On August 15th, Thome belted his 600th home run joining Bonds, Aaron, Mays, Rodriguez, Griffey, Sosa and Ruth as the only players to do so in MLB history. Even though he played through the steroid era, Thome is considered clean and has never tested positive for HGH. That makes this feat even more amazing as half of those players listed above have been affiliated with steroids in their career.
A usual 30-40 home run hitter a year, Thome' 600ths was only his 11th on the season as injuries have plagued him throughout the year. He stated in his interview after the game that "he never took hitting 600 home runs for granted and he knew he would have to fight for the last one until his final professional plate appearance". Luckily it came earlier then that as the 40 year old Thome and his fellow Twin teammates got to enjoy a special moment, something they have not had much of this year due to a poor record and numerous injuries.
Thome is playing for his fifth team as he previously played for the Indians, Phillies,White Sox, and briefly with the Dodgers. From rookie season with the Indians in 1991 until 2002 Thome hit 334 home run before traded to the Phillies in 2003. In three seasons in Philly he hit 96 home runs and was then traded to the White Sox. In Chicago, Thome belted 134 home runs and led the team to win the World Series in 2005. He stayed on the White Sox until he was traded for the second half of the 2009 season to the Dodgers where he didn't hit any. He has found a home the last two years in Minnesota where injuries have limited him to only 36 home runs.
All in all, Thome has had an outstanding career and will find his way to the Hall of Fame sooner or later.
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