Bonds takes a breather in record chase

SAN DIEGO -- A day after joining Hank Aaron atop baseball’s all-time home run list, an emotionally spent Barry Bonds had the afternoon off Sunday.

“I know he’s drained,” San Francisco Giants Manager Bruce Bochy said. “When he hit that one, [it was] a big load off him.

“As good as he is at handling pressure and dealing with it, you could tell that was a relief. There was a lot of emotion involved in that.”

Bochy said Bonds will be back in the lineup when the Giants begin a seven-game homestand tonight in San Francisco, where Bonds has hit most of his milestone homers and where he has long said he wants to pass Aaron.

“He’s so well-loved there. And [the fans] certainly deserve it,” Bochy said. “We’re hoping that it does happen this homestand for our fans. And for Barry.”

Bonds strolled into the visiting clubhouse at Petco Park less than two hours before the start of the San Diego Padres’ 5-4 victory Sunday, a win that gave them a sweep of the three-game series with the Giants.

Like most of his teammates, he didn’t take batting practice and, in fact, never stepped out of the Giants’ dugout -- although he did have a bat in his hand and was preparing to pinch-hit in the ninth inning.

During a long, informal pregame session with reporters, he seemed at ease, openly discussing the pressure of chasing one of the most storied records in sports.

“I can’t explain it yet. I don’t know what to think,” said Bonds, who broke out in rashes and became physically ill as he drew nearer to Aaron’s record. “Each one gets harder. Each time gets tougher.

“It’s the all-time home run record.”

However, Bonds said much of the stress and expectation disappeared after he finally matched Aaron with a first-inning home run Saturday, the 755th homer of his career.

“There’s no pressure on me at all to do this” tonight, he told a group of more than three dozen reporters, many of whom have been following him for weeks. “[But] if I keep my mechanics right, you guys won’t be around long.”

Bonds said he did little celebrating Saturday night and didn’t even bother to watch a replay of the historic homer, which struck the facing of the second deck in left-center field then bounced into the seats below, traveling an estimated 382 feet.

“[I] sat down in the hotel for a minute,” he said. “Took my kid up to bed. I’ve got an 8-year-old. There’s nothing I could do. I don’t have a nanny or something.”

The significance of Bonds’ achievement didn’t escape many in the San Francisco clubhouse, however. Although the team knew the record was coming, infielder Kevin Frandsen said many Giants didn’t know how to react when it finally arrived.

“You don’t know what to do,” said Frandsen, a boyhood Bonds fan who was in the lineup last season when Bonds passed Babe Ruth for second on the career home run list. “You’re sitting there going ‘Did that just happen?’ It is one of those things. It’s a moment were you’re in awe.

“I’m pretty lucky.”

Added Bochy: “We all have so much respect for Hank Aaron. And here we have the guy that just tied [him]. That makes you realize what’s happening. It’s such an historic moment. And it’s [just] a matter of time before he breaks it.

“It’s quite a moment in baseball. I’m happy, proud for Barry. What he accomplished is remarkable. That’s a lot of home runs.”

Bonds said he received a number of congratulatory calls, including one from Ken Griffey Jr., and got messages from Willie Mays and Alex Rodriguez. More telling, however, is the list of people who haven’t called, including Commissioner Bud Selig and Aaron, who has turned his back on Bonds because of widespread speculation the Giants slugger used steroids and other performance-enhancing substances.

One player who congratulated the slugger in person was Padres pitcher Clay Hensley, who gave up the record-tying blast. Hensley, who received an autographed bat from Bonds on Saturday, later ran into the Giants slugger in a hallway between the Padres and Giants clubhouses.

“I shook his hand. I congratulated him,” said Hensley, who was sent back to the minors Sunday. “I didn’t want to be the guy that gave it up, but I gave it up. He’s a great hitter.

“To me, it was just another home run. I’m not going to try to make too much of a big deal out of it. Congratulations to Barry. [But] it’s nothing I’m going to watch over and over again on TV.”

In addition to losing a bat to Hensley, Bonds also lost a batting helmet Sunday when Jeff Idelson, vice president of baseball’s Hall of Fame, carted one out of the Giants’ clubhouse in a brown Trader Joe’s shopping bag. It will make its next stop in Cooperstown, N.Y.

Next up for Bonds, meanwhile, is 22-year-old rookie left-hander John Lannan of the Washington Nationals, who was born less than nine months after Bonds signed his first pro contract.

“We have a game plan -- go out there and throw strikes,” said Lannan, who made his major league debut last week. “If Barry comes up, if I have a chance to pitch to him, I will. If the opportunity calls to pitch around him, I will.

“You don’t really think about the one-on-one matchup. You think about the whole game itself. It’s not that much of an individual thing.”

Except when you’re facing the individual who, with one more swing, will become the greatest home run hitter in history.

“I know exactly what I’m capable of doing,” Bonds said. “I know if I get into a position to do something, you’re in trouble.”

kevin.baxter@latimes.com

bill.shaikin@latimes.com