Barry Bonds facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Barry Bonds |
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Bonds in 2006
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| Left fielder | ||||||||||||||
| Born: July 24, 1964 Riverside, California, U.S. |
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| debut | ||||||||||||||
| May 30, 1986, for the Pittsburgh Pirates | ||||||||||||||
| Last appearance | ||||||||||||||
| September 26, 2007, for the San Francisco Giants | ||||||||||||||
| MLB statistics | ||||||||||||||
| Batting average | .298 | |||||||||||||
| Hits | 2,935 | |||||||||||||
| Home runs | 762 | |||||||||||||
| Runs batted in | 1,996 | |||||||||||||
| Stolen bases | 514 | |||||||||||||
| Bases on balls | 2,558 | |||||||||||||
| Teams | ||||||||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | ||||||||||||||
MLB records
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Medals
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Barry Lamar Bonds (born July 24, 1964) is a former professional baseball player from the United States. He played for 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). Bonds was a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1986 to 1992. He then played for the San Francisco Giants from 1993 to 2007. Many people consider him one of the greatest baseball players ever.
Barry Bonds was known as an amazing all-around player. He won a record seven National League (NL) Most Valuable Player Awards. He also earned 12 Silver Slugger Awards and was chosen for 14 All-Star teams. Bonds holds many MLB hitting records. These include the most career home runs (762) and the most home runs in a single season (73, set in 2001). He also holds records for the most walks in a career and a single season.
Bonds was also a great defensive player. He won eight Gold Glove Awards for his play in the outfield. He also stole 514 stolen bases. This made him the first and only MLB player to have at least 500 home runs and 500 stolen bases. Despite his many awards, Bonds' career had some controversy. He was not elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame during his time on the ballot. Some voters believed he used performance-enhancing drugs.
Contents
Early Life and College Baseball
Barry Bonds was born in Riverside, California. His father, Bobby Bonds, was also a future major league baseball player. Barry grew up in San Carlos and went to Junípero Serra High School. He was excellent at baseball, basketball, and football. In his senior year, he had a .467 batting average.
The Giants drafted Bonds in 1982, but they couldn't agree on a contract. So, Bonds decided to go to college instead. He attended Arizona State University. There, he hit .347 with 45 home runs and 175 runs batted in (RBI). In 1984, he batted .360 and stole 30 bases. He was named an All-American in 1985. He even tied an NCAA record with seven hits in a row during the College World Series.
Bonds graduated from Arizona State in 1986. He earned a degree in criminology.
Professional Baseball Career
Starting in the Minor Leagues
The Pittsburgh Pirates chose Bonds as the sixth overall pick in the 1985 Major League Baseball draft. He played for the Prince William Pirates and the Hawaii Islanders in the minor leagues. In 1986, he hit .311 with seven home runs for the Hawaii Islanders.
Time with the Pittsburgh Pirates (1986–1992)
Bonds made his major league debut on May 30, 1986. He played center field at first. Then he moved to left field in 1987 when Andy Van Slyke joined the team. In 1986, Bonds led all National League (NL) rookies with 16 home runs and 36 stolen bases.
In 1990, Bonds won his first MVP Award. He hit .301 with 33 home runs and 114 RBI. He also stole 52 bases, joining the 30–30 club (30 home runs and 30 stolen bases in one season). He won his first Gold Glove Award and Silver Slugger Award that year. The Pirates won their division, but lost in the playoffs.
Bonds continued to play well in 1991 and 1992. He won his second MVP award in 1992. He hit .311 with 34 home runs and 103 RBI. He helped the Pirates win their division for the third year in a row. However, they lost in the playoffs again. After the 1992 season, Bonds became a free agent.
Joining the San Francisco Giants (1993–2007)
In 1993, Bonds signed a big contract with the San Francisco Giants. This was like coming "home" for him. His father, Bobby Bonds, played for the Giants. His godfather, Willie Mays, also played for the Giants for many years. Bonds chose to wear jersey number 25 to honor his father.
