Jim Thome

Jim Thome hit career home run #550 Monday night, smoking a go-ahead three-run shot in the eighth inning of the Chicago White Sox 6-2 win over the Oakland Athletics . Clutch. This particular longball, a 1-2 pitch to left-center off lefty reliever Craig Breslow , marks Thome's ninth of 2009 and puts the corn-fed designated hitter at 13th on the all-time homer list. He also lifted the Sox to .500 on the season, bringing their record to 25-25 for a 3.5-game deficit behind the Detroit Tigers for second in the American League Central. If Thome can manage a couple more 20-home run seasons in ... Read Full Story

explanation of rankings and other team previews here 2008 Record : 89-74 Offseason Additions : Bartolo Colon, Jayson Nix Offseason Subtractions : Javier Vasquez, Orlando Cabrera, Juan Uribe, Nick Swisher Ranks (MLB) : Line-Up - 20th Rotation - 17th Bullpen - 7th Defense - 5th tier (out of 5) Baserunning - 4th tier (out of 5) KEY PLAYER : CARLOS QUENTIN Minor league 1B Chris Carter. That’s all it took for the White Sox to acquire a 2008 MVP candidate. Until he got hurt, Quentin was actually the front runner for the award, as he was on pace for 45 HR and 125 RBI ... Read Full Story

Chicago White Sox slugger Jim Thome will miss at least the next two games with a sore back. Manager Ozzie Guillen kept Thome out of the lineup against the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday night and said Thome will also miss Wednesday's series finale against lefty Francisco Liriano. Thome is tied for third in the AL in walks and is eighth with a .395 on-base percentage. But he is just 2 for 13 with two RBIs on this road trip. Guillen says he does not think Thome will be back in the lineup until the White Sox return to Chicago to face the New York ... Read Full Story

First fan Barack Obama made time for a congratulatory call to the pitcher on his favorite baseball team who just threw a perfect game. Mark Buehrle of the Chicago White Sox didn't allow a hit or walk a batter in a 5-0 victory at home over the Tampa Devil Rays. It was only the 18th perfect game in major league history. The president's spokesman says Obama told Buehrle it was "an unbelievable achievement" and "something that everyone will always remember." Just a few weeks ago Obama stepped to the pitcher's mound at Busch Stadium in St. Louis for the first pitch at the All-Star ... Read Full Story

Mark Buehrle (BUR'-lee) didn't sleep much last night. The Chicago White Sox left-hander was too busy trying to answer the 65 text messages and 12 phone calls congratulating him for tossing the 16th perfect game of the modern era. Chicago beat Tampa Bay 5-0 behind his 116-pitch effort. Buehrle and the White Sox are in Detroit for a doubleheader Friday. Buehrle says he is still "trying to soak it all in." He is also trying to figure out what to buy his teammates and coaches as a reward. When Buehrle threw a no-hitter two years ago, he got watches for everybody. This time around, ... Read Full Story