"As he lurched toward baseball history during an injury-plagued season of despair for him and the Twins, Jim Thome would lie awake in bed, wondering when, how and if he would reach the rarefied air of 600 home runs.

Even a man who averages a home run every 13.6 at bats, second-best among active players behind Philadelphia's Ryan Howard, cannot outhit Father Time forever.

And at 40 years, 350 days, Thome feels the aches and pains of a 21-year career more acutely each time he arrives at the ballpark hours before his teammates to treat, stretch and cajole his muscles to prepare himself for a handful of at-bats as Minnesota's designated hitter.

So when he sent a 2-1 breaking ball from Detroit left-hander Daniel Schlereth soaring over the left-field fence for No. 600 during the seventh inning of Monday night's 9-6 victory, Thome made sure to drink in the moment, which included a mob scene of teammates at home plate and a standing ovation from Tigers fans at Comerica Park.

"It's an unbelievable night. You dream about it, but when it happens it's kind of surreal," Thome said afterward. "You envision, is it ever going to happen? You don't know. At 40 years old, approaching 41, you don't know. I never tried to take it for granted."

Thome, who spent time on the disabled list this season with oblique and quadriceps injuries, homered not once but twice to become only the eighth player to reach the milestone, driving in a season-high five runs to lift the Twins to a rare victory over the American League Central-leading Tigers.

He became the second- fastest to hit 600 home runs, in at-bat No. 8,163. Babe Ruth only needed 6,921. And Thome did it against Detroit, the team he has tormented most with 65 career homers.

"To hit two home runs and to win the game is very special," Thome said. "And to celebrate with those guys is really, really cool." "