Today in sports history: May 28
In 2006, Barry Bonds hits his 715th home run to slip past Babe Ruth and pull in behind Hank Aaron and his long-standing record of 755. See more sports moments from this date.2006: Barry Bonds hits his 715th home run
Barry Bonds Bio
Barry Lamar Bonds is a former professional baseball left fielder who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the Pittsburgh Pirates and San Francisco Giants. Bonds received seven NL MVP awards and 14 All-Star selections, and is considered to be one of the greatest baseball players of all time.
Bonds was born on July 24, 1964 in Riverside, California to former major leaguer Bobby Bonds and Patricia Howard. He attended Junipero Serra High School in San Mateo, California where he excelled in baseball, basketball, and football. He batted for a .467 batting average his senior year and was named prep All-American. In the 1982 MLB draft, the San Francisco Giants drafted Bonds as a high school senior, but were unable to agree on contract terms. Instead Bonds decided to attend college.
Bonds attended Arizona State University, hitting .347 with 45 home runs and 175 runs batted in (RBI). In 1984 he batted .360 and had 30 stolen bases and in 1985 finished with 23 home runs, 66 RBIs and a .368 batting average. Bonds tied the NCAA record with seven consecutive hits in the College World Series as a sophomore and was named to All-Time College World Series Team in 1996. He graduated from Arizona State in 1986 with a degree in criminology and a promising MLB career ahead. He was named ASU On Deck Circle Most Valuable Player.
The Pittsburgh Pirates drafted Bonds as the sixth overall pick of the 1985 Major League Baseball Draft. In 1993, Bonds signed with the San Francisco Giants, following in his father and grandfather’s footsteps, where he would spend the next 15 seasons and retire in 2007.
Bonds was regarded as an exceptional hitter, and finished his regular season career with a very high on-base percentage (.444) and isolated power (.309). He holds many MLB hitting records, including most career home runs, most home runs in a single season (73, set in 2001) and most career walks. Bonds also received eight Gold Gloves for his defense in the outfield. Ranked second in career Wins Above Replacement among all major league position players by both Fangraphs and Baseball-Reference.com, Bonds is behind only Babe Ruth.
Barry Bonds Family Foundation
Barry Bonds Family Foundation Link & Learn Program
Support Bryan Stow
Please help me in supportting Bryan Stow and his family after his tragic accident. To learn more about his story, read my letter.
To donate to the Bryan Stow Children’s College Fund, please visit:
Our Story
The Barry Bonds Foundation’s mission is to encourage, promote and fund programs designed to improve the educational achievements, standard of living and quality of life conditions for African-American youth within the Bay Area community. The foundation will place an emphasis on programs that use interactive technology-based solutions to achieve their stated goals.
The Barry Bonds Family Foundation was founded in 1993 by Barry and other family members. Its mission is to encourage, promote and fund programs designed to improve the educational achievements, standards of living and quality of conditions for African-American youth within Bay Area communities. Barry has long dedicated himself to assisting underprivileged children reach higher academic achievements and promote the general welfare of underprivileged children and their families.
Other programs he has supported include the Barry Bonds Bone Marrow Campaign to Celebrate life, which promotes African-American bone marrow donors and raises funds to support families affected with leukemia and other blood-related diseases. The Field O’ Dreams Project for Marin City raised funds to develop a playground for sports and other social and recreational activities. Homepage for the Holidays uses the Internet to collect donations from the community and deliver toys and gifts to low-income children on Christmas Day. Barry Bonds has also supported AASK America, a special-needs adoption program that helps increase the number of children who receive permanent homes.
The personal involvement of Barry Bonds and other major philanthropists provide a unique opportunity to leverage community resources, make a visible impact and serve as a role model to influence other educational programs, all with the goal of improving students’ academic performance.
BARRY BONDS FAMILY
FOUNDATION GRANTEES
Testimonials
“We are so grateful to Barry for all he has done to support our patients and their families at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital San Francisco. His numerous visits, naming of our playroom and participation in countless hospital events over the years simply mean the world to us. Thank you Barry for having such a ‘giant’ heart.”
