Let's rank all of Jim Thome's MLB-record 13 walk-off homers
There are three notable things about Jim Thome's Hall of Fame career. The first is that he hit 612 home runs, which is the eighth most in MLB history. The second is that no baseball player has ever looked more like your large, jolly and wholesome uncle than Thome. He's basically a beardless Santa Claus with immense raw power.
But the third, and perhaps most important, thing about Thome is that he holds the all-time record for the most walk-off homers in a career.
To honor the legendary slugger and his propensity for the big moment as he prepares to enter the Hall of Fame, we've ranked all 13 of Thome's game-ending blasts.
After you check out our list, let us know which one is your favorite on Twitter @Cut4.
13. June 7, 1995 vs. Detroit
This, the second walk-off blast of Thome's career, is most notable for the playful roughhousing that Thome and his teammates engage in when he crosses home.
12. Aug. 4, 2000 vs. Anaheim
This was Thome's second career walk-off homer against Angels closer Troy Percival, one of the game's most dominant closers at the time.
11. June 13, 2001 vs. Milwaukee
This majestic, moon-scraping homer conjures memories of that iconic 511-foot blast Thome hit in 1999.
10. April 21, 2001 vs. Detroit
This Thome tater gets some extra points because he hit it on his own bobblehead day at then-Jacobs Field.
9. June 15, 1994 vs. Toronto
Look at skinny, 23-year-old, third-base-playing Thome hit his first career walk-off! What a cutie!
8. June 23, 2012 vs. Tampa Bay
Thome's record-breaking 13th and final walk-off homer also happened to be his only one as a pinch-hitter. This game-ending shot with the Phillies came 18 years after his first walk-off with the Indians in 1994.
To put that into context, Thome's first walk-off occurred before fellow Hall of Fame inductee Vladimir Guerrero debuted in the bigs in 1996 and his last walk-off came in 2012, a year after Vlad had already retired.
7. April 16, 2000 vs. Texas
Down 1-0 going into the 9th, things didn't look too peachy for Cleveland on this spring day. But then, the wonderfully theatrical Manny Ramirez cranked a solo shot to tie things up, setting the stage for this crowd-pleasing Thome walk-off.
6. Sept. 6th, 2008 vs. Anaheim
Hawk Harrelson syncing up for the "Yes!" with his broadcast partner makes this even more amazing.
5. July 7, 2001 vs. St. Louis
Besides featuring a shot of an adorable 20-year-old
And a shot of a somehow-already-28-year-old
This Thome walk-off dinger was particularly great because it was his third of the 2001 season and his fifth since the start of 2000. It's right around this time that people started to recognize Thome for his tendency to send folks home swiftly, happily and with a home run on their minds.
4. April 10, 1998 vs. Anaheim
After Cleveland's heartbreaking defeat in the ninth inning of Game 7 of the 1997 World Series, Thome got Indians fans excited for the 1998 season by crushing this game-ender at the home opener at Jacobs Field in 1998.
3. Aug. 17, 2010 vs. Chicago (AL)
It's only fair that the most Paul Bunyan-looking dude in baseball history cranked the first-ever walk-off homer at Target Field in Minnesota.
2. July 28, 2002 vs. Detroit
Down 6-0 going into the bottom half of the sixth, the Indians battled back to cut it to 6-4 heading into the bottom of the ninth. A Matt Lawton RBI single cut the deficit to one before Thome clubbed one deep to center for a walk-off grand slam -- the four coolest words in baseball.
1. Sept. 19, 2007 vs. Anaheim
There really was no more perfect way for Jim Thome, Walk Off King, to smash his 500th homer than with this unforgettable game-ender.
