Put it on the board… YES!

Yes, please put it on the board for Mr. Jim Thome.

A crack of his bat and there it went, soaring 426 feet, right into the left-center bleachers. Yes, Jim Thome finally hit his 500th career home run this afternoon, with 29,010 fans in attendance. The historical walk-off home run sealed the Chicago White Sox’s win over the Los Angeles Angels. So add him to the list of famous major league sluggers. He may be the 23rd player to reach the 500 mark, (the 3rd this season) but he is the only player out of those 23, who generated a walk-off win for his team (ironically on Jim Thome Bobblehead Day).

After Thome struck out in what seemed to be his last at bat, there was the thought, “There is always tomorrow against Kansas City.” But the game wasn’t over. Thome was given one last chance, much thanks to Josh Fields and Danny Richar, who each had two huge blasts to help the Sox recover from an early 7-1 deficit. A rally was needed and Thome produced it.

Thome had been 0-4 for the day, and between his 499th and 500th home run, he had been a disappointing 2-13. He was just grateful, however, that the fans and his teammates stuck with him and he appreciated the support. “Just can't believe it, I really can't. The crowd and just the way they hung in there all weekend long, kind of the downs, they had a lot of downs all weekend, I would never have imagined doing that as a walk-off. Just amazing to see your teammates standing there. It's like a movie script."