Homer Number 600 For Barry Bonds

Barry Bonds hit his 600th homer Friday night, capping an amazing two-year power surge by becoming the fourth major leaguer to reach that rarified air - and the first in 31 years.

With a 421-foot solo shot to center field in the sixth inning, the San Francisco slugger joined Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth and Willie Mays - Bonds' godfather and idol - in the exclusive club. No player had crossed the threshold since Aaron did it in April 1971.

"To be in that select group is great, but nothing's more satisfying than doing it front of 40,000 fans here in San Francisco," Bonds said. "I don't think that it could ever be more gratifying than that."

From the instant the ball left Bonds' black bat, the sellout crowd roared in an ovation that rolled through the park for several minutes. Fireworks flew to celebrate another amazing achievement by the slugger. He was mobbed at the plate by teammates after rounding the bases.

He hit his 500th homer on April 17, 2001, and he has passed 13 players on baseball's career list since then in an unprecedented display. In 2001, his 73 homers broke Mark McGwire's single-season record.

"It's a relief because it's here at home. When I hit 71 at home it was a great feeling. And to hit 600 at home is another great feeling," Bonds said.

Bonds' shot off Pittsburgh right-hander Kip Wells was his 33rd of the season and his 106th since the start of the 2001 season.

It also put the 38-year-old slugger 155 homers away from Aaron's record total - though Bonds claims he has no chance to catch Aaron.

Despite Bonds' homer, the Giants lost to the Pirates 4-3. Bonds grounded out with two runners on base to end the eighth inning.

"It's just unfortunate we didn't win," he said.

"It was a perfect day," said Pirates manager Lloyd McClendon, who played with Bonds in Pittsburgh. "A good friend of mine reached a milestone. I'm very happy for him. I can say I was associated with him in some small way."

Said Bonds, "I mean it's sweet, it's nice, I can't sit there and say that it isn't a great moment in my career because, definitely it is. We want to win bad. We're playing good and we just ran against the wall right here."

The cool seaside air was in optimal condition for homers, and the long ball was in the air. In the first inning, Aramis Ramirez hit a two-run homer for Pittsburgh; a few minutes later, Rich Aurilia hit a two-run homer to almost the same spot in the left field stands.

Bonds crushed a 2-1 pitch from Wells, taking a long moment to admire his blast as Pac Bell erupted and fireworks launched from the arcade atop the right field wall. The ball hit near the edge of the left-field bleachers, and the fan who grabbed it, 36-year-old Jay Arsenault of Vacaville, California, emerged with a bloody face.

"I knew it was gone when I hit it. I was just hoping no one got hurt when they go for it," Bonds said. "I was just praying no one got hurt fighting for it."

Arsenault, a construction worker who got the tickets from his boss, came away with cuts on his left cheek, arms, legs and hand. He also had a huge grin and some definite plans for his catch.

"Money talks," he said.

Bonds stepped lightly on home plate and pointed skyward with both hands. He then waved to his wife and daughter sitting next to the dugout, and he pointed at his cheering father, Bobby Bonds, who had surgery last month to remove a cancerous tumor from his kidney. Later, the Bonds father and son embraced on the field.

Before Friday's game, Bonds had told his wife, Liz, that he would hit his 600th that day.

"Luckily, I did," Bonds joked, "or she would have had some choice words for me when I got home."

Mays, Bonds' godfather, had a prior commitment and was not at the ballpark.

"It wasn't a wonderful pitch, but it wasn't a bad pitch," Wells said. "He hits pretty much everything well. I had a front-row seat to the whole thing. I wanted to take it all in and watch. Only I can say I'm the guy who gave it up. I'm happy. A win is a win."

Bonds needed just 710 at-bats to zoom from 500 homers to No. 600. Ruth had been the fastest to make that climb, and it took him 1,121 at-bats.

When Bonds took his position in left field after the inning, the fans rose for yet another standing ovation. Bonds doffed his cap as Pac Bell unveiled a design on the left field wall honoring the accomplishment. up an infield single in the first inning and retiring Bonds on a grounder in the fourth.

Bonds' achievements have come during an era of smaller ballparks, stronger players and ever-increasing offensive numbers. Still, everything about Bonds' two-year surge is stunning.

Bonds says he uses the supplement creatine, but has repeatedly denied taking steroids. Though he has added plenty of bulky muscle to his upper body over the past several seasons, he focuses his extensive workouts on flexibility designed to add years to his career.

He is the only player to record 400 stolen bases and 400 homers, and no player has more than his five 30-homer, 30-stolen base seasons. The four-times National League MVP is also climbing the all-time walks and runs scored lists. He is fifth with 1,851 walks and 15th with 1,795 runs.

The slugger had 176 homers with the Pirates and 424 with the Giants. He has a National League-record 11 consecutive 30-homer seasons, one shy of Jimmie Foxx's major league mark.