bartonville, Illinois
and Illinois Central College
, the local community college
. Thome lives in Peoria, Illinois
during the offseason.
On November 16, 2007, Thome and his wife, Andrea, had a second child, son Landon. They have a daughter, Lila Grace.
On Mother's Day
, May 14, 2006, Thome was one of more than 50 hitters who brandished a pink bat
to benefit the Susan G. Komen for the Cure
foundation.
Thome is putting all 10 of his nieces and nephews through college. It was reported on ESPN
's SportsCenter
that shortly after his nephew, Brandon, was paralyzed in a tragic accident, he asked Jim to hit a home run for him; not only did Thome fulfill the request but he hit two homers in the game. In a 2007 poll of 464 Major League Baseball players, he was voted the second friendliest player in a tie with Mike Sweeney
.
Peoria, Illinois
Peoria is the largest city on the Illinois River and the county seat of Peoria County, Illinois, in the United States. It is named after the Peoria tribe. As of the 2010 census, the city was the seventh-most populated in Illinois, with a population of 115,007, and is the third-most populated...
) is a Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
player for the Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
. He is the eighth player to hit 600 home runs in the major leagues. He is widely considered a future Hall of Famer.
Cleveland Indians (1991–2002)
Thome was originally drafted by the Cleveland IndiansCleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
in the 13th round of the 1989 Major League Baseball Draft
1989 Major League Baseball Draft
-First round selections:The following are the first round picks in the 1989 Major League Baseball draft.-Supplemental first round selections:-External links:*...
. While in the minors, he got into a fight with future Major League star Chipper Jones
Chipper Jones
Larry Wayne "Chipper" Jones, Jr. is a Major League baseball player for the National League's Atlanta Braves. Although initially a shortstop, he has spent most of his career as the starting third baseman for the Braves...
. Thome and Jones would later become good friends. Thome made his Major League debut on September 4, 1991 as a third baseman
Third baseman
A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run...
against the Minnesota Twins
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
. He was 2 for 4 in that game, with his first hit coming off pitcher Tom Edens
Tom Edens
Thomas Patrick Edens is a former Major League Baseball player. Edens was drafted 14th overall by the Kansas City Royals in 1983 and pitched all or part of seven seasons in the majors between and for six different teams.His best year was 1992 with the Minnesota Twins as a middle reliever, when he...
in the fourth inning. He hit his first career home run on October 4 against New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
pitcher Steve Farr
Steve Farr
Steven Michael Farr , is a former professional baseball player who pitched primarily as a closer in the Major Leagues from 1984-1994. Farr attended DeMatha High School outside of Washington, D.C. and then American University. He gave up Jim Thome's first home run of his career.-External links:*...
.
Originally a third baseman, he was shifted to first base when the Indians traded for Matt Williams in 1997.
At the plate, Thome hit 25 home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s and 73 runs batted in with a .314 batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
in 1995. Thome then hit 38 home runs in 1996 and 40 in 1997. Thome soon became a prolific home run hitter, once hitting a 511-foot (156 m) shot at Cleveland's Progressive Field (then known as Jacobs Field). It is the longest home run ever recorded at a Cleveland ballpark. He hit 49 home runs with the Indians in 2001, followed by a career-high 52 homers in 2002.
Thome has been nicknamed "The Thomenator," "The Pride of Peoria," and more recently as a member of the White Sox "Mr. Incredible"." Wildly beloved by Indians fans, a Plain Dealer fan poll in 2003 named Thome the most popular athlete in Cleveland sports history. Some of Thome's trademarks are his high socks that he helped make popular again in the mid-'90s, at a time when players wore their pant cuffs down around their ankles and his batting stance in which he holds the bat out with his right hand and points it at right field before the pitcher comes set, a gesture he borrowed from "The Whammer" in the film The Natural
The Natural (film)
The Natural is a 1984 film adaptation of Bernard Malamud's 1952 baseball novel of the same name, directed by Barry Levinson and starring Robert Redford, Glenn Close and Robert Duvall...
.
