CLEVELAND: Charlie Manuel knew a hitter like Jim Thome could do something special on such a hot summer day in Cleveland, like the one on July 3, 1999.
That’s the day Thome launched his mammoth 511-foot home run off the Kansas City Royals’ Don Wengert that ended up on Eagle Avenue. Manuel, then the Indians’ manager, pretty much saw it coming, forewarning Thome about what he might be able to do if he got ahold of one.
“I remember that day,” Thome said. “It was a really hot, humid day. And Charlie, you know how Charlie is, Charlie will talk all day.