Home run king Bonds has his No. 25 retired
Barry Bonds had his No. 25 jersey retired by the San Francisco Giants, 11 years after he broke Hank Aaron’ home- run record in his 22nd and final major- league season.
The Giants held a ceremony at AT& T Park on Saturday night before a game against his other team, the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Bonds became the 10th Giants player in franchise history to have his number retired. He finished with 762 career home runs.
The seven- time NL MVP was greeted with a rousing ovation and fans chanted his name. The 54- year- old Bonds waved, clapped his hands and raised both arms to acknowledge the cheers.
Giants great Willie Mays was on hand. He is Bonds’ godfather, and he called for Bonds to get into the Hall of Fame. Giants Hall of Famers Orlando Cepeda, Juan Marichal, Willie McCovey and Gaylord Perry also took part in the festivities.
Former managers Jim Leyland and Dusty Baker and current Giants skipper Bruce Bochy were at the park. So were Bonds’ mother and his three children.
THOME HONORED AS WELL
Jim Thome now has a gigantic bat to go with a Hall of Fame plaque.
The Chicago White Sox gave the former slugger with the big stick an appropriate gift during a pregame ceremony before Saturday night’s matchup against the Cleveland Indians, another honor for a player enshrined in Cooperstown in his first year of eligibility two weeks ago.
“This is so special,” Thome said prior to the ceremony. “This is my family, this is where I work, this is where we live. … This is really special.”
The White Sox showed highlights of Thome’s time with them as well as his Hall of Fame induction. Just as she did in Cooperstown, his daughter Lila sang the national anthem.
Thome got a standing ovation as he walked out of the dugout. The White Sox presented several gifts, including a black 8- foot bat that had his name and images of him.
Thome thanked former White Sox star Paul Konerko for attending the induction. He mentioned teammates such as Jermaine Dye, A. J. Pierzynski, Scott Podsednik and Joe Crede while praising former manager Ozzie Guillen and his staff as well as White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf and team executives Ken Williams and Rick Hahn.
The tribute was fitting for a five- time All- Star who hit 612 homers in 22 seasons with Cleveland, Philadelphia, Chicago, the Los Angeles Dodgers, Minnesota and Baltimore.
Thome got drafted by Cleveland out of Illinois Central College in the 13th round of the 1989 draft and spent his first 12 majorleague seasons with the Indians. But he forged a strong connection with the White Sox and their fans once Chicago acquired him in a trade with Philadelphia prior to the 2006 season.
Thome hit 134 homers for the White Sox before getting dealt to the Los Angeles Dodgers in August 2009. None were bigger than the drive he hit in the 2008 AL Central tiebreaker game to give the White Sox a 1- 0 victory over the Twins. Chicago then lost to Tampa Bay in the AL Division Series.
JANSEN DOING WELL
Los Angeles Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen is doing well after experiencing trouble with his heart again, though it remains uncertain when he will return to the mound.
Andrew Friedman, the president of baseball operations for the Dodgers, said Saturday everyone feels good about Jansen at the moment. But he wasn’t sure when he might be back.
Jansen dealt with issues related to an irregular heartbeat in 2011 and 2012, and the three- time All- Star recognized something wasn’t right Thursday as Los Angeles prepared for the opener of a four- game series at Colorado. He was sent back to Los Angeles and has been examined by a number of cardiologists, including some who have treated him in the past.