In his first year with the Giants, Bonds had an amazing season. He hit .336, led the NL with 46 home runs, and had 123 RBI. He won his second straight MVP award, and his third overall.
Milestones and Records
In 1996, Bonds made history. He became the first National League player to hit 40 home runs and steal 40 bases in the same season. This is known as the 40–40 club. His father, Bobby Bonds, almost did it in 1973. Barry also hit his 300th career home run in 1996. This made him the fourth player to join the 300–300 club (300 home runs and 300 stolen bases).
On August 23, 1998, Bonds hit his 400th career home run. He became the first player ever to reach the 400–400 club (400 home runs and 400 stolen bases). He is still the only player to have achieved this.
The year 2001 was incredible for Bonds. He broke several major league records. He hit his 500th home run on April 17. He hit 39 home runs by the All-Star break, which was a major league record. He also set a new record for walks in a season with 177. On October 4, he tied the single-season home run record with 70. He then broke it by hitting his 71st and 72nd home runs the next night. Bonds finished the season with an amazing 73 home runs, setting a new single-season record.
In 2002, Bonds signed a new contract with the Giants. He won the NL batting title with a career-high .370 average. He also hit his 600th home run on August 9. He broke his own record for walks in a season with 198. He also set a new record for intentional walks with 68.
In 2003, Bonds played in fewer games but still hit 45 home runs. He also became the only player to join the 500 home run/500 stolen base club. He stole second base on June 23 to reach this milestone.
In 2004, Bonds had one of his best seasons. He hit .362 and won his second National League batting title. He broke his own record for walks again, with 232. He also set a new record for intentional walks with 120. Bonds passed Willie Mays on the career home run list by hitting his 661st home run. He then hit his 700th home run on September 17. Bonds won his fourth straight MVP award, and his seventh overall. No other player has won four MVP awards in a row.
Chasing the All-Time Home Run Record
In 2006, Bonds continued his chase for the all-time home run record. On May 7, he hit his 713th home run, getting very close to Babe Ruth's record. On May 20, Bonds tied Ruth with his 714th career home run. He hit it off Brad Halsey of the Oakland Athletics.
On May 28, 2006, Bonds passed Ruth. He hit his 715th career home run off Byung-hyun Kim of the Colorado Rockies. The ball landed in center field. On September 22, Bonds tied Hank Aaron's National League career home run record of 733. The next day, he surpassed Aaron for the NL career home run record.
In 2007, Bonds continued his pursuit of Aaron's all-time record. On August 4, Bonds hit his 755th home run against the San Diego Padres. This tied Hank Aaron's all-time record.
On August 7, 2007, at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Bonds hit his 756th home run. This broke Hank Aaron's all-time career home run record. The home run came off Mike Bacsik of the Washington Nationals. After the home run, there was a short video from Hank Aaron congratulating Bonds. Bonds thanked his teammates, family, and his late father.
The fan who caught the 756th home run ball was Matt Murphy. The ball was later sold at an auction. The buyer, Marc Ecko, decided to brand the ball with an asterisk and send it to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. Bonds finished the 2007 season with 28 home runs. At 43 years old, he led both leagues in walks with 132.
After Playing Baseball
On September 21, 2007, the San Francisco Giants announced they would not re-sign Bonds for the 2008 season. Bonds officially became a free agent on October 29, 2007. However, no team signed him for the 2008 or 2009 seasons.
If he had returned to play, Bonds was close to several major milestones. He needed only 65 more hits to reach 3,000. He also needed four more RBI to reach 2,000.
In 2014, Bonds worked as a spring training instructor for the Giants. In December 2015, he became the hitting coach for the Miami Marlins. He left that role in October 2016 after one season. In 2017, Bonds officially rejoined the Giants as a special advisor. On July 8, 2017, Bonds was added to the Giants Wall of Fame.
On February 6, 2018, the Giants announced they would retire his number 25 jersey. This happened on August 11, 2018.
