Many players, from Aaron Judge to Juan Soto, are compared to Barry Bond because of their stellar hits. That’s because Bond is undeniably the hit-king in baseball; he holds several MLB records, including the most career home runs, the home‌ runs in a single season, and most career walks. Not just that, he has eight Golden Glove awards to his name, 12 Silver Slugger awards, 14 All-Star selections, and the list just goes on. But there is one record that he still hasn’t reached.

Unfortunately, despite being one of the legendary characters of baseball, believe it or not, Barry Bonds has not been induced into the Hall of Fame. His legacy is as bright as it was tainted red by the BALCO case and ongoing accusations of enhancing substance use. But recently, he was inducted into the Pirates Hall of Fame, and he is at peace with his legacy with that.

Barry Bond strikes gold with Pittsburgh induction

When one hopes for something for a long time and it doesn’t happen, that hope gets lost. This is what happened with Barry Bonds—he was taken aback and surprised in ways he didn’t expect when the Pittsburgh Pirates inducted him into the club’s Hall of Fame. But he didn’t have time to ponder, he wanted to enjoy the moment. His outfit choice was gold, no really it was!

Barry Bonds showed up in a golden outfit for his big day, which seemed fitting for this golden moment in his life. Alongside fellow inductees Jim Leyland and Manny Sanguillen, Barry Bonds was all smiles. As MLB’s home run king, one would think he’d be hung over on that elusive Hall of Fame induction. But nope! Bonds said, “I don’t have to worry about those things no more in my life,(I want to) hang around my grandchildren and my children. Those hopes (of making the Hall of Fame), I don’t have them anymore. I hope to breathe tomorrow (and see) if I can make it to 61.”

While Bonds is known for his final 15 seasons playing for the Giants, he looks back at his time with the Pirates with great fondness. Bonds even called it his “greatest stop” before saying it led the foundation for his career with the Giants, where he went on to win five more NL MVP awards and finish with a staggering 762 home runs. While Bonds doesn’t care much now, he did once deeply care about making it to the Hall of Fame. Bonds had said earlier to Bloom of MLB.com: “I may say I don’t, but I do really care. I’ve been through a lot in my life so not too many things bother me. Making the Hall of Fame, would it be something that’s gratifying because of what I’ve sacrificed. Sure. Baseball has been a big part of our lives. We’ve sacrificed our bodies. It’s the way we made our living.”

Barry Bonds has now exhausted his ten-year eligibility with the Baseball Writers Association of America for a Hall of Fame spot. However, not all hope is lost and he might still have a chance!

Does Barry Bonds have another shot at the Hall of Fame?

Barry Bonds has been constantly denied his entry to date because of major allegations of the player using drug use. It was widely believed that Bonds used performance-enhancing drugs to better his name and that he began using these drugs in 1999—when he was a member of the San Francisco Giants. So, Bonds just couldn’t meet the 75% mark needed in his 10 years on the Baseball Writers Association of America’s Hall of Fame ballot.  

Bonds seem to have left hope that the Hall of Fame is ever happening. But there is still hope. Because he can still get through the Contemporary Player Committee. And the committee will be meeting again very soon in fact on December 2025. So this could give Bonds a really good shot at making it to the Hall of Fame 2026.  During his years with the pirates, from 1986 to 1992, he was a force to be reckoned with. He was a two-time All-Star and led the league with 109 runs scored in ‘92. He constantly put up huge numbers, logging 25 plus homers and over 100 RBIs in the last three seasons — so he wasn’t just a flash in the pan.

But that’s not all—because even though he played for the Pittsburgh Pirates for only seven seasons, he still made his mark. He’s still fifth in franchise history for home runs (176), seventh in slugging percentage (.503), and ninth in OPS (.883). Given these statistics, aren’t they just too impressive for a person who still hasn’t made it to the Hall of Fame? Barry Bonds himself called his time with the Pirates the ‘greatest stop’ of his career, and after that, he only got finer with the Giants. Now, with the Pirates honoring him in their Hall of Fame, could Cooperstown be next? What do you think—will Bonds finally get that long-awaited call to the Hall of Fame? Share in the comments.