June 14, 2004
400?
Jim Thome hit a HR tonight, which would be his 400th. However, it's raining in Philadelphia, and the game is delayed in the 3rd. If the game should be postponed (it's already the makeup of a previous rainout), Thome loses the HR. Stay tuned to see if he really got it, or if it never existed.
Posted by David Pinto at
09:07 PM
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It's an official game now (being delayed in the 7th), but it's got me wondering......how many uncounted HR's have been hit by...oohh Babe Ruth? Hank Aaron? And everyone else on the list? Has anybody ever kept track of that? I wonder just how many HR's (counted & non-counted) have been hit by these guys and if you added them up...might the list look significantly different? Oh I know, it's a silly idea...but fun.
You can get that information at www.retrosheet.org. They have a listing of every homer lost to weather and to things like baserunners passing each other, etc. A great site for any baseball history buff.
This has always been the baseball rule that's bugged me the most. It seems stupid to pretend that these things that happen in rained-out games never happened. Why can't they just pick up the game from the point where it was called?
Adam
(1) The 400th HR counted.
(2) The most important thing about it is is starts the count towards Thome's 500th HR, since he isn't yet 35 years old.
(3) Thome the last two years hit over 50 HRs and let the NL in HRs with 47, and is on pace this year to hit around the same.
(4) The Citizens Bank Ball Park is extremely HR favorable even if it's only somewhat run favorable.
(5) Thome under these conditions, even if he loses some ability due to age, can be expected to hit his 500th HR in 2007 with some degree of certainty, since he would have to average just 33 HR a year based on a current average of close to 50/yr the last 324 games.
(6) If he keeps hitting 50/yr the next two years, or the next four years, we might be looking at 600 HRs for his career, which would put him in an exceptionally elite class of sluggers.
(7) The Thome watch is on!!!
(8) The investment of the Phillies in Thome, even if they get zero pennants or division winners, was warranted because the fans love him, he is a record setting home run hitter, he sells merchandise, and he fills the seats. Even in defeat, he is a popular and well-liked ballplayer.
(9) Thome is well-liked by children and young fans, a phenomenon all too unusual in today's baseball. He appears to be a family man and a man of outstanding moral values devoted to excellence in baseball and little else.
(10) He is a leader by example.
--Art "Home for Thome" Kyriazis