Jim Thome
Jim Thome
James Howard "Jim" Thomeis a retired American baseball player who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball, from 1991 to 2012. He played for six different teams, most notably the Cleveland Indians during the 1990s and the Philadelphia Phillies in the early 2000s. A prolific power hitter, Thome hit 612 home runs during his career—the seventh-most all time—along with 2,328 hits, 1,699 runs batted in, and a .276 batting average. He was a member of five All-Star teams and won...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionAthlete
Date of Birth27 August 1970
CountryUnited States of America
It's been nice here the last week to 10 days. It's worked out pretty well. The bottom line is you've got to work hard.
Being hurt last year and having those injuries, I think it has kind of put it all in perspective for me as to how much I really appreciate the game.
The last thing you think about against that guy is hitting a home run. That guy can pitch.
The last thing you are ever thinking about against that guy is hitting a home run. As a left-handed hitter against him, you are trying to put the ball in play and make something happen.
I'll be honest, my back is really just a maintenance issue. I had a few problems last year, but it's never been anything I have to worry about. I've had periods where I've had a sore back, but I think every player gets that.
I've been out half the year, so today was a big day for me, getting out there, just seeing the pitching. The two balls I hit were good passes. For me, that's where I look. What kind of passes, how I feel in the box. Being out half the year, I was really happy with the first day, for sure.
You look at our club, you look at the guys we have, everyone in the room knows how to play. We knew the way Detroit was playing coming into this series. That makes it even bigger to come in here and win the first two, with the momentum they had. It's good to get back on track.
To be honest, I don't comment on things like that. I try not to go there.
That was probably one of the toughest decisions I ever had to make. But you make the decisions you make and you move on.
It felt good. It was a big situation for us. Playing the Indians brought back a lot of fond memories for me. I have a lot of respect for all those guys over there.
With the emergence of Ryan Howard, who had a tremendous year, to be honest, I didn't really know what would happen,
We swung the bats really well today. This was a huge series for us - we knew we had to step it up against them, because they have been playing really well.
I don't think you can come in here and relax.
If we keep doing what we're doing, we'll be OK.