Barry Bonds is perhaps the most polarizing name in baseball. A player who could’ve been a first-ballot Hall of Famer, a generational icon, but ended up becoming an asterisk. From evident early talent to an insatiable hunger, Bonds serves as a poignant example for all, embodying both the positive and negative aspects of the game.
Widely known as the Homerun King, in his prime, Bonds was one of the greatest five-tool players in baseball history. Doing things that few only dreamt of, nothing was stopping the young man from succeeding. But then sometimes ambitions can become someone’s undoing, a similar story played out with Bonds as well. That led to the Homerun King losing his chance to enter Cooperstown. So here’s the history of Barry Bonds – the man with many awards but no Hall of Fame ring.
Barry Bonds’ successful career and the shadows of steroid use
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Barry Bonds’ career can be divided into two eras – pre and post-1998. The interesting part is that by 1998 he was already a legend of the sport—a three-time MVP with 441 home runs, 445 stolen bases, and .966 OPS. Bonds was a bona fide superstar, but there was an urge to do more. 1998 proved to be a turning point of sorts for the star as he watched Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa compete in the historic HomeRun race, while Bonds was placed 18th with 37 home runs.
According to a 2006 book “Game of Shadows”, Bonds felt that these players were ahead of him because of PEDs and decided to use it too. That brings us to the post-1998 era. The year was 2000, there was a difference visible in Bonds’ abilities. Suddenly the slugger went on an overdrive, hitting everything that moved. From 2001 to 2004, Bonds won four consecutive MVP Awards and broke McGwire’s 70-home run record by hitting 73 in 2001.
But amidst all of this success, serious doubts were being raised about Bonds’ abilities. It wasn’t because fans felt he wasn’t talented. The question was – how was Bonds hitting these extraordinary peaks after the age of 34 – the age when a noticeable physical decline sets in? Many brushed those thoughts aside, but an uncomfortable truth was soon to be revealed. A truth that forever attached an asterisk to this legend’s legacy.
Not the home run king? How court inquiry put Barry Bonds’ elusive title under question
The year was 2003, baseball was enjoying a renaissance in popularity that it lost after the 1994 strikes. Then something came to puncture that feeling – the BALCO scandal. Suddenly all everyone talked about was “The Clear” – a steroid undetectable by doping tests. While hints were always present about its usage, what shocked the world was the extent of its use in the league. One after the other names were getting revealed and then a bombshell dropped – ‘Barry Bonds might have used it as well’.
On December 4, 2003, during a grand jury, Bonds admitted he used a clear substance and a cream “unknowingly”. With more reports of his PED usage slowly coming into the picture, Bonds was accused of perjury. In 2011 Bonds was found guilty of Obstruction of Justice, but he was successful in getting that decision overturned in 2015. But all of this left an undeniable blot on everything that Bonds had achieved in his career.
A permanent asterisk was attached to two of the greatest records of Bonds – the 73 home runs in 2001 and the all-time high 762 career home runs. No matter what he said or did, there was always a question about the legitimacy of his achievements. The once crown jewel of baseball had turned into a warning sign, a tale of what not to be. A once clear first-ballot Hall-of-Famer suddenly had a big fight on his hands regarding his induction.
The impact: How his HOF selection came under the bus
Cooperstown was always going to be an uphill battle for Barry Bonds. The bitter taste of the Steroid Era was still fresh in everyone’s mouth. It became obvious when in 2013, Bonds got only 36.2% votes. The numbers kept increasing, but by his tenth year; he reached only the 66% mark. The voters just couldn’t forgive perhaps the greatest player of the steroid era.
Another issue was that when Bonds entered in 2013, the ex-players had 15 years of eligibility, but that was reduced to 10 in 2015. Could he have made it in if he had five more years? That’s a wild speculation, but one that will always remain in everyone’s mind. But even after Bonds lost his ten years of eligibility, there was a way in for him.
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He could still convince the Hall of Fame Today’s Game Committee or the veterans’ committee. Could that give him a respite and provide Bonds with a place with the elites of the sport? The answer was no. Out of sixteen votes, Bonds received less than four. So is the story really over?
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The end: Despite the respite, Barry Bonds unlikely to be a HOF
The drug usage of Bonds was never proven. There were allegations, and perjury cases, but nowhere did it ever mention that Bonds used the PEDs intentionally. Ever since the scandal, Bonds has maintained that he was given those substances unknowingly. One can’t say that the scandal destroyed Bonds’ legacy, it just harmed it.
The Home Run King is still involved with the sport. Having No. 25 jersey retired by the San Francisco Giants in his name, Barry remains the Special Advisor to the owner of the Giants and successfully operates the Barry Bonds Baseball Training Academy. Although Bonds was never isolated by the baseball world, he remains the face of the steroid era – the era that gave baseball unprecedented popularity.
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But when it comes to the Hall-of-Fame, the writers have made their feelings known. Despite his otherworldly records, Cooperstown might not be a part of the Homerun King’s lore.
Read more: How Hall of Famer Willie Mays Nurtured a Young Barry Bonds Long Before His Controversial MLB Career