Kim Scurr – Executive Director – UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital San Francisco
“The Barry Bonds Family Foundation has worked closely with Reading Partners for the past three years. Since 2013, the Barry Bonds Family Foundation has contributed $21,500 to Reading Partners, empowering our San Francisco Bay Area team and thousands of community volunteers to provide data-driven one-on-one tutoring to 4,143 students at more than 27 high-need elementary schools. On behalf of the children we serve, we sincerely thank the Barry Bonds Family Foundation. We’re thrilled that Barry’s legacy extends not only to excellence on the baseball diamond, but now is used to foster excellence in learning for the struggling elementary school readers we serve across the San Francisco Bay Area.”
Joanna Reilly – Associate Director of Development – Reading Partners
“At the Silicon Valley Education Foundation, our goal is for Silicon Valley to be the #1 region in the state for students who graduate from high school ready for college and careers. The generosity of the Barry Bonds Family Foundation has been instrumental in our efforts to achieve this goal. The Foundation’s support has enabled us to scale our flagship Elevate [Math] program, which provides 75 hours of math intervention to rising 8thgraders, to more school districts and more students throughout the Bay Area. The efforts of the Barry Bonds Family Foundation are helping ensure that more students stay on the path to college and careers.”
Marc Berman – Director of Fund Development – Silicon Valley Education Foundation
“Based on the generosity of Barry Bonds and the Barry Bonds Family, the No Greater Sacrifice Foundation had the opportunity to bring six of our scholarship recipients to the Miami area for a weekend of mentorship, coaching, and fun. No Greater Sacrifice is committed to providing a debt-free college education to the children of our nation’s fallen and severely wounded Service members, but we also provide personalized mentorship to each of our scholarship recipients, in an effort to ensure their success in their educational goals and their future careers. The Barry Bonds Family Foundation provided us an opportunity and a venue to bring these young men together, forge deep bonds, and help these young men better define their educational and career goals. We simply cannot thank you enough for all of your generosity, support, and commitment to our nation’s Service members and their families.”
Barry Bonds Philanthropy News
Bonds hits No. 715 to pass Babe Ruth
SAN FRANCISCO — Now there’s only Hank Aaron.
Barry Bonds hit his 715th home run Sunday to slip past Babe Ruth
and pull in right behind Aaron, whose long-standing record of 755
may prove even tougher to crack.
So let the debate begin: Can Bonds hold up to break it?
“If you keep playing long enough anything is possible,” he
said.
This one played out exactly the way San Francisco’s slugger
wanted — he hit it at home, in front of the fans who adore him.
It just took him a little longer than he had hoped. The historic
home run came eight days after he tied the Babe for second place on
the career chart.
“For the fans of San Francisco, it can’t get any better than
this — even though I made them wait longer than I have in the
past,” Bonds said, wearing a new 715 shirt and cap. “Age ain’t
catching up with me.”
But at 41, Bonds has been slowed by health problems. He
underwent three operations on his right knee last year that limited
him to 14 games, and also has bone chips in his left elbow.
And many believe his rapid ascent up the home run ranks was
fueled by performance-enhancing drugs — though he has always denied
knowingly taking steroids.
Bonds’ latest milestone — a mightier homer than No. 714 — was a
445-foot, two-run shot to center before a sellout crowd. His
seventh homer of the season came on the last day before the Giants
began a road trip to Florida and New York.
Bonds’ teammates toasted him with champagne in the clubhouse
after the Giants’ 6-3 loss to the Colorado Rockies.
“Everybody was waiting for a moment like this,” shortstop Omar Vizquel said. “A couple of words were said.”
Bonds homered off Byung-Hyun Kim in the fourth inning. The ball
glanced off a fan’s hands about 15 rows up and then dropped onto an
elevated platform beyond the fence.
The souvenir sat there for a few minutes before rolling off the
roof and into the hands of 38-year-old San Francisco resident
Andrew Morbitzer, who was waiting for a beer and peanuts. He was
quickly ushered away by security.
“I got to be a small part of a big day,” Morbitzer, a
marketing director and newlywed who brought his bride, Megan.
Bonds circled the bases as shiny orange, gold and black
streamers fell from the upper deck.
Bonds connected at 2:14 p.m. on a 90 mph fastball with the count
full, then immediately raised his arms and clapped his hands before
beginning his trot. Kim became the 421st pitcher to surrender a
homer to Bonds.
