Bonds Just Misses Catching Ruth in Giants’ 6-1 Victory

Barry Bonds came within a few inches of his 714th home run, that ball taken at the top of the center-field fence by Juan Pierre on Tuesday night, and so remained one home run short of Babe Ruth on the all-time home run list.

Bonds was one for four and walked once in the San Francisco Giants’ 6-1 win over the Chicago Cubs at AT&T; Park. The Cubs have lost eight in a row.

Bonds, moving on his 42nd birthday as quickly as he is Ruth, suggested Tuesday he would play beyond this season, perhaps as a designated hitter, putting Hank Aaron’s homer record in play.

Neither the Giants nor Bonds seemed wed to Bonds playing a 15th season in San Francisco, creating the possibility he would become a free agent. If that occurred, Bonds almost certainly would target the Angels, the closest team to his Beverly Hills home that also offers DH at-bats and a one-season shot at Aaron, whose 755 home runs are the all-time record.

The Detroit Tigers, where he would reunite with former Pittsburgh Manager Jim Leyland, and the Oakland A’s, because of their proximity to San Francisco, might also interest Bonds.

Asked Tuesday if it was his intention to retire a Giant, Bonds said, “I don’t have another year on my contract, do I? If I don’t get one and I can get one somewhere else, that’s where I’ll play.”

Giant President Peter Magowan, who has committed more than $160 million to Bonds in salary and in return erected a new ballpark and filled it most nights, appeared unwilling to commit to Bonds for next season.

“We all see that there is an end of the road that’s there, whether it’s the end of this year or the end of next year,” Magowan said. “We’re not looking at it like when we signed Barry to five- and six-year contracts in the past.”

All parties agreed that the final decision probably would not come before the end of the season, when such factors as Bonds’ health and their feelings toward one another would be assessed, along with, perhaps, a closer examination of Bonds’ potential legal woes.

“Barry doesn’t want to have contract discussions during the season,” agent Jeff Borris said. “However, it’s hard to imagine a scenario where the Giants would allow him to break Aaron’s record in another uniform. Stranger things have happened. A lot can happen between now and the end of the year, when Barry would be declaring for free agency.”