Rewatch Jim Thome's heroic swing

Considering the impressive span of Jim Thome's 22-year career that landed the slugger in the National Baseball Hall of Fame, the year and a half that he spent in Minnesota was really just a blip on the radar. Still, there's little doubt that Gentleman Jim left his mark on Twins Territory in that short time.

Thome notably hit the 600th homer of his career as a member of the Twins, but perhaps his most memorable swing came on the night of Aug. 17, 2010, when the Twins trailed the White Sox in the bottom of the 10th inning before Thome launched a baseball to the right-field plaza for the first walk-off homer hit at the newly opened Target Field, sealing a 7-6 victory over the South Siders.

Signed by the Twins to a one-year deal before the season, Thome only made 78 starts during the 2010 campaign and hit seventh as the designated hitter on that Tuesday night in Minneapolis. Even in limited action in the twilight of his career, Thome crushed 25 homers while hitting .283/.412/.627, good for a 1.039 OPS that year that ranked as the fourth-best mark of his career.

The Twins held a three-game lead over the White Sox entering the game in a tight battle for supremacy in the American League Central and featured fan favorites like Denard Span, Joe Mauer, Michael Cuddyer and Jason Kubel in the starting lineup as they continued a nine-game homestand against the A's, White Sox and Angels behind right-hander Scott Baker.

Minnesota jumped all over White Sox starter John Danks in the bottom of the first inning with five hits, highlighted by an Orlando Hudson solo homer, Jason Kubel two-run triple and Thome RBI single that spotted them an immediate 4-0 lead. But the Sox immediately closed the gap, sending the Twins into the ninth inning with only a 5-4 advantage before the drama began to unfold.

Alexei Ramirez homered off Trade Deadline acquisition Matt Capps to lead off the ninth, tying the game at 5-5, before he knocked another clutch hit -- an RBI single -- off Jon Rauch to give the Sox the lead in the top of the 10th, setting the stage for Thome's heroics in the bottom of the frame. The walk-off blast marked the 12th of Thome's MLB-record 13 game-ending homers in his career.

The Twins would go on to win the AL Central in 2010 but were swept out of the AL Division Series by -- who else? -- the Yankees and wouldn't deliver another division championship until the "Bomba Squad" powered its way to the top in 2019. Thome returned for the 2011 season in Minnesota before he was traded to his original team, the Indians, in August, leaving behind fond memories in Minneapolis -- most certainly including this walk-off blast.