600 Naturally

And with two mighty lumberjack swings, Jim Thome sent the white orb whistling through the Detroit night air only to disappear on both occasions over the Tigers’ left field wall.

Those swings marked home runs number 599 and the 600th home runs of his career, placing him in an elite group of individuals – eight to be exact – who have circled the bases over 600 times in their careers. Yes, the modern era with the miniature ballparks, better equipment and other performance enhancers may have removed the sheen somewhat but Thome’s name undoubtedly helps restore some credibility:

Rank	Player (age)	Home Runs	Bats	HR Log
1.	Barry Bonds	762	L	HR Log
2.	Hank Aaron+	755	R	HR Log
3.	Babe Ruth+	714	L	HR Log
4.	Willie Mays+	660	R	HR Log
5.	Ken Griffey	630	L	HR Log
6.	Alex Rodriguez (35)	626	R	HR Log
7.	Sammy Sosa	609	R	HR Log
8.	Jim Thome (40)	600	L	HR Log

(via Baseball-Reference.com)

Thome’s first blast came in an empty Yankee Stadium on October 4, 1991. Just a young whippersnapper of a September call-up, Thome dispatched a shot deep into the third deck in the Bronx. How could those on hand realize that he would continue to mash taters for the next two decades?

Now, twenty seasons and 599 taters later, Thome has reached the incredible milestone. Congratulations Mr Thome.

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To commemorate his remarkable feat, DiamondCentric has created a limited edition t-shirt that you can purchase at the website – www.DiamondCentric .com.