It finally happened. For the first time since 1973, there is a new member in the 700 home run club - the San Francisco Giants' Barry Bonds.
There have been jokes - hey, we've called him "BALCO Barry" - allegations, and the best efforts of Al Pedrique. There has often been insufficient lineup protection from the Giants, although even with Manny Ramirez or Albert Pujols hitting behind him, he'd probably still be walked. But despite it all, Bonds joined one of baseball's most exclusive clubs on Friday night.
Not since July 21, 1973, when Hammerin' Hank Aaron joined Babe Ruth as just the second 700-homer hitter in history, has there been an occasion like this one, and we might not see another like it in a while.
There are great home run hitters out there, but none with the ability to go deep with such great regularity in so few opportunities. To give you an idea of how out of whack this is, Bonds has 43 homers this season in just 347 at bats, going yard once every 8.1 at bats. No other player with 30 or more homers this year has done so in fewer than 414 at bats.
Bonds connected for number 700, his 42nd round tripper of the season, off San Diego Padres starter Jake Peavy leading off the third inning of the Giants' 4-1 win. He added number 701 on Saturday in the Padres' 5-1 win.
But as great as Bonds' accomplishment is, the Giants-Padres series is part of a bigger picture in the National League at present - the wild card and NL West remain up for grabs. The St. Louis Cardinals officially wrapped up what they've had in the bag for a long while now, clinching the NL Central on Saturday.
The Chicago Cubs, Houston Astros and Giants remain locked in a tight three-way battle for the fourth playoff spot, and the Padres sit just off the pace as well. They will face the Giants again at the end of the month.
San Fran, of course, would much rather leave all three teams behind and push its way to the top of the NL West, ahead of current leaders, the Los Angeles Dodgers. With the way the Giants have played of late - they're coming off a six-game winning streak - claiming the division outright is not inconceivable. Given the Dodgers' slim lead, recent slide and upcoming bouts with both San Diego and San Fran this week, it could become a reality.
L.A. has lost some edge lately. Saturday, the bullpen turned a 2-1 deficit into a blowout, allowing a five-run seventh inning against the Colorado Rockies. The day before, starter Hideo Nomo coughed up six runs in an inning-and-a-third but was bailed out by his offense and 7.2 shutout innings by the pen.
The team lost three of four last week to the Padres following a five-game winning streak, keeping the division race closer than it could be - so this week will be big.
For scoreboard watchers, it is too close to call. Throw in the Florida Marlins, currently fifth in the race behind the Padres, and it gets even tougher. The Fish and Cubbies still have to play three makeup games because of a hurricane-cancelled series early this month.
So how can we predict the winner? Well, we can't.
Say what you will about the Giants' pitching - we know we have - but they've gotten it done so far, and who's to say they can't keep doing so? Jason Schmidt has been far from stellar this month, going 1-2 and allowing five or more runs in three of his four September starts.
But rookie Noah Lowry, 5-0 this season, has reeled off successive one-run performances over the last week. Even Bonds, not exactly known as the consummate teammate, has respect for the southpaw, who pitched Friday night. Barry put fanfare on hold and took only a brief curtain call after his historic mash, saying, "I didn't want [Lowry] to lose his momentum."
Also contributing to this month's drive have been Brett Tomko (2-0, 0.82 ERA), Kirk Reuter (1-1), Brad Hennessey (1-0) and starter-turned-closer Dustin Hermanson, who has pitched six scoreless innings and notched six September saves.
But what of the Philadelphia Phillies, you might ask (or might not), who last week made a last gasp run at the final playoff spot? There's just one word: "Eagles." Forget the Phillies.
In closing, has anyone really taken much notice of the Atlanta Braves? Bobby Cox and his club are quietly on the way to their tenth straight NL East crown, and most people probably haven't even blinked. After a mediocre start by Braves standards, solid pitching (Jaret Wright), hitting (Johnny Estrada, J.D. Drew) and rebounds from first-half slumpers Andruw and Chipper Jones have put Atlanta in familiar territory yet again.