Philadelphia Phillies (2003–2005)
After the 2002 season, Thome accepted a six-year $85 million offer from the Philadelphia PhilliesPhiladelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
. Thome hit 47 home runs in his first season with the Phillies to finish one behind Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt
Mike Schmidt
Michael Jack Schmidt is a Hall of Fame third baseman popularly considered among the greatest third basemen in the history of Major League Baseball. He played his entire career for the Philadelphia Phillies....
's single-season team record of 48 in 1980. Thome was tied with Alex Rodriguez
Alex Rodriguez
Alexander Emmanuel "Alex" Rodriguez is an American professional baseball third baseman with the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball. Known popularly by his nickname A-Rod, he previously played shortstop for the Seattle Mariners and the Texas Rangers.Rodriguez is considered one of the best...
for the MLB lead in homers in 2003, and both received the Babe Ruth Home Run Award
Babe Ruth Home Run Award
The Babe Ruth Home Run Award is an annual award presented to the previous season's leading home run hitter in Major League Baseball .. The award is named after the legendary Babe Ruth, who led the American League in homers 12 times. It was first awarded to Mark McGwire after his record-setting...
.
On June 14, 2004, Thome hit his 400th career home run off of Jose Acevedo
José Acevedo
José Omar Acevedo is a retired right-handed Major League Baseball pitcher who last played for the Baltimore Orioles organization. Acevedo played previously with the Cincinnati Reds from - and the Colorado Rockies from to . In his five-year career, Acevedo has a career record of 18-25 with an ERA...
to the left-center field seats at Citizens Bank Park
Citizens Bank Park
Citizens Bank Park is a 43,647-seat baseball park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, part of the South Philadelphia Sports Complex, and home of the Philadelphia Phillies. Citizens Bank Park opened on April 3, 2004, and hosted its first regular season baseball game on April 12 of the same year, with the...
, surpassing Al Kaline
Al Kaline
Albert William "Al" Kaline is a former Major League Baseball right fielder. He is a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. Kaline played his entire 22-year baseball career with the Detroit Tigers. Kaline still works for the Tigers as a front office official. Because of his lengthy career and...
for 37th on the all-time home run list. He ended the 2004 season with 42 homers, giving him 423 for his career, which placed him 35th on the career list.
2005 in baseball
-Headline events of the year:*Chicago White Sox swept the Houston Astros to win the 2005 World Series.*2005 also marked the inaugural season of the Washington Nationals, who relocated from Montreal and were formerly known as the Expos....
, where he hit only .207 with seven home runs and 30 RBI going into the All-Star break. He had season-ending surgery on his right elbow in August. Ryan Howard
Ryan Howard
Ryan James Howard is a Major League Baseball first baseman for the Philadelphia Phillies. Nicknamed "The Big Piece", Howard stands and weighs . He bats and throws left-handed....
proved to be a very successful replacement at first base in the 2005 season, leading all National League rookies in home runs (22) and winning the NL Rookie of the Year award.
The emergence of Ryan Howard made Thome expendable to the Phillies. On November 25, 2005, only days after new GM Pat Gillick took the reigns of the team, Thome was traded to the Chicago White Sox along with $22.0 million. The White Sox sent CF Aaron Rowand
Aaron Rowand
Aaron Ryan Rowand is an outfielder in Major League Baseball who has played for the San Francisco Giants, Chicago White Sox and the Philadelphia Phillies. He was released by the Giants in September 2011.-Early life and college career:...
and minor league pitching prospects Gio Gonzalez
Gio Gonzalez
Giovany A. Gonzalez is a left-handed Major League Baseball pitcher for the Oakland Athletics.-Early life:...
and Daniel Haigwood to Philadelphia in return.
