Jim Thome

A statue of Jim Thome stands guard outside the gates of Progressive Field. His eyes are glued to the imaginary pitcher in front of him. Thome is prepared to whack anything that comes over the plate, out into Lake Erie. Represented in his signature stance, with his bat pointed to center field and his socks hiked up to his mid-shin, this is the Jim Thome of the 90's. Deming is very careful to capture these close details on an athlete's uniform because having been an athlete himself, he knows how intimately the players know their own uniforms. He knows how much of a difference it can make.

Thome is standing strong, with a stance so wide his feet are barely on the base. He is balanced, sturdily built on top of himself from the tips of his cleats to the brim of his helmet. This statue is a triumphant recognition of the fact that even though Thome traveled around the MLB and wore many colors, numbers, and logos, he will always be a Cleveland Indian.

Jim Thome was the Cleveland Indian's third baseman (and first baseman for one season) and a power hitter from 1991-2002, and one season in 2011. After being recruited from Cleveland's farm team in Charlotte, Thome quickly became one of the core members of the team throughout the 90's. He helped lead the Indians to the World Series against the Atlanta Braves in 1995, and then again in 1997 against the Marlins, where the team was met with a stinging Game 7 loss. Thome left the team in 2002 until 2011, when he made a triumphant return to play in Cleveland for one last season. He retired as the Indian's all time franchise leader in home runs and walks, the twenty-first player to record 50 home runs in a season, and as of 2017, the MLB player with most career walk off home runs. Thome is a central piece in the history of Cleveland sports, and he has been immortalized as such, forever ready for the next pitch.