September 20, 2018 City Council
2018 SEP 12 AHI|:li3
VifjjEREAs, James Howard Thome, was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame oh July 29, 2018, Cooperstown, New York; and
WHEREAS, The Chicago City Council has been informed of this event by Alderman Patrick D. Thompson; and
WHEREAS, Jim Thome was born on August 27,1970, and grew up in Peoria, Illinois; and after attending Illinois Central College, he was drafted by the Cleveland Indians in 1989 and made his Major League Debut in 1991; and
WHEREAS, Jim Thome married Andrea Thome in 1998 and had two children; London Thome and Lila Grace Thome; and
WHEREAS, Jim Thome played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball from 1991 to 2012; and
WHEREAS, Jim Thome played for six different teams, most notably the Cleveland Indians during the 1990s and early 2000s; and
WHEREAS, Jim Thome, the storied slugger who became a fan favorite with the White Sox from 2006-2009; and
WHEREAS, Jim Thome had established himself as one of baseball's top power threats, a skill he carried forward in stints with the Phillies, White Sox, Dodgers, Twins, and Orioles through the 2012 season; and
WHEREAS, Jim Thome was a five-time All-Star (three times for the Indians, and once each for Philadelphia and Chicago), a one-time Silver Slugger recipient and he finished in the top 10 in MVP Award balloting four times; and
WHEREAS, Jim Thome ended with 612 home runs (eighth all-time), 1,747 walks (seventh) and a .956 OPS (18th); he ranks fifth in career at-bats per home run at 13.76, and
WHEREAS, Jim Thome hit an MLB-record 13 walk-off home runs, launched nine grand slams, had 17 postseason blasts, homered in 38 stadiums and took 403 pitchers deep during his career; and
WHEREAS, In 2001, Jim Thome was awarded the Marvin Miller "Man of the Year" award for his work with the United Way. He also served as the Honorary Co-Chairman of the United Way's Home Run Derby from 1998 to 2002; and
WHEREAS, Jim Thome is best known for his efforts to help r...
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