Second place achieved; Jim Thome plays a little third base, too
Thome’s appearance at third nice gesture, may be his farewell
By Sheldon Ocker
Beacon Journal sports writer
Published: September 25, 2011 - 07:15 PM
CLEVELAND: Several strange things happened at Progressive Field on Sunday. A day game was in progress, so it had nothing to do with the phases of the moon. But why ask why?
For the record, the Tribe lost the final home game of the season to the Minnesota Twins 6-4 in 10 innings, though the outcome of the contest was of marginal interest.
Except for one fact: Despite the defeat, the Indians clinched a tie for second place in the American League Central Division standings. Their only rival for that achievement, the Chicago White Sox, are three games behind with three to play.
The division race had nothing to do with the oddities of the day, which included Jim Thome wearing a glove, fans cheering in unison during a moment when nothing of import was happening on the field, and the Twins finally winning after losing 19 of their previous 21.
Thome borrowed a glove to play third base in the ninth inning, even though he has not played third base for Cleveland since Sept. 29, 1996, at Kansas City. He hasn’t played any base since 2007, when he ran on the field to play one game at first for the White Sox.
So what was going on? Was Indians manager Manny Acta trying to get Thome a glove contract with Rawlings or Mizuno? But let’s start at the beginning.
Thome returned to the Indians a month ago in a deal with the Twins. Ever since, the Tribe has taken every opportunity to honor a player who grew up in its organization and performed on and off the field like a champion for 12 years before he left to sign with the Philadelphia Phillies and hit 604 home runs.
Friday was Jim Thome Night, but Sunday was Jim Thome Day. Instead of the marketing department calling the shots, it was Acta, who has a nice sense of perspective.
“I had a rough night mentally,” Acta said. “I stayed up late thinking. I thought that it was only proper that it come to an end where it started, with Jim playing third base. I told him this morning. Not many people knew.”
Before Thome took the field in the ninth, Acta summoned him to pinch hit for Shelley Duncan with a runner on first and one out in the eighth and the score tied. Duncan had hit a two-run homer in the third inning, and the pitcher facing Thome was a left-hander, Glen Perkins.
It was not the kind of move that Acta would make, unless … the realization hit that this was to be Thome’s farewell-to-the-fans moment. Nobody knows, apparently not even Thome, if he will try to play next year at age 41. Even if he does, the Indians already have a designated hitter, Travis Hafner, who will make $13 million in 2012.
“I still love to play,” Thome said. “I would say right now there’s a higher percentage that I will come back next year than I won’t. But let’s leave it at that.”
So Thome stepped in the box, and Perkins threw four pitches off the plate. Maybe Perkins figured it was better to walk him than be the guy who gave up No. 605.
“Perk and I are good friends,” Thome said. “I’ll get on him for that, send him a text. I have to harass him a little bit.”
Duncan was understanding about leaving a game in crunch time.
“I always heard stories about Jim,” he said. “Everybody said he was a nice guy. The thing I learned is that he’s a good teammate. You can be a nice guy and miss some little things. But he doesn’t.”
Thome asked Jack Hannahan whether he could borrow a third base glove.
“I started laughing,” Hannahan said. “But he said, ‘No, seriously.’ I told him that my locker is your locker. He took out one of my old gloves.”
Thome didn’t have to use it. Joe Smith threw one pitch to Trevor Plouffe, time was called and Thome jogged back to the dugout to the sounds of another ovation. Lonnie Chisenhall, sent to left field for one pitch, returned to play third.
“The plan was for Smith to throw the pitch way outside,” Acta said. “But the ball came back over the plate for a strike.”
What if Plouffe had hit Smith’s pitch to third? Hit it hard to third?
“I would have made the play,” Thome said, smiling. “It was fun to be out there. It felt good. Like old times. It was a nice gesture. Whatever Manny wants me to do, that’s what I’ll do.”
At precisely 4 p.m., after Thome had left the field, a rousing cheer went up from the grandstand. Nothing was happening on the field to raise anyone’s emotions.
But this is football season in Cleveland. Fans checking their smart phones and listening to miniature radios learned the best news of the day: Mike Adams had intercepted a Miami Dolphins pass in the final minute to seal the Browns’ 17-16 win.
What next? Probably a Super Bowl.
Sheldon Ocker can be reached at
socker@thebeaconjournal.com.
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