“It’s a great honor,” said Bonds, who watched Aaron hit his
715th home run at age 10. “It’s a wonderful honor. Hank Aaron is
the home run king and I won’t disrespect that ever. … I have a
lot of respect for Babe Ruth and what he’s done.”
“I’d like to win a World Series and be home run king. I’d like
to do both. I would take a World Series first,” he said.
Bonds embraced and kissed his 16-year-old son, bat boy Nikolai,
as he crossed home plate, then was greeted by his teammates at the
top of the dugout. He took one curtain call in which he tipped his
hat and raised both arms and blew a kiss to the crowd.
Moments later, he came out again and waved.
After the homer, the Giants unfurled two banners from the light
towers on either side of the main scoreboard in center field: one
of Bonds on the left side and the other of Hammerin’ Hank’s 755,
and 715 flashed on the scoreboard.
“I’m just happy,” Nikolai said. “It was a good moment.”
Thousands of fans stayed put in the stadium to watch Bonds’ news
conference being played on the center-field scoreboard. Some
chanted “Barry! Barry!” outside the Giants’ clubhouse.
Bonds, who had walked on five pitches in the first inning, went
five games between 714 and 715. He hit 714 on May 20 at Oakland, a
span of 17 at-bats and 25 plate appearances. Aaron had a four-game
wait between 714 and 715.
“I wish I had the ball,” joked Padres catcher Mike Piazza.
Bonds singled to right in his next at-bat with a drive off the
right-field facade that looked as if it might be headed out, too,
for No. 716. He grounded out to third to end the eighth and was
replaced in left field in the ninth by Jason Ellison.
Bonds is still loved at home despite the steroid accusations
that surround his home run pursuit.
This is the first time in nearly 85 years that Ruth hasn’t been
in the top two on the career home run list, according to David Vincent of the Society for American Baseball Research. He passed
Sam Thompson to move into second on June 20, 1921, when he hit his
127th home run.
Bonds has hit most of his other milestone home runs in San
Francisco: 500, 600, 700 along with 660 and 661 to tie and pass
godfather Willie Mays. In 2001, Bonds hit the final three of his 73
homers at home to break Mark McGwire‘s single-season record of 70.
Aaron passed Ruth in April 1974.
“Watching Barry, I had goosebumps,” said Colorado center
fielder Ryan Spilborghs, called up before the game. “It was one of
the most incredible baseball moments I’ve ever had.”
This was Bonds’ last chance during the six-game homestand before
the Giants left town for another week. He hadn’t homered at home
since May 2 against San Diego’s Scott Linebrink.
“Oh, I knew it was gone,” said Bonds, who hit his 49th career
homer off Colorado. “I knew it was definitely gone. There was no
doubt.”
Kim has a history of giving up notable homers — he allowed tying
two-run homers with two outs in the bottom of the ninth to the
Yankees’ Tino Martinez and Scott Brosius in Games 4 and 5 of the
2001 World Series.
Kim also gave up a key homer in the World Baseball Classic
semifinals in South Korea’s loss to Japan.
“I thought the game was finished,” he joked. “People cheer
like that when it’s over.”
Giants manager Felipe Alou wrote Bonds into the lineup without
checking with the seven-time NL MVP about playing in a day game
following a night game, aware that Bonds wanted to make history at
home.
“That’s one of the reasons I’m playing him without even asking
him,” Alou said. “We’re going to be gone for a week. Today’s the
perfect day.”
Hitting it in Florida in a near-empty stadium was far from what
Bonds or the Giants wanted for his latest feat.
“I’m glad for him. He is a great player, and has had a great
career,” St. Louis slugger Albert Pujols said. “It’s going to be
tough for anyone else to reach 715.”
Fans at San Diego’s Petco Park booed when a replay of Bonds’
homer was shown on the big screen during the sixth inning of the
Cardinals-Padres game. Bonds was booed repeatedly during a
season-opening series at San Diego, and a fan threw a toy syringe
at him on Opening Day.
“I’m just wondering how much longer he can do it,” Atlanta
pitcher John Smoltz said. “He’s the greatest — in my era — home
run hitter I have ever seen.”
Beginning Monday morning, fans with tickets to Sunday’s game
were able to bring their stub to a Giants store for their special
Bonds 715 home run pin.