Chicago White Sox (2006–2009)
Thome became the White Sox's regular designated hitterDesignated hitter
In baseball, the designated hitter rule is the common name for Major League Baseball Rule 6.10, an official position adopted by the American League in 1973 that allows teams to designate a player, known as the designated hitter , to bat in place of the pitcher each time he would otherwise come to...
in April 2006 and flourished in his first season in Chicago. In April, he set the team record for most home runs in the month of April (10), beating Frank Thomas's record by one. He also set a major league record by scoring in each of the White Sox's first 17 games. The modern and AL record for consecutive games with a run scored is 18 held by Red Rolfe
Red Rolfe
Robert Abial "Red" Rolfe was an American third baseman, manager and front-office executive in Major League Baseball. A native of Penacook, New Hampshire, he is one of the most prominent players to come from the Granite State...
(1939) and Kenny Lofton
Kenny Lofton
Kenneth Lofton is a former Major League Baseball outfielder known for his great speed on the base paths as well as in the field, award-winning defensive play , timely hitting, and playful spirit. He batted and threw left-handed...
(2000). For the season, Thome hit 42 homers, batted in 109 runs, and hit .288. He also struck out 30.0% of the time, the highest percentage in the American League.
On May 1, 2006, Thome returned to Cleveland to play his first game as a visitor at Jacobs Field
Jacobs Field
Progressive Field is a ballpark located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, and is the home of the Cleveland Indians of Major League Baseball and the American League. Along with Quicken Loans Arena, it is part of the Gateway Sports and Entertainment Complex...
. The "loud boos Thome heard in each of his six at-bats" were in "sharp contrast" to the "exhilarating reaction Johnny Damon
Johnny Damon
Johnny David Damon is an American professional baseball outfielder and designated hitter. From 2000–2008, he was third among active players in runs and seventh in hits and stolen bases . He is currently second among active leaders in triples , five behind Carl Crawford...
received from Red Sox Nation
Red Sox Nation
Red Sox Nation refers to the fans of the Boston Red Sox. The phrase "Red Sox Nation" was first coined by Boston Globe feature writer Nathan Cobb in an October 20, 1986, article about split allegiances among fans in Connecticut during the 1986 World Series between the Red Sox and the New York...
upon his return to Fenway Park
Fenway Park
Fenway Park is a baseball park near Kenmore Square in Boston, Massachusetts. Located at 4 Yawkey Way, it has served as the home ballpark of the Boston Red Sox baseball club since it opened in 1912, and is the oldest Major League Baseball stadium currently in use. It is one of two "classic"...
with the Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
."
On April 15, 2007, Thome was one of three White Sox players (also two coaches) who wore jersey number 42 in recognition of the 60th anniversary of Jackie Robinson
Jackie Robinson
Jack Roosevelt "Jackie" Robinson was the first black Major League Baseball player of the modern era. Robinson broke the baseball color line when he debuted with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947...
's Major League debut in the White Sox vs. Indians game in Cleveland
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
. Thome pinch-hit for Brian Anderson
Brian Anderson (outfielder)
Brian Nikola Anderson is an American professional baseball player who is currently a free agent. He has played all or part of five seasons in Major League Baseball with the Chicago White Sox and Boston Red Sox as an outfielder, a position he played professionally until before the 2010 season...
in the ninth inning and hit an infield
Infield
Infield is a widely used term in sports terminology, its meaning depends on the sport in which it is used.- In baseball :In baseball the baseball diamond plus a region beyond it , has both grass and dirt, in contrast to the more distant, usually grass-covered outfield...
single. Alex Cintron
Alex Cintrón
Alexander Cintrón is a former Major League Baseball infielder who played for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Chicago White Sox, Baltimore Orioles and Washington Nationals. His last Major League game was in April 2009...
, also wearing 42, pinch ran for Thome.
Dustin Moseley
Dustin Aaron Moseley is an American Major League Baseball pitcher for the San Diego Padres.-Career:Moseley was selected by the Cincinnati Reds in the first round of the 2000 Major League Baseball Draft. Prior to the season, he was ranked by Baseball America as the fourth best prospect in the...
