As Frank Thomas winds up his batting practice, he has taken to putting on a show. The always-crafty, scientific hitter just simply cranks up and swings to put balls into at least a lunar orbit, part of his program of injecting more personal power into the White Sox offense.
Friday night, he did it in more than “BP” in the Sox’s 7-2 victory over Tampa Bay.
Thomas moved to another level of baseball elite in the fifth inning when he followed a Carlos Lee home run with the 400th of his career to help the Sox run their winning streak to eight and keep starter Esteban Loaiza (13-5) among the league leaders in victories.
Thomas’ drive was a mammoth blast into the seats beyond the bullpen in left field and drew a standing ovation from the crowd of 22,617, which he acknowledged as he crossed home plate. It didn’t subside until he reappeared from the dugout to doff his cap.
“On the first pitch I thought [loser Jorge Sosa would] throw a fastball, and he did,” Thomas said. “I took a good hack, but he just blew it by me, and I said he’s going to try to fool me with a slider.
“For one of the first times I really sat back and felt a slider was coming and dropped my hands through. I’m very proud of it, but for me the goal is 500. It seems like a long way off, but you never know.”
The blow made him the 36th player in baseball history to hit 400 and one of only eight active players to have achieved that milestone.
“I was glad he was able to do it in the midst of what we’re trying to accomplish as a team,” manager Jerry Manuel said.
The last Sox eight-game winning streak was in mid-2000. The last time they were three games above .500 was in April at 14-11. This victory allowed them to keep pace in the AL Central, four games behind Kansas City.
They did it, as they have so many times in the streak, simply by bludgeoning an opponent. In their last 10 games and 12 of their last 13, the Sox have not been held to fewer than four runs. Friday they collected all of their hits and runs in just two innings, with three of each in the first and four runs on six hits in the fifth.
After Roberto Alomar singled to right and Lee reached on an error, Thomas narrowly missed home run No. 400 with a skyrocket to the fence in left in the first. Magglio Ordonez then doubled both runners in with a line shot to the right-center-field gap. Carl Everett made the lead 3-0 with a single to center.
Jose Valentin doubled into the right-field corner to open the fifth and took third when Joe Crede managed to push an inside pitch to the right side to move Valentin to third. With the infield pulled in, Miguel Olivo blistered a ball through the left side for a 4-0 edge.
Olivo was cut down trying to steal but Alomar walked. Lee then curled his 18th home run inside the pole in left and Thomas followed with his 24th of the season.
The Devil Rays had trouble early getting all of a bat on the ball against Loaiza. Three of their first four hits never left the infield and the fourth was a weak liner into short right. They collected at least one hit in the second through seventh innings.
Thomas’ milestone homers
NO. DATE OPP. PITCHER
1 8-28-90 Minn. Gary Wayne
50 6-19-92 Det.-* Frank Tanana
100 8-31-93 N.Y. Sterling Hitchcock
150 5-29-95 Cle. Dennis Martinez
200 6-9-96 Balt. Jimmy Haynes
250 8-14-97 Oak.-* Willie Adams
300 8-7-99 Oak. Kevin Appier
350 4-9-02 Det. Terry Pearson
400 7-25-03 TB-* Jorge Sosa
*–at home
Thomas’ totals
By the numbers
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126: vs. LHP 274: vs. RHP
228: at home 172: away
223: none on 177: runners on
1: in March 72: in July
53: in April 68: in August
72: in May 51: in September
81: in June 2: in October
1: batting 2nd 359: batting 3rd
22: batting 4th 9: batting 5th
8: batting 6th 1: batting 9th
247: as 1B 152: as DH
1: as pinch-hitter 7: grand slams
358: on grass 42: on turf
111: day 289: night
306: inning 1-6 94: inning 7+
230: pre-All-Star 170: post-All-Star
By team
AL NL
30: Anaheim 6: Cubs
34: Baltimore 3: Cincinnati
32: Boston 1: Houston
37: Cleveland 2: Los Angeles
36: Detroit 1: Montreal
28: Kansas City 1: New York
42: Minnesota 2: St. Louis
15: New York 2: San Diego
26: Oakland 1: San Francisco
32: Seattle 1: Arizona
8: Tampa Bay
21: Texas 22: Milwaukee-*
17: Toronto
*-Milwaukee in NL & AL.
By season
7: 1990 32: 1991 24: 1992
41: 1993 38: 1994 40: 1995
40: 1996 35: 1997 29: 1998
15: 1999 43: 2000 4: 2001
28: 2002 24: 2003
Source: STATS, Inc.
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