Lost in the general dread and soul-sucking-ness that accompanied Sunday's loss to the Blue Jays was an important piece of news -- good news, believe it or not.
Congratulations are in order for Jim Thome, who yesterday became just the fourth player in Major League Baseball to hit 100 or more home runs with three different teams. He joins Reggie Jackson, Alex Rodriguez and Darrell Evans in the exclusive club. The homer was the 608th of his Hall of Fame career.
After the game, Thome told reporters that he was glad to have reached the mark as a member of the Phillies, before also lauding the two other cities for which he's hit 100 homers -- Cleveland and Chicago -- as special baseball towns in their own right. But, of course, being the team guy that he is, he was sure to mention how he would have enjoyed the accomplishment more if his long ball to left in the second inning would have helped his team actually win.
Speaking of Thome being a team guy, it's now time to wonder for which team he'll actually play as the season marches on. His hitting display during the Phils' nine-game interleague stint was tremendous to watch and for many, myself included, completely unexpected.
But now the front office faces a dilemma about what do with the two-time Phillie, a dilemma Jim Salisbury explained following yesterday's game:
Thome had good run in nine games as the DH. He hit .333 (12 for 36) with four homers, 14 RBIs and four walks. His solo homer Sunday was the 608th of his career and his 100th as a Phillie. Thome will now return to a pinch-hitting role. He was 0 for 10 in those assignments earlier this season.
Thome's back is shot and as we all learned earlier in the season, he just can't play the field anymore. Manager Charlie Manuel reiterated that point yesterday, stating that Thome at first base is now "out of the question."
Phils fans were quick to jump on this storyline as soon as Thome began to show some flashes that he still had it at the plate, but now that interleague play is over (insofar as the Phils can no longer use the DH, even though they'll still play games against the Rays at home), it will soon come time to make a decision regarding Gentleman Jim. Perhaps his nine-game tryout will have enticed some AL clubs to begin making offers, but the question remains about what the Phillies would actually get in return.
This has been a story floating in the background for the better part of a week, so you tell us, what would you do with Jim Thome?
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