THE BOYS' BRIGADE

Barry Bonds

Barry Bonds grew up around the baseball diamond. As a boy, he played catch at Candlestick Park, then the home of baseball’s San Francisco Giants. Barry’s father, Bobby Bonds, was a star with the Giants. Willie Mays, a baseball Hall-of-Famer, is Barry’s godfather!

Today, Bonds is ranked among professional baseball’s greatest stars. One of the top home-run hitters of all time, Bonds is the only major leaguer to win the most valuable player (MVP) award seven times. That’s the award given each year to the best player. No other player has won the award more than three times.

GIFTED ATHLETE

Barry Lamar Bonds was born in 1964 in Riverside, California. In high school, Bonds starred in football, basketball, and baseball. But Bonds always liked baseball best. He went on to play college baseball at Arizona State University.

BIG LEAGUE CAREER

Bonds began his big-league career in 1986 when he joined the Pittsburgh Pirates. He quickly showed his all-around skills on the baseball field. He could hit home runs. He could run fast and steal bases. He played great defense at his position in left field.

SUCCESS WITH THE GIANTS

In 1993, Bonds left Pittsburgh and joined the San Francisco Giants. His success grew even greater with the Giants. In 1996, Bonds hit 42 home runs and stole 40 bases. That made him just the second player in major league history (José Canseco was the first) to have at least 40 home runs and 40 stolen bases in the same year! For his outstanding play, Bonds was named the Player of the Decade for the 1990s by The Sporting News magazine.

HOME RUNS!

In 2001, Bonds amazed fans with one of the greatest hitting seasons in baseball history. He hit 73 home runs, the most any player had ever hit in a single season.

Early in the 2004 season, Bonds slugged his 661st career home run. That hit put him in third place on the all-time home-run list, one ahead of his godfather, Willie Mays! Bonds has a chance to break the major league record of 755 home runs, which is held by Hank Aaron.