© Rick Scuteri | USA Today
Hours before Barry Bonds’s number 25 was retired by the Giants, manager Bruce Bochy was asked about his former player – the all-time MLB home run king. Bochy said he had “a lot of good memories” with Bonds.
“Barry was great,” Bochy said. “We got along, he was great. I probably wore him down that first month, I was trying to run him out there every day, trying to win games. He went about his business in a very professional way and I appreciated my time with him.”
Bochy said he had no doubt about Bonds’s chances of being inducted into Hall of Fame with five years of eligibility left.
“I think you look at a guy who was the most dominant player in his era, so he’s going to be there,” Bochy said. “There’s no question it’s going to happen for him because that’s where the greatest players belong. So it’s just a matter of time for Barry.”
The longtime Giants skipper said he still marvels at how dominant Bonds was.
“It does still amaze me how many home runs he hit and how good this guy was,” Bochy said. “When he was going through all those years with all those walks. You give him one pitch and it would leave the ballpark.”
Bochy did not relish his time as an opposing manager.
“He was the guy you talked about,” Bochy said. “The guy got walked with the bases loaded.”
