Frank Thomas needs to draw three more walks and score three more runs to join a pretty elite club.
Only four players in history have put together three consecutive seasons with batting averages above .300 and at least 20 homers, 100 walks, 100 runs scored and 100 runs batted in.
Those four are Hall of Famers: Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Ted Williams and Jimmie Foxx.
Going into Friday night’s opener of the Tiger series at Comiskey Park, Thomas is batting .320 with 40 homers, 121 RBIs, 97 walks and 97 runs scored.
Starting fine: White Sox starters lead the American League with 66 victories. The Tiger starters are second with 57.
Ringing in: George Bell is batting .400 (8 for 20) with three homers, a double and 11 RBIs in six games since coming off the disabled list in Detroit last weekend.
Armed and ready: Craig Grebeck hasn’t played since last Saturday in Detroit and hasn’t batted since Sept. 2 in New York. But he is 10 for his last 33 (.303). And he is keeping his sense of humor while he cools his heels.
Grebeck has a locker next to Thomas and was being jostled last week by reporters after the game in which Thomas hit his 40th home run. Someone asked Thomas how many homers he thought he could have by the end of the season. Grebeck, trying patiently to dress in the hubbub, answered: “Forty-one.” That brought a chuckle and wound up in print. “I think you misunderstood me,” Grebeck said a couple of days later, sounding deadly serious for a moment. “When I said 41, I was talking about how many hits I’d get.” He has 37 hits in 157 at-bats.
Homers: Don’t expect to hear any complaints from Ellis Burks and Lance Johnson about new Comiskey Park. Burks is batting .308 (66 for 214) at home this season, Johnson .319 (76 for 238).
