Newz Forum: BASEBALL: Bonds sets record with 2,191th walk

Associated Press

Barry Bonds became major league baseball's all-time walks leader on Sunday, breaking Rickey Henderson's major league record when he drew his 2,191st from Oakland reliever Chad Bradford in the eighth inning.

The San Francisco slugger had an 0-2 count then drew four straight balls from Bradford. Bonds received a standing ovation, walked to first and picked up the base to save as a memento of the milestone. The six-time NL MVP walked on a 3-2 pitch by Oakland starter Mark Mulder leading off the sixth inning. The A's were leading 8-3. Bonds was plunked on the right hand in the second inning and threw his bat down in pain and frustration, but stayed in the game. He hit a sacrifice fly in the fourth.

"That's incredible," Hall of Famer Orlando Cepeda said. "I never thought anybody was going to break it. That's unreal. Barry's a cleanup hitter. Henderson was a leadoff hitter who's supposed to walk. Wow. Unbelievable. Awesome!"

Bonds, the most feared slugger in the game, has been drawing walks at a remarkable rate in recent years as few teams are willing to challenge him. He already has 121 walks in the Giants' first 82 games - including 63 intentional passes - and is on pace to shatter his single-season record of 198 set in 2002.

"That's a big accomplishment," manager Felipe Alou said on Saturday in anticipation of the record-breaking walk. "There are two things - you have to be a great player and you have to be a healthy player. Barry is not a guy who has had a major injury. You also have to be good enough to make it in the lineup every day."

Bonds also walked 177 times in 2001 when he set the single-season home run mark with 73, and 148 times in 130 games last year. The frequent walks are slowing Bonds' progress to a much more substantial record - Hank Aaron's career home run mark of 755. Bonds has gone deep 22 times this year and has 680 for his career, trailing only Aaron and Babe Ruth (714). If he keeps up his pace of more than a walk a game, Bonds figures to open some distance from Henderson's mark in his final few seasons. But Alou figures that someday another player will come around to challenge that mark.

"There are no untouchable records," Alou said on Saturday. "There's always a Barry Bonds somewhere. There's always somebody being born and trained - a phenom."

I don't think anybody will ever touch that record.Bonds is the first ever person, who pitchers are too frightened to throw to. Rickey Henderson got real pitches, and they tries to get him out. So did Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Mark McGuire and every other player. with Bonds, they justy try to walk him. If he cna average 150 walks for another 4 or five years, the recoord is untouchable, unless a new era is upon us, where pitchers simly walk the best players of the teams that they are playing against every time.

Originally posted by sniper474
unless a new era is upon us, where pitchers simly walk the best players of the teams that they are playing against every time.

Which would be a sad dayfor baseball. How can they expect to get new fans when thestars get treated like this?

Originally posted by Gibbs Baby!!!

Originally posted by sniper474
unless a new era is upon us, where pitchers simly walk the best players of the teams that they are playing against every time.

Which would be a sad dayfor baseball. How can they expect to get new fans when thestars get treated like this?

lol No other person has ever gotten this specail treatment either.

The fans don't come to the field because they want to see their favourite player get walked intentionally three times, they want to see him hit a monster homer. I think his fans would rather see Barry go 0-4 with two stikeouts than walk three times.

Originally posted by sniper474
The fans don't come to the field because they want to see their favourite player get walked intentionally three times, they want to see him hit a monster homer. I think his fans would rather see Barry go 0-4 with two stikeouts than walk three times.

Yeah, that's what I'm saying. No one wants to see this guy getting intentionally walked, it's bad for the game.

Is it a record to be really proud of?

I know that you can say they are scared to have him at the plate but i think the record sucks. Let the man hit the ball.

Exactly! i'm still waiting to hear about the fans all clucking like chickens