Baseball Guru
07-27-2001, 05:41 AM
By The Associated Press
With two drives, Barry Bonds suddenly jumped in front of two of baseball's greatest home run hitters.
His first shot gave him more career homers than Mickey Mantle. Then a grand slam pushed him ahead of Mark McGwire's pace in the chase for the single-season record.
Bonds' five RBIs Thursday night added up to an 11-3 victory for the San Francisco Giants over the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Bonds hit his 43rd homer, a solo shot in the fourth, to pass Mantle for ninth place. The pair was tied at 536 homers before Bonds went up by two.
The San Francisco left fielder was pleased with that, but it clearly isn't enough for him.
''I've got higher sights,'' he said.
Bonds' 44th homer of the season, a grand slam also off starter Curt Schilling, came in the fifth inning of the Giants' 103rd game.
He became the fastest to 44, topping McGwire, who did it in St. Louis' 104th game en route to a record 70 homers in 1998. Bonds said that McGwire's mark is not in his sights.
''I just know it's not realistic,'' Bonds said. ''I've slumped off a little bit, and I don't want to be considered just a power hitter. There's a little bit more to my game than just home runs.''
With two drives, Barry Bonds suddenly jumped in front of two of baseball's greatest home run hitters.
His first shot gave him more career homers than Mickey Mantle. Then a grand slam pushed him ahead of Mark McGwire's pace in the chase for the single-season record.
Bonds' five RBIs Thursday night added up to an 11-3 victory for the San Francisco Giants over the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Bonds hit his 43rd homer, a solo shot in the fourth, to pass Mantle for ninth place. The pair was tied at 536 homers before Bonds went up by two.
The San Francisco left fielder was pleased with that, but it clearly isn't enough for him.
''I've got higher sights,'' he said.
Bonds' 44th homer of the season, a grand slam also off starter Curt Schilling, came in the fifth inning of the Giants' 103rd game.
He became the fastest to 44, topping McGwire, who did it in St. Louis' 104th game en route to a record 70 homers in 1998. Bonds said that McGwire's mark is not in his sights.
''I just know it's not realistic,'' Bonds said. ''I've slumped off a little bit, and I don't want to be considered just a power hitter. There's a little bit more to my game than just home runs.''