Thome's mammoth blast one for the ages
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Are the White Sox a special team, capable of greatness? Or, are they a team that only puts it together in short spurts?
Manager Ozzie Guillen thinks he knows the answer, but he watched Friday night's game against the Rays with an equal mix of anticipation and apprehension.
Then, Jim Thome tipped the scales.
Thome hit a 3-run homer to spark the White Sox' 9-2 win over Tampa Bay at Tropicana Field. It was career home run No. 511 for the left-handed slugger, but this one was no ordinary blast.
"That was the longest ball I have ever seen anyone hit,'' Guillen said.
When he connected off Rays starter Jeff Niemann in the third inning to break a scoreless tie, Thome knew he got all of it.
"That's right up there,'' Thome said when asked if it was the longest ball he's ever hit. "I really don't know how far it went.''
That's because the towering shot hit one of the right-field catwalks at the domed stadium. Thome was credited with a 418-foot home run, but it would have gone much farther in a normal ballpark.
Maybe 500 feet?
"It was a lot longer than that,'' Nick Swisher said.
Said Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon: "That home run that Thome hit might have been the longest one I've seen at this ballpark.''
For as thrilling as Thome's drive was, coming back and posting an impressive win on the heels of a tough loss at Baltimore on Thursday night was much more important for the White Sox.
And the lopsided decision furthered Guillen's belief the Sox are heading in the right direction in 2008.
"We have a special thing going on,'' Guillen said. "The way we lost that game (Thursday night) and then traveling here and getting in late, to respond that way, it's a good sign.''
While starting pitcher Javier Vazquez shut the Rays down over 6½ innings, the Sox' offense used the power of Thome and Paul Konerko and took advantage of 7 walks and some sloppy fielding by Tampa Bay.
"You're always going to lose games,'' Thome said. "But to eliminate the long losing streaks, that's big.''
The White Sox (10-6) haven't lost more than two games in a row in the early season, and Guillen is going to keep giving his team pep talks like he did before Friday's win to make sure the trend continues.
"It's one thing to expect something and it's another to do it, and I think they're doing it,'' Guillen said. "I know what I have here and that's why I cannot let these guys out of my hands. I have to stay on top of everything. I'm not going to wait a week to say something.''
White Sox 9, Rays 2
At the plate: Jim Thome hit a mammoth 3-run homer to put the Sox in front for good in the third inning. Juan Uribe broke an 0-for-13 slide with an RBI double in the fourth. Nick Swisher was 1-for-1 with 3 walks and 2 runs scored.
On the mound: Javier Vazquez pitched 6.1 innings and allowed 2 runs on 6 hits while winning his third straight start. Vazquez faced 75 straight batters without issuing a walk before Nathan Haynes drew one in the seventh.
-- Scot Gregor