Jim Thome Joins Exclusive Club with 600th HR

Stepping up to the plate in the 6th inning against Rick Porcello of the division-leading Detroit Tigers, Minnesota Twins slugger Jim Thome found himself in a key situation to not only put his team on top, but to also inch that much closer to making history. With the game tied at 3-3 and a man on first, Thome sent the 89mph offering from Porcello deep to left centerfield for his 10th home run of the season and the 599th home run of his illustrious 21-year big league career. However, the show wouldn't end there as Thome wasted little time before joining an elite class only a select few have been a part of.

With a 6-5 lead in the 7th while facing left-handed reliever Daniel Schlereth, Thome belted a 3-run shot over the left field fence to give his team a 9-5 advantage before eventually winning the game 9-6. By doing so, Thome etched his name into the record books by becoming only the 8th player in Major League history to reach the highly coveted 600 home run plateau, joining Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, Ken Griffey Jr., Alex Rodriguez and Sammy Sosa. Of those eight members, Ruth is the only player who needed less at-bats than Thome to reach 600 homers. However, one thing the club's newest member can say that nobody else can including the Bambino is that Thome's the only player to hit home runs no. 599 and 600 in consecutive at-bats.

The 40 year old veteran who's career begun in Cleveland in 1991 where he became a mainstay and a fan favorite in the Indians' line-up until heading to the National League to play with the Phillies from 2003-2005 was primarily used as a first baseman, solidifying himself among the league's best power threats. In 2006, Thome would make his return back to the American League for the Chicago White Sox where he saw a shift in positions serving as the team's everyday DH. Despite a 3-year hiatus from the AL, Thome's first season with the club would be a stellar one as he made his 5th All-Star team before earning himself Comeback Player of the Year honors. A late season trade in 2009 would send Thome to the Dodgers where he served off the bench as a pinch-hitter. With little success to show for during his brief stint in L.A., the Twins signed Thome in the offseason, making him their designated-hitter. After proving to Minnesota that he still had some fuel in the tank by belting 25 homers in 2010, the Twins organization and Thome renewed their vows during the offseason with a 1-year, $3 Million, incentive laden contract.

Despite playing most of his career in the heyday of what's been better known as the 'steroid era', Thome has climbed his way up the all-time home runs list without an asterisk next to his name as he's never had any link to steroids or any other performance enhancing drug. And though home run totals aren't looked upon like they once were, one distinction Thome has over his fellow members of the 600 home run club is that he'll go down in history as one of the most kindhearted people in baseball by not only the fans, but by his peers and those associated with the sport. Thome is respected so much so that the 36,211 fans in attendance at Detroit's Comerica Park gave him a standing ovation as he rounded the bases before being greeted by his family at home plate following his milestone.

Among those Thome thanked along his journey was former skipper of his while a member of the Phillies -- Charlie Manuel and his father Chuck who he said would, "beat him" if he ever used PED's. While Thome's future on the field after this season remains uncertain, one thing that's for sure is that his credentials are Hall of Fame worthy. Regarded by his teammates for his work ethic which is second to none coupled with his ability to hit to all sides of the field, the only flaw in Thome's career is his empty trophy case. But he'll tell you himself that not even that would cause him to lose any sleep. The next stop along Thome's journey: Cooperstown.

Liriano-no hitter

After posting a godly 12-3 record and 2.16 ERA in 2006, the Minnesota Twins appeared to have found the perfect gem in Francisco Liriano to compliment their ace Johan Santana. However, Tommy John surgery during the offseason would cause him to miss the entire 2007 season. After logging back-to-back sub-par seasons in 2008-2009 following his procedure, the Liriano of old appeared to have somewhat revived his career by finishing his 2010 campaign four games over .500 and an ERA of 3.62 while setting a career high in strikeouts with 201. Hoping to continue his success on into the following year, he would instead encounter the exact opposite as a rocky start to his 2011 season would threaten his spot in the rotation.

Entering Tuesday's game in Chicago against the division rival White Sox, Liriano owned a dismal record of 1-4 with an ERA of 9.13 which became a cause for concern within the Twins organization. With his job on the line, Liriano stepped up and secured his spot in the rotation in the biggest and most surprising of ways by throwing a no-hitter. With little to no signs of life at the plate for either team, the match seemed to be on its way to a scoreless deadlock when finally Minnesota managed to get on the board. The games lone run came in the 4th inning when Jason Kubel hit his third home run of the season, giving Minnesota a 1-0 advantage. The one run would prove to be all the offense they needed as Liriano did the rest along with some stellar defense highlighted by outfielder Denard Span and third baseman Danny Valencia, both of whom robbed Chicago's Carlos Quentin of a hit, preserving the no-hit bid.

