Biographies > Barry Bonds

Sportswriters snubbed him in favor of Ken Griffey Jr., as the Player of the 1990s, but that had more to do with image than talent. Barry Lamar Bonds was the best player of the decade, and entering the new century he was still the best player in the game, blasting an amazing 73 homers in 2001. His combination of power and speed have been matched only by his godfather, Willie Mays. In 2001 Bonds broke two of the oldest of Babe Ruth's records - most walks and highest slugging percentage in a season. In 2002, Bonds eclipsed Ted Williams' single-season OBP record, as he reached base an amazing 58.3% of the time. Bonds also broke his own mark for walks, tallying 198 on the season. Most incredibly, Bonds continued to improve as a hitter, winning his first batting title with a .370 average in Pac Bell Park, a tough hitting environment.

Carrying the Giants to the 2002 World Series, Bonds finally filled the one void he'd had in his career. He helped erase the memory of his previous poor post-season performances when he homered in his first Fall Classic at-bat. He launched four homers in the Series and hit .471, but the Giants lost to the Angels in Game Seven.

Played For
Pittsburgh Pirates (1986-1992), San Francisco Giants (1993-present)

Bonds silenced many of his critics by blasting a home run in his first at-bat in the World Series. He hit four homers in the series, batted .471 with eight runs scored, six RBI, and a 1.294 SLG percentage