Barry Bonds
| Barry Bonds | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Bonds in 2006
|
|||
| Left fielder | |||
| Born: July 24, 1964 Riverside, California |
|||
|
|||
| MLB debut | |||
| May 30, 1986, for the Pittsburgh Pirates | |||
| Last MLB appearance | |||
| September 26, 2007, for the San Francisco Giants | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .298 | ||
| Home runs | 762 | ||
| Hits | 2,935 | ||
| Runs batted in | 1,996 | ||
| Stolen bases | 514 | ||
| Teams | |||
| Career highlights and awards | |||
MLB records
|
|||
|
Medals
|
||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Barry Lamar Bonds (born July 24, 1964) is an American former professional baseball left fielder who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the Pittsburgh Pirates and San Francisco Giants. He received a record seven NL MVP awards, eight Gold Glove awards, a record 12 Silver Slugger awards, and 14 All-Star selections. He is considered to be one of the greatest baseball players of all time.
Bonds holds many MLB hitting records, including most career home runs (762), most home runs in a single season (73, set in 2001) and most career walks. He led MLB in on-base plus slugging six times, and placed within the top five hitters in 12 of his 17 qualifying seasons.
Bonds, a superb all-around baseball player, won eight Gold Glove awards for his defensive play in the outfield. He stole 514 bases with his baserunning speed, becoming the first and only MLB player to date with at least 500 home runs and 500 stolen bases (no other player has even 400 of each). He is ranked second in career Wins Above Replacement among all major league position players by both Fangraphs and Baseball-Reference.com, behind only Babe Ruth.
San Francisco Giants’ Barry Bonds follows through on his 70th home run of the season.
Career distinctions
 |
|
| Barry Bonds’s number 25 was retired by the San Francisco Giants in 2018. |
Besides holding Major League career records in home runs (762), walks (2,558), and intentional walks (688), at the time of his retirement, Bonds also led all active players in RBI (1,996), on-base percentage (.444), runs (2,227), games (2,986), extra-base hits (1,440), at-bats per home run (12.92), and total bases (5,976). He is 2nd in doubles (601), slugging percentage (.607), stolen bases (514), at-bats (9,847), and hits (2,935), 6th in triples (77), 8th in sacrifice flies (91), and 9th in strikeouts (1,539), through September 26, 2007.[22]
Bonds is the lone member of the 500–500 club, which means he has hit at least 500 home runs (762) and stolen at least 500 bases (514); no other player has even 400 of both. He is also one of only four baseball players all-time to be in the 40–40 club (1996), which means he hit 40 home runs (42) and stole 40 bases (40) in the same season; the other members are José Canseco, Alex Rodriguez, and Alfonso Soriano.
Records held
|
Â
|
 |
Records held
Home runs in a single season (73), 2001
- Home runs (career) (762)
- Home runs against different pitchers (449)
- Home runs since turning 40 years old (74)
- Home runs in the year he turned 43 years old (28)
- Consecutive seasons with 30 or more home runs (13), 1992–2004
- Slugging percentage in a single season (.863), 2001
- Slugging percentage in a World Series (1.294), 2002
- Consecutive seasons with .600 slugging percentage or higher (8), 1998–2005
- On-base percentage in a single season (.609), 2004
- Walks in a single season (232), 2004
- Intentional walks in a single season (120), 2004
- Consecutive games with a walk (18)
- Consecutive games with an intentional walk (6)
- MVP awards (7—closest competitors trail with 3), 1990, 1992–93, 2001–2004
- Consecutive MVP awards (4), 2001–2004
- National League Player of the Month selections (13) (2nd place, either league, Frank Thomas, 8; 2nd place, N.L., George Foster, Pete Rose, and Dale Murphy, 6)
- Oldest player (age 38) to win the National League batting title (.370) for the first time, 2002
- Putouts as a left fielder (5,226)
- Consecutive plate appearances with a walk (7)
- Consecutive plate appearances reaching base (15)
- Tied with his father, Bobby, for most seasons with 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases (5); they are the only father-son members of the 30–30 club
- Home runs in a single post-season (8), 2002
Other accomplishments
| Category | Times | Seasons |
|---|---|---|
| Adjusted OPS+ leader | 9 | 1990−1993, 2000−2004 |
| Bases on balls leader | 12 | 1992, 1994−1997, 2000−2004, 2006, 2007 |
| Batting champion | 2 | 2002, 2004 |
| Extra base hits leader | 3 | 1992, 1993, 2001 |
| Games played leader | 1 | 1995 |
| Home run leader | 2 | 1993, 2001 |
| Intentional base on balls leader | 12 | 1992−1998, 2002−2004, 2006, 2007 |
| On-base percentage leader | 10 | 1991−1993, 1995, 2001−2004, 2006, 2007 |
