Watch Barry Bonds hit his very first big league home run
Watch Barry Bonds hit his very first big league HR
On Sept. 5, 2007, the Giants were playing a matchup with the Rockies at Coors Field. You'd be forgiven if you don't remember that exact game or that exact date -- the tie featured the National League West's fifth and fourth-placed teams (respectively) battling in a late-season contest with little on the line.
But if you do remember it, it's likely because of this:
That right there is the final home run of Barry Bonds' 22-year career -- a just-enough shot to left that appeared to have been helped over the wall by some overeager fans.
But before he could hit No. 762, he had to hit his very first. And, wouldn't you know it, he happened to do it 29 years ago today.
Bonds had only made his debut a few days prior, joining the team on May 29 for their three-game series against the Dodgers. In that series, Bonds seemed somewhat overmatched. Here's how Dan Hafner of the Los Angeles Times described the prevailing wisdom:
Well, at least it appeared to be true before a June 4 matchup against the Braves in Atlanta -- a game in which Bonds went 4-for-5 with a home run, a double and 4 RBIs. He came to the plate in the fifth inning with two outs and nobody on and took Braves reliever Craig McMurtry deep to left field. The Pirates won that game, 12-3 -- largely due to Bonds' contribution at the plate.
That Hafner quote above came from his postgame recap of that Braves game, which included the future 14-time All Star describing his excitement:
So, behold something you might not have seen for some time -- the first home run of Barry Bonds' career:
