Jim Thome Childhood

James Howard Thome was born on August 27, 1970, In Peoria, IL. He is the son of Joyce and Chuck Thome. At a young age Jim began playing baseball in the youth leagues. Baseball ran in the family as his siblings and father played either baseball or softball. The baseball lineage went up to his grandfather who played baseball in the minors. It was evident that young Jim had a bright future in the game.

Jim Thome High School Stats and Awards

Thome attended Limestone High School. He excelled in both basketball and baseball. In fact, Thome earned All-State honors in both sports. After high school Thome enrolled in Illinois Central College where he continued playing both sports. During his time at Illinois Central, Thome was drafted by the Cleveland Indians.

Jim Thome MLB Career Stats and Notes

On September 4, 1991, Thome made his MLB debut. He spent his first 13 seasons with the Indians, helping them win two AL pennants. Prior to the 2003 season Thome was dealt to the Philadelphia Phillies. He played three years in his first stint with the Phillies before signing with the Chicago White Sox in 2006. During the 2009 season, Thome was traded in season from the White Sox to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Thome would play for four more teams over the next three years: Minnesota Twins (2010), Indians (2011), Phillies (2012) and Baltimore Orioles (2012). He retired after the 2012 season. In 2018, Thome was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Jim Thome 600th HR Game

One thing Hall of Famer Jim Thome could do was crank one out of the yard. For 22 years Thome turned on a pitch - consistently. He hit more than 30 twelve times and had a string of 25 or more homers in 10 straight seasons (1995-2004). His power and consistency led him to be one of the greatest home run hitters in MLB history.

He punctuated that statement on August 15, 2011, when Thome, now playing for the Twins, played against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Thome had 598 HRs coming into that game. In the sixth inning, Thome launched a two-run blast to give the Twins a 5-3 lead, but it also put him within one HR of reaching another milestone.

He didn’t have to wait long. In the top of the seventh, Thome blasted a three run bomb to the bullpen to notch No. 600! That home run landed Thome in rare company as one of only nine players to hit 600 or more HRs in their careers: Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Albert Pujols, Willie Mays, Ken Griffey Jr. , Sammy Sosa and Alex Rodriguez. He finished his career with 612 HRs.

List of Baseball Hall of Fame Members