San Francisco Giants' Barry Bonds Sets MLB Record

On May 4, 2002, Barry Bonds hits his 400th home run as a San Francisco Giant, leading his team to a 3-0 win over Cincinnati. Bonds is the first player to hit 400 homers for one team and 100 with another (Pittsburgh Pirates). Bonds would finish his career as Major League Baseball's All-Time home run leader with 762 home runs.

Barry Bonds hitting his 400th home run as a San Francisco Giant.

 It took Bonds 21 seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates and the San Francisco Giants to Break Aaron’s record of 756 home runs, which stood for 33 years. Bonds would finish his career and is still the all-time leader in MLB history for most career home runs. Part of Bonds’ success came from the fact that he is the All-Time leader with consecutive seasons of 30 or more home runs, in which he has 13, from 1992-2004.

Bonds also leads the MLB in home runs in a single season with 73, career walks with 2,558 and career intentional walks with 688.

Bonds was also a seven time National League MVP. His seven MVP awards are four more than the next player. 

In the American League, former Yankee slugger Joe DiMaggio earned three MVP’s. Two of DiMaggio’s teammates also earned three MVP’s, Yogi Berra and Mickey Mantle. Current Yankee third baseman Alex Rodriguez also has three MVP’s.

In the National League, St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Famer Stan Musial earned three MVP awards in his career. Former Brooklyn Dodger Roy Campanella earned three MVP’s. Phillies third baseman Mike Schmidt and another former Cardinal in Albert Pujols also earned three MVP awards.

On top of being on of the most decorated hitters of all time, Bonds also was an outstanding outfielder in his younger years as he racked up eight Gold Glove awards from 1990-1998. As of 2009, Bonds was the Left Fielder to win a Gold Glove in the National League.

He is also tied with his father Bobby for the most seasons of 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases with five. Bonds would continue his terror on the base paths throughout his career and managed to become the only member of the 400/400 club, hitting over 400 home runs and stealing over 400 bags. He would then further himself from the rest of baseball when he entered the 500/500 club in 2004 when he swiped his 500^th stolen base.

Bonds’ was also just a season shy from joining the elusive 3,000 hit club, as he finished his career with 2,935 hits.

Bonds’ stats indicate he should have been a first ballot Hall of Famer into Cooperstown, however, with the steroid issues and Balco perjury scandals it is unlikely that Bonds will be nominated into Cooperstown ever

Yankees Name Mattingly Captain

On Feb. 28, 1991 that first baseman Don Mattingly was named captain of the New York Yankees.  Mattingly became the thirteenth captain in Yankees’ history.

Donnie Baseball earned the honor prior to his tenth year with the team.  He began his career with the Yankees in 1982, playing for them his entire career before retiring in 1995. He stepped in to fill the roll after the position had been vacant during the previous two seasons.

New York Yankees first baseman and captain Don Mattingly.

Since Mattingly’s departure, Derek Jeter is the only member of the Yankees to serve as captain. He was awarded the position in 2003, and has served it well over the course of the past nine seasons. It appeared as though Jeter’s tenure as captain would come to an end last off-season when he became a free agent, but the Yanks were able to reach an agreement with their All-Star shortstop, signing him to a three-year deal with an option for a fourth year.

Before Mattingly was the Yankees captain 12 others preceded him including in chronological order; Clark Griffith, Kid Elberfeld, Hal Chase, Frank Chance, Roger Peckinpaugh, Babe Ruth, Everett Scott, Lou Gehrig, Thurman Munson, Graig Nettles, Willie Randolph and Ron Guidry.

Mattingly would have a great career on the Yankees putting up a .307 batting average, 222 home runs, 1,099 RBI’s. He would earn six consecutive All-Star appearances, win the Gold Glove at first base nine times, win the Silver Slugger Award three times. He won the 1984 American league Batting Title and was crowned the 1985 American League RBI Champion as well the 1985 American League MVP.

The Yankees retired “Donny Baseball’s” no. 23 jersey on Aug. 31 1997.

Since his retirement, Mattingly got back into baseball, wearing a uniform, but playing a new position. He began coaching with the New York Yankees from 2004-2007, then moved to the West Coast to coach with the Los Angeles Dodgers from 2008-2010. Currently Mattingly is managing the Dodgers, and entering his third season at that position. In his three plus years of managing he has accumulated a 260 wins and 225 losses, good enough for a .536 win percentage. This could potentially be Mattingly's breakout season as the Dodgers are once again touted as a World Series contender, in part to the fact the franchise has spent a lot of money on such players as Clayton Kershaw, Matt Kemp, Yasiel Puig and Adrian Gonzalez.

