Bonds Passes Mays at Last

A day after catching his godfather, Barry Bonds moved ahead of Willie Mays with another majestic homer.

This one had the same destination -- San Francisco Bay, of course -- and strangely enough, it was retrieved by the same kayaking fan.

And though No. 661 didn’t spark the same kind of celebration, Tuesday night’s shot was even more important. That’s because only Babe Ruth and Hank Aaron are on deck now.

Bonds took sole possession of third place on the career home runs list in the San Francisco Giants’ 4-2 victory over Milwaukee.

In the seventh inning, Bonds hit a 1-and-2 pitch from right-hander Ben Ford over the right-field arcade and into McCovey Cove.

Bonds savored the moment with his teammates and his family, but said his 660th homer had more sentimental value, because it “binded us all together” -- Bonds, Mays and Bobby Bonds, the slugger’s late father.

“[Mays] will always be my mentor,” Bonds said. “He will always be the one I look up to. He will always be the best baseball player of all time. That isn’t ever going to change.

“It’s all about keeping it in the family. I have his blessing. [Monday] was a relief, and now I’ve got to just go out there and swing the bat and go after the next thing.”

That would be Ruth and Aaron. If Bonds maintains his unbelievable pace of the last four seasons, he could pass Ruth’s 714 homers early next season.

“I don’t probably know anything about Babe Ruth,” Bonds said playfully before reciting a list of Ruth’s accomplishments. “I know how he changed the game and the contributions he made to his era.... But right now, I’m just working on 662.”

Bonds has said he can’t imagine passing Aaron, who hit 755 homers. But to everyone else, there seems to be nothing Bonds can’t do.

“I’ve never seen a better player in my life,” said former Giant third baseman Matt Williams, who threw out the first pitch at Tuesday night’s game. “I don’t think anybody changes the course of a game like he does.”

Bonds, who will turn 40 in July, has hit 213 homers in the previous four seasons, including a major league-record 73 in 2001.

He hit his 659th on opening day in Houston -- but as he usually does, Bonds waited until returning home to San Francisco to hit his most historic homers.

Bonds didn’t really celebrate his 661st, calmly dropping his bat and circling the bases as the sellout crowd stood and roared. After touching home plate on the solo shot, he pointed into the stands at his family.

“He looked like he wanted to cry when he was coming in,” Manager Felipe Alou said. “The emotions were different tonight for that man. He’s in some way thinking about his dad when something like that happens.”

But Bonds said he only thought about the Giants’ two-run lead as he rounded the bases. He took a short curtain call, and he got yet another standing ovation when he took the field for the eighth inning.

“I was trying to keep it down, put it in the dirt. It didn’t get down,” Ford said. “I left it over the plate too much. It was a mistake, and he capitalizes on mistakes. He doesn’t miss too often.”

It was Bonds’ 29th career homer into McCovey Cove -- where the ball was retrieved by Larry Ellison, the same kayaker who got Bonds’ 660th and later gave it back to the slugger. Ellison said he plans to keep this one -- and Bonds doesn’t mind at all.

“660 was the one,” Bonds said. “That’s the one I’ll keep on my desk forever.”

Bonds will get the day off today, though Alou wasn’t planning to decide until talking with the left fielder.

Marquis Grissom hit two homers for the Giants in their third straight victory. Dustin Hermanson (1-0) held the Brewers to three hits and one run while pitching into the sixth inning.

The San Francisco bullpen quelled an eighth-inning rally by the Brewers, who lost their third straight to drop below .500 for the first time this season. Matt Herges pitched the ninth for his fifth save in six chances.

Grissom had his eighth career two-homer game, starting with a two-run shot in the first inning that easily cleared the left-field wall. He had a solo homer in the third off Chris Capuano (1-1), who yielded seven hits and three runs over five innings.

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Career Leaders in Home Runs

*--* PLAYER YRS. ACTIVE NO. 1. Hank Aaron 1954-76 755 2. Babe Ruth 1914-35 714 3. Barry Bonds-x 1986-present 661 4. Willie Mays 1951-73 660 5. Frank Robinson 1956-76 586 6. Mark McGwire 1986-2001 583 7. Harmon Killebrew 1954-75 573 8. Reggie Jackson 1967-87 563 9. Mike Schmidt 1972-89 548 10. Sammy Sosa-x 1989-present 540 11. Mickey Mantle 1951-68 536 12. Jimmie Foxx 1925-45 534 13. Rafael Palmeiro-x 1986-present 528 14. Willie McCovey 1959-80 521 tie. Ted Williams 1939-60 521 16. Ernie Banks 1953-71 512 tie. Eddie Mathews 1952-68 512 18. Mel Ott 1926-47 511 19. Eddie Murray 1977-97 504

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