Shortly after Nazareth gained its second straight Class 3A state title on June 10, freshman second baseman Landon Thome posed for images with the championship trophy.
Joining him was a really particular assistant coach: his father, Hall of Famer Jim Thome, who performed for the Chicago White Sox from 2006 to 2009. They soaked within the second collectively.
“That was great,” Landon Thome mentioned. “Getting to experience this with him makes it even better. It’s something that really hit me when it happened. Not many people get to have their dad with them throughout their baseball lives, so it’s really cool.”
The 2023 season was definitely an incredible journey for the Thomes.
Landon Thome cracked the beginning lineup and was a big contributor for the Roadrunners, who beat Grayslake Central 7-2 within the Class 3A state championship recreation at Duly Health & Care Field in Joliet.
Jim Thome, in the meantime, acquired to be a part of all of it as an assistant.
“I never won a state title,” Jim Thome mentioned. “I was in two World Series but never won one. Winning is ultimately what you want to do in the game. To be a father and sit back and watch your son accomplish something that not only he wants to do but all the other kids, and watch them smile and come together and truly pull for each other, it’s great to be a part of.”
Landon Thome joked about how his father, regardless of all his accomplishments within the sport, hadn’t gained a championship till then.
“I guess I do have the bragging rights there a little bit,” Landon Thome mentioned.
He hit .330 with 27 RBIs and 26 runs for Nazareth (34-6) this season. He impressed his older teammates along with his skill to reach high-pressure video games as a freshman.
“I’ve learned it’s easy to lose composure, but Landon is one of those guys who I describe his at-bats as professional,” Nazareth senior Finn O’Meara mentioned. “He’s calm within the field, all the time acquired some poise up there.
“He’s one of those dudes that when he goes up, you know something good is going to happen. I think that speaks to his approach, his preparation and everything, and it shows the bright future that he has.”
Jim Thome, who can be a particular assistant to White Sox common supervisor Rick Hahn, works for MLB Network as a broadcaster and is president of the Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association, mentioned he savored the time he acquired to spend along with his son and the Roadrunners.
Nazareth coach Lee Milano has definitely been pleased to have Jim Thome on his workers.
“When you can have a Hall of Famer in your dugout, that’s pretty special,” Milano mentioned. “He’s just a normal, humble guy, though. Sometimes I have to remind myself and tell the kids that this is a Hall of Famer who is in the dugout with us.”
Baseball lives
Landon Thome has all the time been round baseball, starting along with his father’s MLB video games and persevering with along with his father’s jobs within the sport since then.
Along the way in which, Landon Thome has tried to soak up as a lot info as he can.
“I’ve grown up in major league clubhouses since I was very young,” he mentioned. “It’s been cool to learn from those guys, and I think it’s really benefited me and my game and helped me improve so much.”
Of course, Landon Thome has by no means needed to look far.
“It’s OK to have a guy with 612 homers under the same roof,” Milano mentioned.
Indeed, Landon Thome has discovered numerous classes from his father through the years.
“Some people don’t see what he sees in a baseball game,” Landon Thome mentioned. “He’ll pause the TV, and he’ll like click on by body to border and break issues down. It’s actually cool having him share these suggestions with me.
“He’s one of the best coaches in the world. I get tips that not many kids get, so it’s pretty awesome.”
Jim Thome has seen his son research the sport and put his full effort into studying how you can be a productive participant. Whether hitting in batting cages or fielding grounders in his spare time, Landon Thome has put within the time to enhance.
“You see the long hours, the long hard work he has put in,” Jim Thome mentioned. “Baseball, should you put the work in and you’re keen on the sport, it rewards you. All that arduous work that I’ve seen him put in, that we’ve put in collectively, is paying off.
“It’s been a great opportunity to be a young freshman and get a chance to play like this. We’re very grateful and honored to be around this group.”
Landon Thome has been capable of expertise lots of his finest moments within the sport along with his father. He fondly remembers the day he hit the primary residence run of his life.
“I actually hit two in the same game,” Landon Thome mentioned. “My dad really helped me with that, and I was really excited to hit those homers and to have my dad there to see them and share it with me.”