Berra Wins MVP

On Nov. 8, 1951, Yogi Berra of the New York Yankees picked up his first MVP award. 

Berra hit .294 that season and hit 27 home runs. Berra was an All-Star catcher 18 times, every year from 1948 through 1962. 

There were two All-Star games in 1959, 1960, and 1961, in which Berra was a selected to be a part of both.

He would also in the MVP award in 1954 and 1955.

His three MVP awards are tied second All-Time with Philadelphia Athletics great Jimmie Foxx, St. Louis Cardinals great Stan Musial, former New York Yankee teammate and Martinez native Joe DiMaggio, another former teammate and Yankee great Mickey Mantle, Brooklyn Dodgers catcher great Roy Campanella, former Philadelphia Phillies great Mike Schmidt, former St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols and current New York Yankee Alex Rodriguez. 

The three MVP awards won by Berra are only behind Barry Bonds, who has seven, and won four straight from 2001 to 2004.

Berra was part of the Yankees from 1946 to 1963 as a player; in 1963 he was a player and coach for the Bronx Bombers. In 1964 he served his first term as manager for the team. 

After managing the team for one year he would jump back into coaching from 1976 to 1983. He would take his second stint as manager in 1984 through 1985. 

During his time with the Yankees, Berra helped the elder New York franchise to 13 World Championships as a player, manager and coach in 1947, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1956, 1958, 1961, 1962, 1977 and 1978.

Berra would also play, coach and manager for the other New York team, the Mets. He would help the New York “Miracle” Mets to a World Series title in 1969.

Berra would have his no. 8 jersey retired by the Yankees on July 22, 1972 and would be inducted into Cooperstown Baseballs Hall of Fame in 1972, with 85.61 percent of the vote. It was the first time he was on the ballot.

Since his time from baseball, Berra has written several books including:

Yogi: It Ain't Over (1989). The Yogi Book: 'I Really Didn't Say Everything I Said' (1998). When You Come to a Fork in the Road, Take It! Inspiration and Wisdom from One of Baseball's Greatest Heroes (2001). What Time Is It? You Mean Now?: Advice for Life from the Zennest Master of Them All (2002). Ten Rings: My Championship Seasons (2003). Let's Go, Yankees! (2006). You Can Observe a Lot by Watching (2011).

Bonds Hits 73

On Oct. 7, 2001, San Francisco Giants slugger Barry Bonds records home run 73 of the season against Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Dennis Springer.

Barry Bonds would finish the 2001 season with 73 home runs, a new major league record, breaking Mark McGwire’s record of 70 home runs that was set just a few years earlier in 1998. Bonds received the Babe Ruth award in 2001 for leading the MLB in home runs.

Bonds would never reach the plateau of 70 home runs again, but his record still stands today. The 2001 season was the fourth season in which Bonds was named the National League MVP, the first as a San Francisco Giant. The three previous MVP awards came while he was on the Pittsburgh Pirates. The 2001 MVP award was also the first of four consecutive MVP awards Bonds would receive while playing for the Giants as he also won the award in 2002, 2003 and 2004. No other player has won four MVP awards, let alone four consecutive MVP awards.

The 2001 season also saw Bonds draw in a few more records besides home runs, including 177 walks, and had .515 on-base percentage, a feat which had not been seen since Mickey Mantle and Ted Williams over forty years earlier. Bonds’ slugging percentage in 2001 was also a major league record, which still stands, as he hit an astounding .863.

Earlier in the 2001 season Bonds had also hit home run 500 putting him in great company, at the time only 16 other players were in the 500 home run club. Since Bonds reached the feat eight other players have reached 500 home runs.

Bonds is not yet a member of the Cooperstown Baseball Hall of Fame but should be  in my opinion. Whether or not you believe steroids helped Bonds reach the home run feats, he was still a great player in the batters box or on defense. Bonds won an unprecedented seven MVP awards in his career, four more than the next players on the list, which include Hall of Famers, Yogi Berra, Joe DiMaggio, Jimmie Foxx, Stan Musial, Roy Campanella, and Mike Schmidt. Two active players also have three MVP awards, New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez and Anaheim Angels first baseman Albert Pujols.

Bonds also holds 17 MLB records including most walks in a season, and a career, and shares a piece of four other records including most seasons (five) with 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases, which tied his father Bobby. Barry and Bobby are also the only father and son duo to be in the 30-30 club.