Thome homers twice vs. ex-mates; ChiSox spank Tribe

Updated: May 30, 2006, 09:28 am

CLEVELAND (AP) -- Jim Thome still feels at home at Jacobs Field -- even while being booed.

Elias Says
Thome Jim Thome hit his 19th and 20th homers of the season in the White Sox's 11-0 win at Cleveland. The home runs came in Chicago's 50th game. It's the 21st time in major league history that a player hit at least 20 homers over his team's first 50 games, but Thome is the first to do it in his first season with a club. Before Thome, the earliest that a player had slammed his 20th home run of the season in his first year with a team was at the club's 53-game mark. That was done three times: by Wally Berger (as a rookie with the 1930 Boston Braves), Jose Canseco (1999 Devil Rays) and Carl Everett (2000 Red Sox). • For more Elias Says, Click here

Elias Says

Thome

Jim Thome hit his 19th and 20th homers of the season in the White Sox's 11-0 win at Cleveland. The home runs came in Chicago's 50th game. It's the 21st time in major league history that a player hit at least 20 homers over his team's first 50 games, but Thome is the first to do it in his first season with a club. Before Thome, the earliest that a player had slammed his 20th home run of the season in his first year with a team was at the club's 53-game mark. That was done three times: by Wally Berger (as a rookie with the 1930 Boston Braves), Jose Canseco (1999 Devil Rays) and Carl Everett (2000 Red Sox).

• For more Elias Says, Click here

Thome hit a pair of two-run homers and Javier Vazquez pitched six strong innings to help the Chicago White Sox beat the Cleveland Indians 11-0 on Monday.

"It adds to the list of the wonderful things that have happened here," Thome said after getting his 36th multihomer game and passing Jeff Bagwell for 30th on the career homer list with 450.

Thome hit an Indians team-record 334 homers before leaving town after the 2002 season to sign a six-year, $85 million contract with Philadelphia. His two drives Monday were his first homers at Jacobs Field as a visitor.

Indians fans are now split in their sentiments toward the 35-year-old slugger, who was traded to Chicago last winter. Many still cheer him, but there are plenty of resounding boos each time he comes to bat in Cleveland now.

"I try to block it out and not let the distractions bother me," he said.

Indians first baseman Ben Broussard said maybe the booing should stop.

"It's understandable to boo a guy who has gone elsewhere, but they need to change it up because he's hitting everything the way it is," Broussard said. "Maybe it's motivating him."

Vazquez (6-3) gave up only two singles -- both with two outs in the third inning. The right-hander walked three and struck out four in his second consecutive win. Neal Cotts tossed two perfect innings, and Jeff Nelson pitched the ninth to complete the two-hitter.

"I felt great," Vazquez said. "I threw some good pitches. I'm happy with all the run support I've been getting."

Paul Konerko and Juan Uribe also homered for the White Sox, who totaled 14 hits and are 2-0 with six homers since manager Ozzie Guillen's postgame tirade following an 11-inning loss to Toronto on Saturday.

Cleveland third baseman Aaron Boone left with a mild concussion after tumbling headfirst into a photographers' area trying to catch a foul ball in the third inning. He was taken to a hospital for examination.

"He's a gamer. He wanted to go back out there," manager Eric Wedge said. "I was glad to see he was alert."

After Tadahito Iguchi doubled off the left-field wall with one out in the first, Thome hit an 0-2 pitch into the right-field seats for his 19th homer and a 2-0 lead against Cliff Lee (3-5).

He hit another two-run shot in the sixth off Guillermo Mota to

make it 10-0.

"It was cool. It was great," said Thome, who traded three autographed baseballs to a fan in exchange for the one he hit for No. 450.

"I'll put the ball up at home," he said.

Joe Crede and Uribe added RBI singles later in the first inning to make it 4-0.

Konerko opened the third with his 15th homer -- and 225th of his career -- off the foul pole in left. Crede later singled and scored on Uribe's fourth homer to make it 7-0.

Before homering on a 3-2 pitch, Uribe lofted a foul ball that Boone couldn't reach near the Indians' dugout. The third baseman teetered on a railing before hitting his head on the concrete floor.

Concerned teammates gathered around and play was stopped for several minutes while trainer Lonnie Soloff attended to Boone, who eventually got up and walked to the dugout. He was rubbing the left side of his head.

"It didn't look good," Lee said. "He fell right on his head. But I saw him in the clubhouse after I came out and he looked OK. He said he felt a little woozy."

Lee gave up seven runs and eight hits with one walk over 2 2/3 innings in his shortest start since lasting only 3 1/3 innings in Chicago on April 7, 2005. He had worked at least five innings in 41 consecutive starts in between.

"It seemed like every good pitch I made, they fouled it off," Lee said. "Regardless if they foul off five in a row, I have to bear down and make another good one."

The left-hander is 1-4 with a 7.79 ERA over his last six starts, allowing 51 hits over 32 1/3 innings.Game notes
Indians outfielder Grady Sizemore extended his hitting streak to 10 games with a single, the first hit off Vazquez. ... Konerko is

hitting .385 (10-for-26) with four homers and 11 RBI in his career against Lee. ... Vazquez is 3-1 in five career outings against Cleveland. ... Thome has 178 homers at Jacobs Field -- 176 with the Indians.