San Francisco Giants History: Barry Bonds Joins 600 Homer Club
By David Hill
Before this day in 2002, Willie Mays, Babe Ruth, and Hank Aaron were the only members of the 600 home run club. Then, facing off against the Pittsburgh Pirates, San Francisco Giants slugger Barry Bonds joined that exclusive company.
Back in 2001, San Francisco Giants outfielder Barry Bonds established himself as one of the great sluggers in MLB history. He set a single season record with 73 home runs, breaking the mark set by Mark McGwire just three years before. Even though he was in his late 30’s, it seemed as though Bonds may be able to lay siege to Hank Aaron’s all time record.
He moved one step closer on this day in 2002. Facing Kip Wells and the Pittsburgh Pirates, Bonds lined a 2-1 offering over the center field wall, making him the fourth member of the 600 home run club, joining Aaron, Babe Ruth, and his godfather, Willie Mays, in that company.
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That home run helped Bonds keep up his impressive ability to hit milestone after milestone. In less than two seasons, he had joined both the 500 home run and the 600 home run clubs, showing an unprecedented surge in power at that stage of his career. Suspicions of how natural that growth in power had already been circulating, and Bonds’ rapid rise up the all time list only helped fuel those questions.
It was unfortunate that this accomplishment, and those subsequent milestones reached by Bonds, would come under such a cloud of suspicion. While the media had begun to whisper about McGwire and Sammy Sosa, they did not face nearly the same level of scrutiny that Bonds faced during his march to the top of the home run hitting mountain. Perhaps this was due to his surly and standoffish nature, compared to the lovable Sosa and the more reserved, but equally embraced, McGwire, but Bonds never received that same level of appreciation for his accomplishments.
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With one swing of the bat, and a pitch launched into the batter’s eye in center field, San Francisco Giants outfielder Barry Bonds became the fourth member of the 600 home run club. Unfortunately, this accomplishment only furthered the scrutiny he found himself under.