At 40, Twins' Thome still going long

Twins slugger Jim Thome is just 4-27 against CC Sabathia. To the surprise of no one, all four hits have been home runs.

At 40, Thome is winding down his career but he became quite a bargain for the Twins, who signed him to a one-year deal for $1.5 million. He became an All-Star as a designated hitter.

Despite his usual back problems, Thome hit  25 homers (14 at Target Field), seven in September, and is eighth on the all-time list with 589.

Alex Rodriguez is sixth with 613, so there will be two players in the park with a combined 1,202  homers.

Still productive at the plate, Thome hit .278 with 59 runs batted in.

Thome has not said if he will hang around to reach 600 homers,  even if that assured him a spot in the Hall of Fame.