. The home run was a walk-off
Walk-off home run
In baseball, a walk-off home run is a home run that ends the game. It must be a home run that gives the home team the lead in the bottom of the final inning of the game—either the ninth inning, or any extra inning, or any other regularly scheduled final inning...
in the bottom of the ninth inning with one man on base, which gave the White Sox a 9–7 victory. Thome became the 23rd major leaguer to reach the milestone and the third in the 2007 season (the others were Frank Thomas and Alex Rodriguez
Alex Rodriguez
Alexander Emmanuel "Alex" Rodriguez is an American professional baseball third baseman with the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball. Known popularly by his nickname A-Rod, he previously played shortstop for the Seattle Mariners and the Texas Rangers.Rodriguez is considered one of the best...
) as well as the first ever to do it with a walk-off shot.
25 members of Thome's family and friends were in attendance to witness his milestone, including his father and wife. The game in which Thome hit the home run was also the Jim Thome bobblehead giveaway day at U.S. Cellular Field
U.S. Cellular Field
U.S. Cellular Field is a baseball ballpark in Chicago, Illinois. Owned by the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority, it is the home of the Chicago White Sox of Major League Baseball's American League. The park opened for the 1991 season, after the White Sox had spent 81 years at old Comiskey Park...
. Thome rounded the bases pointing upward in homage to his mother, who died from breast cancer in January 2005.
On June 4, 2008, Thome hit a 464 foot home run—the ninth longest home run in U.S. Cellular Field history—against Kansas City Royals
Kansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals are a Major League Baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From 1973 to the present, the Royals have played in Kauffman Stadium...
pitcher Luke Hochevar
Luke Hochevar
Luke Anthony Hochevar is an American professional baseball starting pitcher for the Kansas City Royals organization of Major League Baseball. He is an alumnus of the University of Tennessee.He throws and bats right-handed.-High school:...
in a 6–4 White Sox victory. On August 14 of that year, Thome hit the first of four consecutive home runs by the White Sox. On September 30, he hit a solo shot in the AL Central Tiebreaker game
2008 American League Central tie-breaker game
The 2008 American League Central tie-breaker game was a one-game playoff for Major League Baseball's American League Central division. The game took place on September 30, 2008 between the Chicago White Sox and Minnesota Twins at US Cellular Field. It was necessary after both teams finished the...
which proved to be the difference as the White Sox defeated the Minnesota Twins 1–0.
Thome's hitting continued to be strong in 2009, and on June 1, he hit his 550th career home run in a win against the Oakland A's. On July 17, 2009, Thome hit a grand slam and a three-run homer in the same game for a career-high seven RBIs. On August 15, Thome passed Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson
Reggie Jackson
Reginald Martinez "Reggie" Jackson , nicknamed "Mr. October" for his clutch hitting in the postseason with the New York Yankees, is a former American Major League Baseball right fielder. During a 21-year baseball career, he played from 1967-1987 for four different teams. Jackson currently serves as...
and moved up to 11th on the all time home run list with 564 home runs.
Los Angeles Dodgers (2009)
On August 31, 2009, Thome was traded to the Los Angeles DodgersLos Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
with cash for minor league infielder Justin Fuller. Thome's only appearances with the Dodgers were as a pinch hitter
Pinch hitter
In baseball, a pinch hitter is a substitute batter. Batters can be substituted at any time while the ball is dead ; the manager may use any player that has not yet entered the game as a substitute...
. He had four hits in seventeen at-bats with the Dodgers.
Minnesota Twins (2010–2011)
Target Field
Target Field is a baseball park located in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the home ballpark of the Minnesota Twins, the city's Major League Baseball franchise. It is the franchise's sixth ballpark and third in Minnesota. The Twins moved to Target Field for the 2010 Major League Baseball...
, on April 12, 2010 in Minneapolis, Thome, for the third time in his career, was a part of an organization that celebrated the grand opening of a brand new home ballpark. The other two openings he was part of were the 1994 Cleveland Indians as they opened Jacobs Field
Jacobs Field
Progressive Field is a ballpark located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, and is the home of the Cleveland Indians of Major League Baseball and the American League. Along with Quicken Loans Arena, it is part of the Gateway Sports and Entertainment Complex...
