Ruthian feat for Bonds
OAKLAND, Calif. – Under the circumstances – intense media attention, oppressive history, the sanctity of a legend – Barry Bonds felt thrilled to settle for a tie Saturday.
Bonds cast the Giants’ 4-2, 10-inning interleague victory over the A’s into history by pulling even with Babe Ruth for second place on the all-time home-run list. The Giants star opened the second inning with his long-anticipated 714th home run, clobbering a 1-1 fastball from A’s left-hander Brad Halsey into the right-field seats.
After enduring nine games and 40 plate appearances without a home run since belting No. 713 on May 7 at Philadelphia, Bonds felt relieved just to equal Ruth, the man who has remained synonymous with homers.
“I’m just glad it’s over with,” Bonds said. “This took a lot off me. It’s good.”
Doubt began to hover around Bonds as his power drought lengthened. Surely, skeptics said, his surgically repaired right knee and the bone chips in his left elbow were hampering him. On Tuesday in Houston, Bonds even said that he was “chasing ghosts,” referring to Ruth. But Saturday, Bonds attributed his skid to the constant scrutiny he has undergone.
“There’s just a whole lot around me,” said Bonds, who has been trailed throughout May by a phalanx of reporters. “When you have a big stage all day, every single day, it’s just exhausting.”
Bonds looked anything but tired as he faced Halsey in the second with the A’s leading 1-0. McAfee Coliseum’s digital clocks read 1:32 p.m. as he connected with Halsey’s pitch. In another era, Bonds’ clout would have been called Ruthian. Bondsian or Ruthian, it was an impressive line drive that appeared to keep rising as it easily cleared the 15-foot-high wall in the right-field power alley, above the 362-foot marker.
“I knew I hit it. I knew it was gone,” Bonds said.
Said Halsey: “It’s a big deal – for him. For me, it’s not a big deal. For me, it’s a home run that tied the game.”
Giants manager Felipe Alou: “I like the fact that the ball was (hit.) That ball was crushed. It’s not like he lost his power. That ball was hit by a slugger who has been hitting home runs all his career.”
As Bonds began the tour around the bases which he knows so well, he pointed at euphoric friends and relatives who were seated behind the first-base dugout. Bonds’ wife, Liz, and his daughters, Shikari and Aisha, were among the group. Bonds said later that his mother, Pat, was attending her parents’ 60th wedding anniversary.
Another relative greeted Bonds at home plate: his son, Nikolai, who was serving as the Giants batboy.
Bonds gave Nikolai a warm embrace immediately after crossing the plate.
Bonds’ teammates refrained from rushing home plate.
“That’s his time to have that moment, especially with his son,” said Mark Sweeney, who joined numerous Giants to high-five and shake hands with Bonds as he returned to the dugout.
Right-hander Jason Schmidt, who limited the A’s to two runs in 8 1/3 innings, found perspective in Bonds’ achievement.
“When you’re growing up, playing Little League or in the minors on up, the one thing the coach always tells you is, ‘Throw strikes. It’s not Babe Ruth up there,’ Schmidt said. “Now I’m sitting here and I know a guy who has done what Babe Ruth did.”
As expected, the A’s did not stage a celebration for Bonds, as the Giants planned to do at AT&T Park.