San Francisco Giants History: Barry Bonds Breaks Home Run Record

Despite being walked virtually every time he came to the plate, it seemed inevitable that Barry Bonds would end up as the all time home run leader. That happened on this day in 2007, when the San Francisco Giants slugger hit his 756th career home run.

Even at age 42, at a time when other players are firmly on the downside of their careers, San Francisco Giants slugger Barry Bonds was still a feared hitter. Capable of hitting a home run at virtually any point in time, teams continued to pitch around him, as he drew a league leading 132 walks, including 43 intentional free passes.

However, on those rare occasions when Bonds would see a pitch in the strike zone, he was still more than capable of sending it over the fence. As he steadily hit home runs, and tied Hank Aaron‘s career mark with a blast off Clay Hensley, who ironically enough, was suspended for PEDs while a minor league pitcher.

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The inevitable happened on this day in 2007. Facing Mike Bacsik Jr. in the fifth inning, a pitcher whose father had faced Hank Aaron following his final Major League homer, Bonds deposited his 3-2 offering deep to right center, breaking his tie with Aaron and moving atop the home run list on his own. Following a brief ceremony, and a recorded message from the former home run king, Bonds was lifted from the game as part of a double switch.

Bonds would hit just six more home runs the rest of the year, ending his career with 762 homers. While he was productive at age 42, the signs of age were creeping in, and when the Giants said they would not bring him back the next year, he went unsigned in free agency. This led to a lawsuit and accusations that Bonds was being colluded against, as he felt he could still play, but his lawsuit was dismissed.

Much like his run at Mark McGwire‘s single season home run record, Bonds’ chase of the all time mark should have been a chance to celebrate his career and the history of the game. Instead, it turned into a talking point about PED usage, and the accusations and allegations that surrounded Bonds. Instead of celebrating history, it was a chance to take a swipe at one of the greatest players to ever set foot on the diamond, a sad commentary on the same people that, not even a decade before, were praising Bonds for his accomplishments.

Next: The rise and fall of Andrew McCutchen

Barry Bonds was one of the all time greats, and on this day in 2007, the San Francisco Giants slugger cemented his place in history as he broke Hank Aaron’s all time home run record.