(now known as Progressive Field) and the 2004 Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
as they opened Citizens Bank Park
Citizens Bank Park
Citizens Bank Park is a 43,647-seat baseball park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, part of the South Philadelphia Sports Complex, and home of the Philadelphia Phillies. Citizens Bank Park opened on April 3, 2004, and hosted its first regular season baseball game on April 12 of the same year, with the...
. He hit his first homer with the Twins on April 8, 2010, during the Twins' season-opening road trip. Thome hit his first triple since 2004 on June 28, 2010, in a home game.
On July 3, 2010, Thome hit his 573rd and 574th Home Runs. In doing so he displaced fellow Twins player Harmon Killebrew
Harmon Killebrew
Harmon Clayton Killebrew , nicknamed "Killer" and "Hammerin' Harmon", was an American professional baseball first baseman, third baseman, and left fielder. During his 22-year career in Major League Baseball , he played for the Washington Senators, a team which later became the Minnesota Twins, and...
as the #10 all-time home run hitter. The game was stopped and the Twins played a pre-recorded message from Harmon Killebrew congratulating Thome on the achievement during which he said, "...I'm glad he was able to hit it in a Twins uniform. I only wish I could have been there to see it."
On August 17, 2010, Thome hit the first walk-off hit in Target Field, a 445-foot 2-run home run in the bottom of the 10th inning against the Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
reliever Matt Thornton
Matt Thornton
Matthew J. Thornton , is a left-handed Major League Baseball relief pitcher for the Chicago White Sox. Before the season, Thornton was with the Seattle Mariners.-College and minor league baseball:...
. It was the 12th walk-off home run of his career, tying him for first all time with Jimmie Foxx
Jimmie Foxx
James Emory "Jimmie" Foxx , nicknamed "Double X" and "The Beast", was a right-handed American Major League Baseball first baseman and noted power hitter....
, Mickey Mantle
Mickey Mantle
Mickey Charles Mantle was an American professional baseball player. Mantle is regarded by many to be the greatest switch hitter of all time, and one of the greatest players in baseball history. Mantle was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974.Mantle was noted for his hitting...
, Stan Musial
Stan Musial
Stanley Frank "Stan" Musial is a retired professional baseball player who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball for the St. Louis Cardinals . Nicknamed "Stan the Man", Musial was a record 24-time All-Star selection , and is widely considered to be one of the greatest hitters in baseball...
, Frank Robinson
Frank Robinson
Frank Robinson , is a former Major League Baseball outfielder and manager. He played from 1956–1976, most notably for the Cincinnati Reds and the Baltimore Orioles. He is the only player to win league MVP honors in both the National and American Leagues...
, and Babe Ruth
Babe Ruth
George Herman Ruth, Jr. , best known as "Babe" Ruth and nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Sultan of Swat", was an American Major League baseball player from 1914–1935...
. On September 4, 2010, Thome again hit two home runs in a single game to tie and then pass Mark McGwire
Mark McGwire
Mark David McGwire , nicknamed "Big Mac", is an American former professional baseball player who played his major league career with the Oakland Athletics and the St. Louis Cardinals. He is currently the hitting coach for the St...
for the 9th spot on the career home run list. Thome passed Frank Robinson
Frank Robinson
Frank Robinson , is a former Major League Baseball outfielder and manager. He played from 1956–1976, most notably for the Cincinnati Reds and the Baltimore Orioles. He is the only player to win league MVP honors in both the National and American Leagues...
on September 11, 2010 when he hit his 587th career home run in the top of the 12th inning in Cleveland. The home run was the only run scored in the game.
Thome finished the 2010 season with a .283 average, 25 home runs and 59 runs batted in. Statistically, in terms of power measurements such as slugging percentage and at bats per home run, it was the best season for Thome since 2002.
On January 14, 2011, Thome accepted a one-year, $3 million contract with incentives to continue playing for the Twins.
On July 17, 2011, Thome hit the longest home run in Target Field for his 596th. The ball went high into the right-center-field upper deck at an estimated distance of 490 feet.