| On-base plus slugging leader | 9 | 1990−1993, 1995, 2001−2004 |
| Runs batted in leader | 1 | 1993 |
| Runs scored leader | 1 | 1992 |
| Slugging percentage leader | 7 | 1990, 1992, 1993, 2001−2004 |
| Total bases leader | 1 | 1993 |
- Awards and distinctions
| Award | # of Times | Dates | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Babe Ruth Home Run Award | 1 | 2001 | |
| Baseball America All-Star | 7 | 1993, 1998, 2000–2004 | |
| Baseball America Major League Player of the Year | 3 | 2001, 2003, 2004 | |
| MLB All-Star | 14 | 1990, 1992–1998, 2000–2004, 2007 | |
| Major League Player of the Year | 3 | 1990, 2001, 2004 | |
| Rawlings Gold Glove Award at outfield | 8 | 1990–1994, 1996–1998 | |
| Silver Slugger Award at outfield | 12 | 1990–1994, 1996–97, 2000–2004 |
- 5-time SF Giants Player of the Year (1998, 2001–2004)
- 3-Time NL Hank Aaron Award winner (2001–02, 2004)
- Listed at #6 on The Sporting News‘ list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, the highest-ranked active player, in 2005.
- Named a finalist to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team in 1999, but not elected to the team in the fan balloting.
- Rating of 352 on Baseball-Reference.com’s Hall of Fame monitor (100 is a good HOF candidate); 9th among all hitters, highest among hitters not in HOF yet.
- Only the second player to twice have a single-season slugging percentage over .800, with his record .863 in 2001 and .812 in 2004. Babe Ruth was the other, with .847 in 1920 and .846 in 1921.
- Became the first player in history with more times on base (376) than official at-bats (373) in 2004. This was due to the record number of walks, which count as a time on base and as a plate appearance, but not an at-bat. He had 135 hits, 232 walks, and 9 hit-by-pitches for the 376 number.
- With his father Bobby (332, 461), leads all father-son combinations in combined home runs (1,094) and stolen bases (975), respectively through September 26, 2007.
- Played minor league baseball in both Alaska and Hawaii. In 1983, he played for the Alaska Goldpanners of Fairbanks in the Alaska Baseball League, and in 1986, he played for the Hawaii Islanders in the Pacific Coast League.
- Featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated. He has appeared as the main subject on the cover eight times in total; seven with the Giants and once with the Pirates. He has also appeared in an inset on the cover twice. He was the most recent Pirate player to appear on the cover, until Jason Grilli was featured in SIs edition of July 22, 2013.
- 50 home run club
- 500 home run club
- List of Major League Baseball annual runs batted in leaders
- List of Major League Baseball annual home run leaders
- List of Major League Baseball annual runs scored leaders
- List of Major League Baseball batting champions
- List of Major League Baseball career at-bat leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career bases on balls leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career doubles leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career extra base hits leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career games played leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career hits leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career hit by pitch leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career home run leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career on-base percentage leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career OPS leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career plate appearance leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career records
- List of Major League Baseball career runs batted in leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career runs scored leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career slugging percentage leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career stolen bases leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career strikeouts by batters leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career total bases leaders
- List of Major League Baseball doubles records
- List of Major League Baseball home run records
- List of Major League Baseball individual streaks
- List of Major League Baseball progressive career home runs leaders
- List of Major League Baseball progressive single-season home run leaders
- List of Major League Baseball record breakers by season
- List of Major League Baseball record holders
- List of Major League Baseball runs batted in records
- List of Major League Baseball runs records
- List of Major League Baseball single-season records
- List of milestone home runs by Barry Bonds
- List of second-generation Major League Baseball players
- List of Major League Baseball players named in the Mitchell Report
- Major League Baseball titles leaders
- Popov v. Hayashi
