Bonds establishes the NL record by reaching base in 15 consecutive plate appearances. Over the span of four games, he goes 9 for 9 with six walks.
February 1999
Bonds' third child, his first with Elizabeth, is born -- daughter Aisha.
April 20, 1999
For just the second time in his 13-year career, Bonds lands on the disabled list. He undergoes surgery to remove a bone spur and repair a damaged triceps tendon in his left arm and misses the majority of the first half of the season (47 games).
June 27, 1999
Another record for Bonds -- this one for the ultimate show of respect in the game -- as he passes Hank Aaron for most career intentional walks (293).
July 1999
Bonds is named the Player of the Decade for the '90s by The Sporting News. In the 10-year span, he wins three MVPs and eight Gold Gloves and ranks in the top three in home runs, RBIs, slugging percentage and walks.
September 11, 1999
Bonds records his 2,000th major league hit -- a double against Atlanta's Tom Glavine.
September 28, 2000
Bonds establishes a new career high when he smashes his 49th home run of the season.
October 2000
Bonds' postseason woes linger. Against the Mets in the NLDS, he goes 3 for 17 (.176) with no homers and one RBI as the Giants drop the series, three games to one.
April 17, 2001
In front of 41,059 fans, the largest crowd in Pac Bell Park history, Bonds goes deep in the eighth inning off the Dodgers' Terry Adams to become the 17th member of the 500 home run club. Although he waited just one day to reach the mark (he had hit No. 499 the previous evening), Bonds is glad he doesn't have to deal with the high-pressure atmosphere anymore. ''You go up there and you feel like you're on stage by yourself,'' Bonds says. ''It's nerve-racking. I'm really glad it's over.''
May 2001
After hitting 17 home runs in a month -- a new major league record -- Bonds is named Player of the Month for the eighth time in his career. Since the award was established in 1958, no other player has won it more than six times.
July 10, 2001
With a major-league record 39 home runs at the midseason point, Bonds is the NL's leading vote-getter for the All-Star Game and makes his 10th appearance in the event.
October 3, 2001
Against the Astros, Bonds draws three bases on balls -- Nos. 170, 171 and 172 for the year -- to pass Babe Ruth's single-season walk record of 170. Bonds, who needs just one homer to tie McGwire's single-season record of 70 homers, says after the game, "You can't do anything if you're not pitched to."
October 4, 2001
Having been pitched around for several games, Bonds finally gets something to hit. The slugger makes the most of a pitch from Astros reliever Wilfredo Rodriguez, clobbering a 454-foot home run into the upper deck at Enron Field to tie McGwire's record. The home crowd, which booed its own pitchers every time they threw something out of the strike zone to Bonds, gives the future Hall of Famer a standing ovation and his teammates mob him at home plate for a celebration. "It was electrifying," says Bonds.
October 5, 2001
With more on his mind than just the home run record, Bonds hits long ball No. 71 off the Dodgers' Chan Ho Park in the first inning to break McGwire's single-season HR mark. And the slugger isn't done. Two innings later, he belts No. 72 against Park. Earlier in the day, Bonds had attended the funeral of his close friend and bodyguard, Franklin Bradley. The 37 year old died due to complications during stomach-stapling surgery. "It hurt him extremely badly when Franklin died, as much as anything in years," Bobby Bonds told People. "Barry loved this guy."
October 7, 2001
Bonds completes his historic season by drilling his 73rd and final home run of the year off Dodgers knuckleballer Dennis Springer -- a solo shot in the first inning at Pac Bell Park. " I was just in shock," Bonds says. "The chance of hitting a home run off a guy who throws that slow is slim. I just said, 'What else can you give me, God? Enough is enough.'"
November 19, 2001
Bonds' last accolade of the year is a big one. He wins a major-league record fourth MVP award, taking 30 of 32 first-place votes. Final numbers for the season: .328 average, 73 home runs, 137 RBIs (career high), 177 walks (all-time record), .863 slugging percentage (all-time record). With the country still shaken by the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Bonds says, "This MVP just to me symbolizes the strength of a nation."
December 31, 2001
As a result of his season-for-the-ages, Bonds is named one of People's 25 Most Intriguing People of 2001.
January 14, 2002
Bonds tests the free-agent market, but ends up re-signing with San Francisco for a five-year, $90 million contract. "My heart has always been here," Bonds says. "No amount of money would make me leave San Francisco, to be honest with you. I always wanted to stay a San Francisco Giant. Unless there was a blockbuster, out-of-the world offer, I wasn't going to leave. All I want now is a World Series ring."
April 4, 2002
Bonds picks up where he left off in 2001, going deep twice against the Dodgers. These shots -- plus the pair he hit Opening Day -- brings his home run total to four in two games. The countdown to 74 begins
June 5, 2002
Bonds passes Frank Robisnon to move into fourth place on the all-time home
run list when he slugs his 587th blast in the top of the third inning
against the San Diego Padres. Next on the docket for Bonds to pass is his godfather, Willie Mays, who ranks third in career homers with 660.
August 9, 2002
In front of his home crowd at Pacific Bell Park, Bonds becomes the fourth player in history to hit 600 home runs when he goes deep off Pirates hurler Kip Wells in the sixth inning. Only Babe Ruth reached the milestone in fewer at-bats than Bonds (6,921 to 8,212) The blast leaves the Giants slugger 155 home runs from Hank Aaron's all-time record of 755. "To be in that select group is great, but nothing's more satisfying than doing it front of 40,000 friends here in San Francisco," Bonds says. "I don't think that it could ever be more gratifying than that."
September 28, 2002
Bonds goes yard in his last game of the regular season to finish the year with 46 home runs and 110 RBIs. He also captures his first career batting title (.370) and sets a major league record with a .582 on-base percentage.
October 27, 2002
A World Series ring eludes Bonds as the Giants lose Game 7 of the Fall Classic to Anaheim, 4-1. However, the slugger puts to rest talk that he isn't a clutch playoff performer. His final postseason numbers: .356 batting average, eight home runs, 16 RBIs and 27 walks.
November 11, 2002
Bonds become's baseball's first five-time MVP, winning the NL award unanimously.