On August 15, 2011, Thome hit his 599th and 600th career home runs (in two straight at bats) off of Rick Porcello
Rick Porcello
Frederick Alfred "Rick" Porcello III is an American professional baseball pitcher with the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball....
and Daniel Schlereth
Daniel Schlereth
Daniel Robert Schlereth is a Major League Baseball pitcher for the Detroit Tigers.-Early years:Schlereth was born in Anchorage, Alaska, before moving to Highlands Ranch, Colorado. He is a graduate of Highlands Ranch High School. During his senior year, he struck out a school record 19 batters in a...
respectively, against the Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
at Comerica Park
Comerica Park
Comerica Park is an open-air ballpark located in downtown Detroit, Michigan. It serves as the home of the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball's American League, replacing historic Tiger Stadium in 2000....
. This made him only the eighth baseball player to have achieved that feat.
Return to Cleveland (2011)
On August 25, 2011, Thome was traded to the Cleveland Indians, for a player to be named later or cash, after being claimed off waivers a day before. The player to be named later or cash was agreed to be $20,000 on September 18, 2011. On September 23, the team held a ceremony honouring Thome, including the unveiling of plans for a statue of him in Heritage Park.Through 2011, Thome was second among all active major leaguers in home runs (604; behind Alex Rodriguez
Alex Rodriguez
Alexander Emmanuel "Alex" Rodriguez is an American professional baseball third baseman with the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball. Known popularly by his nickname A-Rod, he previously played shortstop for the Seattle Mariners and the Texas Rangers.Rodriguez is considered one of the best...
) and RBIs (1,674; behind A-Rod), and fifth in career slugging percentage (.556; behind Albert Pujols
Albert Pujols
José Alberto Pujols Alcántara , better known as Albert Pujols , is a Dominican-American professional baseball player, who is currently a free agent...
, Alex Rodriguez
Alex Rodriguez
Alexander Emmanuel "Alex" Rodriguez is an American professional baseball third baseman with the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball. Known popularly by his nickname A-Rod, he previously played shortstop for the Seattle Mariners and the Texas Rangers.Rodriguez is considered one of the best...
, Ryan Braun
Ryan Braun
Ryan Joseph Braun is an American right-handed Major League Baseball left fielder for the Milwaukee Brewers. A perennial standout, he was ranked No...
, and Ryan Howard
Ryan Howard
Ryan James Howard is a Major League Baseball first baseman for the Philadelphia Phillies. Nicknamed "The Big Piece", Howard stands and weighs . He bats and throws left-handed....
).
Return to Philadelphia (2012–)
On November 4, 2011, Jim Thome agreed to a one year, $1.25 million deal with the Philadelphia PhilliesPhiladelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
. He mentioned in his news conference that coming back to Philadelphia was a "no-brainer". He also mentioned that, in light of the achilles injury to Ryan Howard, he would "spend the offseason preparing himself to play first base once or twice a week", despite not playing in the field since 2003.
Career summary
In his career to date (through mid-2011 season), Thome has a .558 slugging percentage, a .403 on-base percentage, and a 147 OPS+ (on-base percentage plus slugging, adjusting for park and league factors). His OPS+ ranks 41st in baseball history. He is considered one of the most complete power hitters of his era due to his ability to create extra base hits, maintain a solid batting averageBatting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
for a power hitter (his career batting average is .277), and ability to get on base. Despite this, he is still very prone to striking out. He is 2nd on the all-time list of strikeouts by a batter, and the active leader in that category, with 2,487, second only to Reggie Jackson
Reggie Jackson
Reginald Martinez "Reggie" Jackson , nicknamed "Mr. October" for his clutch hitting in the postseason with the New York Yankees, is a former American Major League Baseball right fielder. During a 21-year baseball career, he played from 1967-1987 for four different teams. Jackson currently serves as...
by only 110. Thome also has 1,708 walks. Only 7 other major league players have more career walks than Thome.
