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Philadelphia Phillies: 3 ways Jim Thome made impact for team in short period of time

By Dan Parzych

COOPERSTOWN, NY - JULY 29: Jim Thome gives his induction speech at Clark Sports Center during the Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony on July 29, 2018 in Cooperstown, New York. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
COOPERSTOWN, NY - JULY 29: Jim Thome gives his induction speech at Clark Sports Center during the Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony on July 29, 2018 in Cooperstown, New York. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by A. Messerschmidt/Getty Images)
(Photo by A. Messerschmidt/Getty Images) /

2. Thome helped Phillies move in right direction

Back in 2003, one of the main reasons why Thome was open to joining Philadelphia was due to the fact that the team seemed to be moving in the right direction when it came to being a contender in the National League. For a team that hadn’t been to the playoffs since 1993 when they lost the World Series to the Toronto Blue Jays, the Phillies seemed to be on the verge of taking the next when they signed Thome after finishing in second and third place in the division during the previous two seasons.

Even though they failed to earn a trip to the playoffs during Thome’s brief time with the team, watching the Phillies finish with 86 wins in each of those first two seasons shows they were taking the necessary steps in the right direction.

Just the fact that Philadelphia was finishing with winning records shows how much excitement there was surrounding the team for the first time in what felt like forever. And despite the drought coming into an end two years after Thome was no longer part of the team, fans always wished he could have been part of that epic World Series run in 2008 since he was one of those players that deserved to feel that championship experience.

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