Then there was Nazareth’s win within the state championship recreation and his time on the sphere along with his father after it. They acquired medals collectively and lifted the trophy collectively.
“This moment here, winning the state championship, that probably tops them all,” Landon Thome mentioned. “This is my favorite baseball moment with my dad.”
Finding his place
Milano knew he had a gifted freshman becoming a member of the crew and wished Landon Thome to be recognized by his new teammates as extra than simply Jim Thome’s son.
“It’s tough to fit in as a freshman, no matter what,” Milano mentioned. “Jim and I’ve talked rather a lot about Landon creating his personal identification. We’ve tried laborious to try this.
“Landon’s done a phenomenal job in just not trying to do too much. He’s surrounded by a lot of good players.”
Landon Thome acknowledges the expectations that include his final identify. He doesn’t draw back from them, even carrying No. 25, identical to his father did. But he’s centered on being himself.
“I do have pressure, and I know that, but I kind of just try to erase it when I get on the field,” Landon Thome mentioned. “I simply attempt to have enjoyable and play my very own recreation.
“My dad was a big power, home run guy, and I’m more of a contact, gap-to-gap guy. I just try to play my own game and not worry about anything else, to be honest.”
Jim Thome is impressed.
“As a father, what I’m really most proud of is how he handles himself and what kind of person he is,” Jim Thome mentioned. “He’s a wonderful boy.”
The Roadrunners introduced again the majority of the crew that gained the state championship in 2022, so it wasn’t simple for a freshman to indicate he belonged within the lineup on daily basis. But Landon Thome was prepared for that problem.
“To play as a freshman, I’m very grateful for the opportunity from coach Milano,” he mentioned. “I’ve really learned from these guys. Being around the older guys has really helped me kind of mature in my game.”
Nazareth junior Nick Drtina, a Louisville commit, has seen that maturation course of play out.
“It’s crazy,” Drtina mentioned. “At first once I met Landon, he was the nicest child ever, however he was a little bit shy. Now I feel he’s lastly opened up a little bit bit to the older guys. He seeks a little bit recommendation.
“It’s just awesome what he’s doing. He’s not relying on his father’s identity. He’s creating his own. He’s going out there and playing and just being a great ballplayer and teammate, and that’s all you can ask for.”
State champions
Nazareth’s 3-0 win towards Sycamore within the state semifinals on June 9 was a decent, intense recreation, and Landon Thome thrived in these circumstances.
He hit a single in his first at-bat. In the third inning, he went to the plate with the bases loaded and one out, and he lifted a fly ball to heart area. A runner tagged up and scored to provide Nazareth a 2-0 lead.
The rating remained the identical till the seventh, when Landon Thome ripped a two-out RBI single to proper area to provide the Roadrunners one other insurance coverage run.
In reality, he was productive each time he batted in that recreation. He had a sacrifice bunt in his different plate look.
“He came up with some huge at-bats,” Milano mentioned. “Hats off to him.”
The subsequent day, Landon Thome was a state champion.
“It’s probably the best baseball moment I’ve had in my life,” he mentioned. “I’m very grateful to have the opportunity as a freshman to start in the state championship game. We just have a really good group of guys, and I’m very grateful that I was able to win with these guys because we’re the best team in the state.”
Jim Thome was ecstatic to see his son experiencing one of the vital joyful moments of his life.
“You learn life lessons in baseball,” Jim Thome mentioned. “The success side, the failure side that does happen, but you learn how to get yourself back up and get right back to work and stay true to the process and understand that baseball gives you those ups and downs and then the rewards. What a cool moment for all these kids.”
For Landon Thome, the highschool baseball expertise has simply begun. The Roadrunners’ beginning lineup within the championship recreation had simply two seniors, O’Meara and UIC recruit Lucas Smith.
Landon Thome mentioned he intends to work laborious to be able to contribute much more subsequent season.
“I’m very excited,” he mentioned. “We have an important group of fellows. Obviously, we’re dropping Smitty and Finn and a few nice seniors, however I feel we nonetheless have a extremely good group coming again.
“Hopefully we can get back here again next year.”
Steve Millar is a contract reporter for Pioneer Press.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com