National Baseball Hall of Fame
Bonds was eligible for the National Baseball Hall of Fame for ten years. However, he did not receive the 75% of votes needed from the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) to be inducted. His highest vote percentage was 66% in his final year of eligibility in 2022.
Even though he was not elected by the writers, Bonds remained eligible through the Hall of Fame's Today's Game Committee. This committee considers players who made important contributions to baseball. The vote was held in December 2022, but Bonds did not receive enough votes for induction.
Public Image
During his playing career, Bonds was sometimes seen as a difficult person. In a 2016 interview, he said he regretted how he was seen by the public. He felt it was a reaction to the pressure he felt as a young player. He explained that he tried to change his image, but it didn't seem to help. So, he decided to just "live with the flames" of the image he had created.
Bonds also shared a story about his time with the Giants. His teammates once asked him to be more friendly. He tried, but when he had a slump, they asked him to go back to his old ways, thinking it helped his competitive edge. Bonds said he agreed, and kept his familiar serious attitude for the rest of his career.
Personal Life
Barry Bonds has family members who were also involved in sports. His younger brother, Bobby Bonds Jr., was also a professional baseball player. His aunt, Rosie Bonds, was a record holder in hurdles and competed in the 1964 Olympics. He is also a distant cousin of Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson.
Bonds enjoys cycling as a way to stay in shape. He has had knee, back, and hip surgeries, which made running difficult. Cycling helps him get enough exercise. He has also taken up Brazilian jiu-jitsu and earned a blue belt in 2023.
Career Achievements
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| Barry Bonds's number 25 was retired by the San Francisco Giants in 2018. |
When he retired, Barry Bonds held many Major League records. These include:
- Most career home runs (762)
- Most career walks (2,558)
- Most career intentional walks (688)
He also led all active players in RBI (1,996), on-base percentage (.444), and runs (2,227).
Bonds is the only player in the 500–500 club. This means he hit at least 500 home runs (762) and stole at least 500 bases (514). No other player has even 400 of both. He is also one of only six players in the 40–40 club (40 home runs and 40 stolen bases in one season). The other members are José Canseco, Alex Rodriguez, Alfonso Soriano, Ronald Acuña Jr., and Shohei Ohtani.
Records Held by Barry Bonds
- Most home runs in a single season (73), 2001
- Most home runs in a career (762)
- Most home runs after turning 40 years old (74)
- Most home runs in the year he turned 43 years old (28)
- Most consecutive seasons with 30 or more home runs (13), 1992–2004
- Highest slugging percentage in a World Series (1.294), 2002
- Most consecutive seasons with .600 slugging percentage or higher (8), 1998–2005
- Highest on-base percentage in a single season (.609), 2004
- Most walks in a career (2,558)
- Most walks in a single season (232), 2004
- Most consecutive games with a walk (18)
- Most intentional walks in a career (688)
- Most intentional walks in a single season (120), 2004
- Most consecutive games with an intentional walk (6)
- Most MVP awards (7)
- Most consecutive MVP awards (4), 2001–2004
- Most National League Player of the Month selections (13)
- Oldest player to win the National League batting title for the first time, batting .370 at age 38 in 2002
- Most putouts as a left fielder (5,226)
- Most career games with at least one home run and one stolen base (102)
- Most consecutive plate appearances with a walk (7)
- Most consecutive plate appearances reaching base, National League modern era (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.
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 |
- Five-time SF Giants Player of the Year (1998, 2001–2004)
- Three-time NL Hank Aaron Award winner (2001–02, 2004)
- Listed at #6 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players in 2005.
- Named a finalist to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team in 1999.
- The fourth player to have two or more seasons with a slugging percentage over .800.
- Became the first player in history with more times on base (376) than official at-bats (373) in 2004.
- With his father Bobby, leads all father-son combinations in combined home runs (1,094) and stolen bases (975).
- Played minor league baseball in both Alaska and Hawaii.
- Featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated eight times.
Images for kids
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A sign counts up to Barry Bonds's 714th home run
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Concession stand where home run number 715 was hit in center field
See also
In Spanish: Barry Bonds para niños
