Thome ties Mantle on all-time list with 536th HR

BOSTON - Jim Thome has been equally honored and humbled during his climb up baseball's all-time home run chart, but the White Sox' designated hitter hit a new high Sunday.

With his 2-run blast off Red Sox knuckleballer Tim Wakefield in the first inning, Thome now has 536 career home runs. That pulled him into a tie for 14th place with Mickey Mantle.

"To tie Mickey Mantle, you're speechless," Thome said. "What do you say? There's not much. We talk about it all the time, the history of the game, and what those guys have done. To be a part of that is just really hard to talk about. Because when you throw Mickey Mantle's name around, that's probably one of the greatest home run hitters of all time, for sure."

Thome and his father, Chuck, used Thursday's off-day to travel to the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y. Thome presented the Hall with his 500th home run ball.

Mantle was one of his dad's favorite players.

"Yeah, him and Ted Williams," Thome said. "This is special to do, for sure. It's special to hit a home run whenever you win a game, but to tie Mickey Mantle is really, really special."

White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen is thrilled for Thome, but he knows the veteran DH is not just satisfied hitting baseballs over the fence.

"Great, awesome," Guillen said. "That's something nobody's going to take away from him. Like I said, I'm proud to manage this guy. This kid makes our ballclub better. Every home run he hits is a milestone, but I think he worries more for us to win it than his milestone, because the milestone is going to be there and he knows he's a Hall of Famer.

"I think to nail the thing in his career, he needs to go out and win the World Series. I think that's what he wants."