Jim Thome Hits 600th Home Run: 'Is He a Hall of Famer?'
Jim Thome hit the 600th home run of his career during the seventh inning against the Detroit Tigers on Monday. The three-shot-run marked a monumental moment in Thome’s career and has everyone asking, “Is he a Hall of Famer?”
Thome hit his 600th home run just one inning after he hit number 599, helping the Twins beat the Tigers 9-6. He is the eighth major league player to reach that apex. Thome follows Babe Ruth who touched No. 600 in 6,921 at-bats.
Thome did it in 8,167 – holding the second fewest at-bats ever.
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“You sit in bed at night and you think about how’s it going to be, how are you going to do this? It goes back to trying to slow yourself down and not being too antsy, too hyped up,” he told AP.
The Detroit crowd gave Thome a standing ovation as he rounded the bases after his landmark homer. The scoreboard blinked a congratulatory message and the Minnesota Twins came out of the dugout to commend their teammate.
When asked if Cooperstown is his next stop, Thome replied, “I don’t know. That’s not for me to decide.”
"That would be a dream. It's pretty special. I don't think it's really hit home. To be mentioned and have the Hall of Fame mentioned, that's just very, very special. That's just really cool,” he told AP.
The 600 club had only three members until 2002 – Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, and Willie Mays. Since then Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, Ken Griffey Jr., Alex Rodriguez and now Jim Thome have joined the ranking.
Thome, however, has essentially avoided suspicion of using performance-enhancing drugs, unlike Bonds, Sosa, and Rodriguez.
"You look at how long he's played in the game and when you're able to do something like that, it's preparation, taking care of yourself," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire told AP.
According to Gardenhire, it becomes harder to “motivate” your body the older you get, “but to watch him get himself motivated and get himself up to be able to do these things, hopefully a lot of our guys can learn a lot,” the AP reported Gardenhire saying.
Thome’s record speaks for itself with 1,710 walks, .403 on-base percentage, and .277 batting average. Tigers manager Jim Leyland told AP, “Certainly that’s a Hall of Fame achievement. He’s just a Hall of Fame guy, and a Hall of Fame player.”