Thome has been named Player of the Month three times: July 2001, September 2003 and June 2004. He is one of only six players to be named Player of the Month in each league (Vladimir Guerrero
Vladimir Guerrero
Vladimir Alvino Guerrero is a free agent Major League Baseball right fielder and designated hitter.In , he was voted the American League MVP...
, Fred McGriff
Fred McGriff
Frederick Stanley McGriff is a left-handed former Major League Baseball player who starred for several teams from the mid-1980s until the early 2000s. A power-hitting first baseman with a tall, lanky build, the five-time All-Star became, in , the first player since the dead-ball era to lead both...
, Mark McGwire
Mark McGwire
Mark David McGwire , nicknamed "Big Mac", is an American former professional baseball player who played his major league career with the Oakland Athletics and the St. Louis Cardinals. He is currently the hitting coach for the St...
, Gaylord Perry
Gaylord Perry
Gaylord Jackson Perry is a former Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. He pitched from 1962-1983 for eight different teams in his career. During a 22-year baseball career, Perry compiled 314 wins, 3,534 strikeouts, and a 3.11 earned run average...
and Dave Winfield
Dave Winfield
David Mark Winfield is an American former Major League Baseball outfielder. He is currently Executive Vice President/Senior Advisor of the San Diego Padres and an analyst for the ESPN program Baseball Tonight...
are the others).
Jim Thome has the fifth-lowest career AB/HR (at bats per home run) average in major-league history. His 13.68 is eclipsed only by Mark McGwire (10.61), Babe Ruth (11.76), Ryan Howard (12.16), and Barry Bonds (12.90). Stretching behind Thome, all with averages greater than 14, are such hall-of-famers as Ralph Kiner
Ralph Kiner
Ralph McPherran Kiner is an American former Major League Baseball player and has been an announcer for the New York Mets since the team's inception. Though injuries forced his retirement from active play after 10 seasons, Kiner's tremendous slugging outpaced nearly all of his National League...
, Harmon Killebrew
Harmon Killebrew
Harmon Clayton Killebrew , nicknamed "Killer" and "Hammerin' Harmon", was an American professional baseball first baseman, third baseman, and left fielder. During his 22-year career in Major League Baseball , he played for the Washington Senators, a team which later became the Minnesota Twins, and...
, Ted Williams
Ted Williams
Theodore Samuel "Ted" Williams was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played his entire 21-year Major League Baseball career as the left fielder for the Boston Red Sox...
, Mickey Mantle
Mickey Mantle
Mickey Charles Mantle was an American professional baseball player. Mantle is regarded by many to be the greatest switch hitter of all time, and one of the greatest players in baseball history. Mantle was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974.Mantle was noted for his hitting...
, Jimmie Foxx
Jimmie Foxx
James Emory "Jimmie" Foxx , nicknamed "Double X" and "The Beast", was a right-handed American Major League Baseball first baseman and noted power hitter....
, and Mike Schmidt
Mike Schmidt
Michael Jack Schmidt is a Hall of Fame third baseman popularly considered among the greatest third basemen in the history of Major League Baseball. He played his entire career for the Philadelphia Phillies....
, in that order.
Although once a fine first baseman
First baseman
First base, or 1B, is the first of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a baserunner in order to score a run for that player's team...
, with a career fielding percentage
Fielding percentage
In baseball statistics, fielding percentage, also known as fielding average, is a measure that reflects the percentage of times a defensive player properly handles a batted or thrown ball...
of .994, injuries have hampered Thome so that he is almost completely limited to the DH position
Designated hitter
In baseball, the designated hitter rule is the common name for Major League Baseball Rule 6.10, an official position adopted by the American League in 1973 that allows teams to designate a player, known as the designated hitter , to bat in place of the pitcher each time he would otherwise come to...
. Thome played one game at first base for the Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
in 2007
2007 Chicago White Sox season
The Chicago White Sox' 2007 season started off with the White Sox trying to re-claim the AL Central title, an achievement they last achieved in 2005, when they went on the win the 2005 World Series. They failed to win consecutive AL Central championships when the Minnesota Twins won it in 2006. ...
