Last year, the Giants and the city of San Francisco took advantage of a cosmic alignment on the calendar to pay tribute to franchise icon Willie Mays.
Former Mayor London Breed declared that Feb. 4, 2024 -- otherwise known as 2/4/24 -- would be known as “Willie Mays Day” in honor of the Hall of Famer, who passed away last June at the age of 93.
During the official proclamation at San Francisco City Hall, Mays’ godson -- legendary slugger Barry Bonds -- pointed out that another once-in-a-century event would be coming up the following year: 2/5/25.
When that date arrived on Wednesday, Bonds found himself back at City Hall alongside new Mayor Daniel Lurie, who proclaimed that Feb. 5, 2025, would be known as “Barry Bonds Day” in San Francisco.
“I am extremely honored to receive the recognition and proclamation from Mayor Lurie and the City and County of San Francisco,” Bonds said in a statement. “Today is a celebration of not only my 22-year career but of the fans and the community who have supported me and cheered for me over the years. 2/5/25 is a wonderful reminder that I proudly wore number 25 in a city that I love and in front of so many fans whom I call family.”
The Giants planned to illuminate Oracle Park in orange lights as part of their celebration of Bonds, who wore No. 25 for his entire 15-year run with his hometown team.
“It’s fitting that one year and one day after a city-wide celebration for his godfather, we’re honoring another all-time great and Forever Giant,” Giants president and CEO Larry Baer said in a statement. “2/5/25 is an opportunity to celebrate one of the greatest players ever and thank you to Mayor Lurie for recognizing Barry not only for his unmatched accomplishments on the field but also for his lasting impact on the San Francisco community.”
A seven-time National League MVP, 14-time All-Star and eight-time Gold Glove Award winner, Bonds holds Major League Baseball’s all-time records for home runs (762) and walks (2,558) and is the only player to hit 500 homers and steal 500 bases.
After spending the first seven years of his career with the Pirates, Bonds signed with the Giants ahead of the 1993 season and ignited one of the greatest turnarounds in franchise history. His arrival helped turn a 90-loss team into a 103-win team, as he slashed .336/.458/.677 with 46 home runs and 123 RBIs to earn the first of five NL MVP Awards in San Francisco. Bonds spent the final 15 seasons of his career with the Giants, hitting .312/.477/.666 with 586 home runs and 1,440 RBIs over 1,976 games.
While his ties to performance-enhancing drugs have kept him out of the Hall of Fame, Bonds remains a popular figure in San Francisco, where his No. 25 was retired by the Giants in 2018. Bonds has returned the love in retirement, launching the Barry Bonds Family Foundation to inspire, empower and educate African American and underserved youth in the Bay Area through educational tutoring and enrichment programs.
“Today, we are celebrating Barry Bonds for his contributions to baseball and more importantly for everything he has given San Francisco,” Lurie said in a statement. “Barry has been a champion not only for Giants fans but also for so many young people in our community through his charitable work. It’s only fitting, after 2/4/24 was Willie Mays Day, that 2/5/25 be Barry Bonds Day.”
Senior Reporter Maria Guardado covers the Giants for MLB.com. She previously covered the Angels from 2017-18.
