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Over the past two seasons, Barry Bonds has put on an offensive display astounding enough to eliminate any doubt as to whether he is among the greatest players of all time. On Aug. 9, 2002 the San Francisco Giants left fielder took one more step toward baseball immortality, blasting a 421-foot solo shot off the Pirates' Kip Wells to become the fourth major leaguer in history to hit 600 career home runs. "It's an honor for anybody," Bonds said of joining Hank Aaron (755), Babe Ruth (714) and Willie Mays (660) on one of the game's most exclusive lists. Bonds' road to glory has not been without bumps, however. In addition to his less-than-amicable relationship with the media, fans and even some of his teammates, Bonds has battled a strained right hamstring as well as opposing teams that simply refuse to pitch to him. The five-time NL MVP is so feared as a hitter, in fact, that just one day after entering the 600 club, Bonds broke Willie McCovey's record of 45 intentional walks in a season. Though the 11-time All-Star has expressed reluctance about everything from granting interviews to passing Mays, his godfather and idol, on the all-time home run list, he has always been clear about the one goal that has eluded him in his 17-year pro career: winning a World Series. Though Bonds fell one victory shy of that achievement this year, the question of whether he can perform in the postseason has been answered once and for all. Against the Angels in the 2002 World Series, Bonds batted .471 (8-for-17), with four homers and two doubles. He set new seven-game Series records for slugging percentage (1.294) and on-base percentage (.700), reaching on 21 of 30 plate appearances. At age 38, Bonds, who is signed with the Giants through 2006, shows no signs of slowing down. "It's not going to haunt us," he said of the loss to Anaheim. "We'll go to spring training and start again."
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Photograph by Andy Lyons
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