Jim Thome hits 600th Career Home Run

Minnesota Twins designated hitter Jim Thome has been slowly clawing his way towards the 600 career home run milestone all season.  He hit number 598 on August 4th but had none in his next seven games.  On August 15th in the Twins’ game against the Detroit Tigers, Thome finally connected on number 599 in the sixth inning off right hander Rick Porcello.  Then in his next at bat in the seventh, he hit number 600 off lefthanded reliever Daniel Schlereth.

Thome is often overlooked when thinking about the great sluggers of the last 20 years (he hit his first home run in 1991 while he was a member of the Cleveland Indians).  A lot of that can be attributed to the fact that many of the home run hitters of the 1990s and early 2000s have been tainted by the steroid controversy.  Thome was never a part of that, but some think his Hall of Fame chances may be diminished simply because he played in the same era as Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, and others who used performance enhancing drugs.

That’s nonsense.  Thome is only the eighth player in major league history to hit as many as 600 home runs.  He should be celebrated for accomplishing this milestone cleanly and fairly, and deserves election to the Hall in his first year of eligibility.