, but he has not played the field since aside from a one-pitch appearance at third base on Sunday, September 25, 2011 at Progressive Field versus the Minnesota Twins.
Baseball and personal life
Thome attended Limestone Community High SchoolLimestone Community High School District 310
Limestone Community High School is a public high school in Bartonville, Peoria County, Illinois. The school is at the corner of Airport and Pfeiffer Roads, has around 1500 students, and is in the Mid-Illini Conference...
in Bartonville, Illinois
Bartonville, Illinois
Bartonville is a village in Peoria County, Illinois, United States. The population was 6,310 at the 2000 census. Bartonville is a suburb of Peoria and is part of the Peoria, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
and Illinois Central College
Illinois Central College
Illinois Central College, often called ICC, is a large Illinois community college with its largest campus in East Peoria, Illinois, off Illinois State Route 116 near U.S. Route 150 and the McClugage Bridge...
, the local community college
Community college
A community college is a type of educational institution. The term can have different meanings in different countries.-Australia:Community colleges carry on the tradition of adult education, which was established in Australia around mid 19th century when evening classes were held to help adults...
. Thome lives in Peoria, Illinois
Peoria, Illinois
Peoria is the largest city on the Illinois River and the county seat of Peoria County, Illinois, in the United States. It is named after the Peoria tribe. As of the 2010 census, the city was the seventh-most populated in Illinois, with a population of 115,007, and is the third-most populated...
during the offseason.
On November 16, 2007, Thome and his wife, Andrea, had a second child, son Landon. They have a daughter, Lila Grace.
On Mother's Day
Mother's Day (United States)
In the United States, Mother's Day is an annual holiday celebrated on the second Sunday in May. Mother's Day recognizes mothers, motherhood and maternal bonds in general, as well the positive contributions that they make to society....
, May 14, 2006, Thome was one of more than 50 hitters who brandished a pink bat
Pink bat
In baseball, pink bats are limited-supply baseball bats manufactured by Louisville Slugger for use by select Major League Baseball players on Mother's Day, first introduced in 2006 in association with the Susan G. Komen for the Cure organization...
to benefit the Susan G. Komen for the Cure
Susan G. Komen for the Cure
Susan G. Komen for the Cure, formerly known as The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, often referred to as simply Komen, is the most widely known, largest and best-funded breast cancer organization in the US....
foundation.
Thome is putting all 10 of his nieces and nephews through college. It was reported on ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
's SportsCenter
SportsCenter
SportsCenter is a daily sports news television show, and the flagship program of American cable network ESPN since the network launched on September 7, 1979. Originally broadcast only daily, SportsCenter is now shown up to twelve times a day, replaying the day's scores and highlights from major...
that shortly after his nephew, Brandon, was paralyzed in a tragic accident, he asked Jim to hit a home run for him; not only did Thome fulfill the request but he hit two homers in the game. In a 2007 poll of 464 Major League Baseball players, he was voted the second friendliest player in a tie with Mike Sweeney
Mike Sweeney
Michael John "Mike" Sweeney is a former Major League Baseball first baseman. Sweeney played his first 13 seasons in the majors with the Kansas City Royals, originally as a catcher and then moving to first base. Sweeney has also played for the Oakland Athletics, Seattle Mariners, and Philadelphia...
.
See also
- List of Major League Baseball players with 2000 hits
- List of Major League Baseball players with 1000 RBI
- List of Major League Baseball players with 1000 runs
- 50 home run club50 home run clubIn Major League Baseball, the 50 home run club is an informal term applied to the group of players who have hit 50 or more home runs in a single season. The 50 Home Run Club was "founded" by Babe Ruth in 1920...
- 500 home run club500 home run clubIn Major League Baseball , the 500 home run club is a term applied to the group of batters who have hit 500 or more regular-season home runs in their careers. On August 11, 1929, Babe Ruth became the first member of the club. Ruth ended his career with 714 home runs, a record which stood from 1935...
- List of lifetime home run leaders through history
- List of top 300 Major League Baseball home run hitters
- List of Major League Baseball Home Run Records
- List of Major League Baseball home run champions