Bonds and Griffey Share the Home Run Spotlight

Barry Bonds trumped Ken Griffey Jr.’s benchmark homer with one of his own.

Griffey became the youngest to hit his 450th homer, but Bonds became the fastest to reach 49 in a season with a tiebreaking solo shot Thursday night in the San Francisco Giants’ 6-4 victory over the Cincinnati Reds.

Two of baseball’s most prolific power hitters and most reluctant interviews made the flashbulbs pop on a muggy, 79-degree night.

Later, they refused to talk about the home runs and their significance and the way it all happened.

“I don’t think about that,” Griffey said. “I think about what I have to do to help the ballclub win, and the guys who came before me can’t help me.”

Bonds cut off a question about his home runs, saying, “Go on to something else.” When the subject came up again, he said, “Did you go to deaf class?”

Griffey’s two-run shot in the first inning against Russ Ortiz (13-6) gave him 450 homers at age 31, adding to his legacy of reaching home run milestones sooner than anyone else. He also was the youngest to reach 350 and 400.

A fan traded the keepsake ball for five autographed bats, five autographed balls and a chance to meet Griffey, who has 12 home runs in a season interrupted by a torn hamstring.

“He was laying off some pretty good pitches,” said Ortiz, who went to a full count on Griffey. “He got me deep in the count and I wasn’t able to make the pitch I had to.”

Bonds broke a 2-2 tie in the third inning with another home run that sent flashbulbs popping in the crowd of 23,369. His solo shot against Scott Winchester (0-2) was a low line drive that landed in the Reds’ bullpen, making it easy to save.

Bonds slapped his hands together as he reached home plate, and fans leaned forward behind the Giants’ dugout to snap off a few more frames of the major league home run leader.

Bonds, 37, matched his career high for homers, this time in his 115th game.