Barry Bonds

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Bonds Drills 700th Career Homer Against Padres

By Scott Skiljan

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - San Francisco Giants slugger Barry Bonds hit his 700th career home run on Friday to join Hank Aaron and Babe Ruth as the only major league players to reach the milestone.

Bonds drilled an 0-1 pitch from Jake Peavy into the left field seats in the third inning of the Giants 4-1 win over the San Diego Padres.

"You don't think you'll be playing ball long enough to hit 500 home runs much less 700," Bonds said at a news conference after the game.

The 392-foot blast barely cleared the fence in left center field and set off a mad scramble among the fans for the ball.

Bonds circled the bases and was given a long standing ovation by the sellout home crowd in the first of a nine-game homestand.

"You can't be more proud then doing this here at home," Bonds said.

"Your home town in front of you, friends and everything.

"This is were I'm comfortable, this is were my life started. My family's here and I'm just glad I didn't waste my wife's trip back from LA."

Bonds was interviewed at field level after the game and fans heard his remarks on the P.A. system in the park.

"The good thing is I can get to sleep now and stop having nightmares about it," he told the cheering crowd.

FIREWORK DISPLAY

The stadium was filled with streamers and an elaborate firework display as Bonds rounded the bases, with two enormous banners also unveiled on the light towers.

The blast was his 79th career homer against the Padres, his most against any team, and a third career shot off Peavy.

When Bonds returned to left field at the start of the fourth inning, a montage saluting him was unveiled with the inscription "A Giant among legends" along with a logo depicting his 700th home run.

"Just before the game, I had very strong feelings he was going to hit it," Giants manager Felipe Alou said.

The 40-year-old Bonds appears destined to break Aaron's all-time mark of 755 but must first overhaul Ruth's 714.

He has 42 home runs this season and despite shattering his own record for most walks in a season, still ranks among the top home run hitters in the game.

The Giants have 14 regular season games remaining after Friday.

Bonds is the only six-time winner of the National League's Most Valuable Player Award, an honor he has won the last three seasons.

He leads the NL in batting average this season and became the career walks leader last month.

Bonds also holds the single season major league record for home runs with 73 in 2001.