It was an emotional night last Friday when the Cleveland Indians paid tribute to Jim Thome,

Thome returned to the Tribe earlier this season in a trade from the Minnesota Twins. He began his Major League baseball career with the Indians back in 1991.

The Indians announced on Friday that they plan to erect a statue to honor the accomplishments of Jim Thome in an Indians Uniform. Thome leads the Indians, all-time, in home runs and totals over 600 in his baseball career.

The team plans to erect the statue in Heritage Park, close to the spot where Thome's 511-foot home run landed.

Indians Senior Vice-President of Public Relations Bobby DiBiasio says Thome and his wife were overcome with emotions when the team made the announcement before last Friday's game.

Thome now totals 604 home runs in his big league career.