Jim Thome Joins the 600 Home Run Club

By - Kris Fletcher

Earlier this evening, Jim Thome of the Minnesota Twins became the eighth player in Major League history to hit 600 home runs.

The 40-year-old hit a two-run shot to left-center in the sixth inning for #599, then added a three-run blast to left in the seventh for his 600th. It came on a 2-1 pitch from Daniel Schlereth of the Detroit Tigers.

The Twins went on to win the game by a final score of 9-6.

Photo by: Duane Burleson

He became the first player in history to hit numbers 599 and 600 in consecutive at-bats. He also became the second-fastest hitter to reach the coveted milestone, doing so in 8,137 at-bats. Babe Ruth needed just 6,921.

His 65 career homers against Detroit are the most he's hit against any team.

Thome has hit at least 20 home runs in seventeen of the last eighteen seasons. The one exception was in 2005 when he hit just 7 in fifty-nine games with the Philadelphia Phillies.

Only Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, Ken Griffey Jr., Alex Rodriguez and Sammy Sosa have hit more career long balls.