By: Pat Blaha

On January 24, 2018, it was announced that former White Sox slugger Jim Thome had been elected to the hall of fame. While Jim Thome was only with the White Sox for four seasons (2006-2009), he definitely left his mark the South Side.

The forty-seven year old from Peoria, Illinois made his debut in the MLB in 1991 when he was 21 years old with the Indians. It was in Cleveland where he spent the majority of his career.

Thome finally made his way over to the South Side when he was 35. In his first year with the White Sox, Thome earned a .288 BA, 141 H and 42 HR, as well as his fifth All-star selection.

Thome had unforgettable moments in his career with the Sox. In his second season, Thome crushed the 500th home run of his career against the Angels on 09/16/07 in walk-off fashion. Thome also  hit a colossal homerun in the “Blackout Game” against the Twins on 09/30/08, giving the Sox a 1-0 victory  and leading them to their second post-season appearance since 2005. In a post-game interview, Jim Thome stated, “There’s no better feeling. This is what you live for”.

In his entire career with the Sox, the five-time All-Star had a .265 BA, 134 HR, 383 H, and 369 RBI’s. Although Jim Thome will go in the Hall of Fame as an Indian, the White Sox Organization and fans could not be more proud of the slugger. Thome stated, “I love the White Sox. I love the White Sox organization. They always treated me with the utmost respect”.

Without a doubt, Thome has earned every bit of his success as an unbelievable ball player and deserves to be a Hall of Famer.

Congratulations Jim Thome! Go Sox!