Prior to throwing the seventh no-hitter in Twins franchise history, Liriano had never thrown a complete game, let alone a shutout in his Major League career which started in 2006. And though he survived the game without surrendering any hits, Liriano was far from his best and was anything but perfect. Despite finishing the night with nine hit-less frames, Liriano walked 6 batters while striking out just 2. As for Minnesota, they'll take the win any way possible. The historic feat comes at a perfect time as the Twins who came into the season as AL Central favorites, currently own the worst record in the American League at a disappointing 10-18 after losing six straight. Much to blame for their recent struggles outside of the rotation of coarse, is the injuries to both Delmon Young and former AL MVP Joe Mauer. Two integral parts to their offense last season which led to a division title.

If Liriano can ride his no-hitter to create a bit of confidence, it would do wonders for the Twins who are currently 10 games behind the division leading Cleveland Indians. While the Twins hope to bounce back from their disappointing start to the season, it's only a matter of time before the Tribe begin to cool off. After all, they finished 2010 among the worst teams in the league -- 24 games below the .500 mark (69-93).

Noteworthy: Liriano became just the fifth pitcher in the last 30 years to throw a no-hitter that included more walks than strikeouts. Entering the game, his 9.13 ERA was the second-highest among pitchers in a minimum of three starts to go on and toss a no-hitter.

Span's Hard Day At The Yard

No hot plate for Span - Earlier this week, wrapping up the last of their spring training games in the Grapefruit League held in Florida, the Minnesota Twins and New York Yankees took the field in front of a sold out crowd at the Yankees spring training facility. In only the first at-bat of the ballgame, a player would steal the spotlight and make headlines throughout the world of sports...But not in the way he would've hoped. Fresh off a brand new five-year, $16.5 million dollar deal, Twins outfielder Denard Span led off the game. After a full count, Span took a swing at a pitch, fouling a ball off his bat and into the stands, striking a woman in the chest.

With his mother in attendance, he prepared for the worst. After a loud shriek and aw from the crowd, Span ran over near the third base dugout where his mother and other family members were sitting. It wasn't long before Span had realized the ball in which he hit, struck his own mother in the chest, causing her to leave the stands and receive medical attention. With his mother being looked at, Span returned to the plate to finish the at-bat. Still in shock of what happened, Denard ended up striking-out and returning to the dugout. With the incident still on his mind and a full game left to play, Span decided it would be better to call it a day. While heading to the locker room and worrying about his mother's health, little did he know she would make a return to her seat just a few innings later unharmed. In fact, Wanda Wilson [Denard's mother] was upset her son didn't finish the game, when being asked what she thought of the incident.

Since the accident took place, Span has lobbied for extended netting to protect fans down both the first and third base lines near the dugout. Over the years we've seen balls, bats and even players fly into the stands harming fans of all ages. I think it's only a matter of time before they put some kind of fiberglass barrier around the ballpark to ensure the safety of fans, similar to those in hockey. As for Denard, it must of been one tough spoonful to swallow, knowing you just hit your mother, the woman that brought you into this world with a foul ball. I'm guessing Span has seen 'Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins' quite a few times? Regardless, I doubt Denard will be getting any of mom's famous home cookin' any time soon! I wouldn't be surprised if Span was grounded either or possibly sent to time out. Then again, there's always the approach my parents took -- the good 'ol belt to ass method or as my mom called it a whoopin with the belt!

Here's the video highlight of the Span's at-bat, via ESPN:

The smell of Playoffs in the air!

Last night, two teams headed into the Minnesota Metrodome with one thing on their mind -- the Playoffs. The Detroit Tigers and Minnesota Twins battled it out for an extra regular season game, number 163. The AL Central tiebreaker went into extras with the Twins winning it in 12 long hard fought innings by a score of 6-to-5, thanks to Alexi Casilla's walkoff hit. A record setting 54,088 fans stood eargly to watch their Minnesota ballclub overcome the unthinkable. Not only did the fans in attendance get to witness history, but they also played a part in it by being part of the largest regular-season crowd in Metrodome history.

With the Twins' late season surge playing catch up, they became the first team in Major League history to win the division after trailing by three games with four to play. & What could have been the last and final Twins game played at the Metrodome, will now have to wait as they get to see yet another game indoors. The only difference is it'll be in the postseason as the Twins host the highly favored New York Yankees for game 3 and 4 (if necessary).

With the rest of the playoff match-ups beginning to take shape, I don't think we'll see any game as exciting as the one played by the Tigers & Twins. But every playoff game and series is worth watching, which leads to my playoff and world series predictions. In one of my earlier posts Peanuts!, Get'churrr Peanuts! I gave both my playoff and world series predictions, but with half the teams I predicted to make it on vacation, it looks like I'll have to renew those predictions.


NLDS:
St. Louis Cardinals over Los Angeles Dodgers in 5 games.
Philadelphia Phillies over Colorado Rockies in 5 games.

ALDS:
New York Yankees over Minnesota Twins in 4 games.
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim over Boston Red Sox in 4 games.

NLCS:
Philadelphia Phillies over Los Angeles Dodgers in 6 games.

ALCS:
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim over New York Yankees in 6 games.

World Series:
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim over Philadelphia Phillies in 6 games.