Cleveland Indians make it official and retire Jim Thome’s number

The Cleveland Indians capped off Jim Thome’s Hall of Fame tour by officially retiring his No. 25 in a ceremony filled with few dry eyes.

The Cleveland Indians decided to make everyone emotional by retiring Jim Thome‘s number this afternoon before the game against the Baltimore Orioles.

Thome has a statue at Progressive Field and now that he is officially in the Hall of Fame, it was only a matter of time before his number was retired. No one could ever wear the No. 25 as well as he did anyway.

And just when I thought it couldn’t get any better, they had Thome put a jersey on and round the bases with his son. I’m not crying, you are!

The ceremony was filled with everyone wearing the signature high red socks as Thome delivered yet another amazing speech. Charlie Manuel even got in on the speeches as the two will forever be tied together as coach and player.

This is the type of stuff that makes being an Indians fan worth all the ups and downs. We get to cheer on players and witness true greatness before our eyes. It was easy to take the 90s teams for granted, but I hope everyone who watched Thome during those wonder years realized how truly amazing he was.

The best part about Thome is that he is also an amazing human being. It is easy to root for greatness on the field, but it only becomes easier when the player doing all the great things is just a genuinely great person.

I’m emotional, you’re emotional, and the Indians get to take on the lowly Orioles. Just a whirlwind of a day.

My main takeaway from this ceremony is that I am so ready for October I don’t know what to do until then.