Jim Thome Hits 600th Home Run as Twins Down Tigers

The talk around the ballpark before the Minnesota Twins played the Detroit Tigers was focused on the recent trade of Delmong Young. The Twins acknowledged that they were likely not going to make the playoffs this year by sending one of their valuable assets to the division rival Tigers. Thome was still only two homers away from the milestone but nobody was talking about it.

Tuesday night Thome hit both of the home runs he needed and became only the eighth player in MLB history to have 600 total dingers. The home runs gave Thome five RBI on two hits and cemented his place as one of the great power hitters the game has ever seen.

The fans in Detroit acknowledged the milestone with a standing ovation for the opposing player. The Tigers also posted a congratulatory message on the scoreboard as the ball cleared the wall. It was Thome's first home run in eight days.

Number 600 came off pitcher Daniel Schlereth who said, "[Thome] was one of my favorite players growing up, so if I had to be on the losing end of it, going into the record books, there's not a better guy than Jim Thome. I'm proud of the guy he is and what he means to this game. you know there hasn't been a whole lot of talk about his 600 home runs, but there should be more talk, because that guy has been -- he is -- an outstanding player, and great for a long time."