"The Twins designated hitter expects to personally present the ball he hit for his 600th career homer to the Baseball Hall of Fame sometime after the season.

Jim Thome hit the 500th home run of his career on Sept. 16, 2007, but didn't donate the ball to the Hall of Fame until Aug. 28, 2008. When he did, he traveled to Cooperstown, N.Y., with his father, Chuck, to personally present the ball.

He figures he'll do the same with his 600th home run ball, which he struck Monday in Detroit.

"The plan right now is to keep the ball and to take it home at the end of the year," Thome said. "Let my family take pictures with it. It will be cool for them to see it. I think from that point we'll take it to the Hall of Fame or whatever."

Thome's home run landed in the Tigers bullpen, where bullpen coach Mike Rojas got the ball and handed it over the wall separating the bullpens to Twins reliever Matt Capps.

While the Twins completed a 9-6 victory over the Tigers that night, Thome's son, Landon, was holding the ball in the clubhouse.

Thome called that trip to Cooperstown "magical'' and looked forward to doing it again.

"You know what,'' he said. "I might make that a family trip.''"