Barry Bonds Fast Facts
CNN Editorial Research
(CNN) — Here’s a look at the life of retired baseball player Barry Bonds, holder of Major League Baseball’s all-time home run record.
Personal
Birth date: July 24, 1964
Birth place: Riverside, California
Birth name: Barry Lamar Bonds
Father: Bobby Bonds, former major league baseball player and coach
Mother: Patricia (Howard) Bonds
Marriages: Elizabeth (Watson) Bonds (January 10, 1998-2010, divorced); Susann (Branco) Bonds (February 6, 1988-1995, divorced – annulled in 1997)
Children: with Elizabeth (Watson) Bonds: Aisha Lynn, 1999; with Susann (Branco) Bonds: Shikari, 1991; Nikolai, 1989
Education: Attended Arizona State University, 1982-1985
Other Facts
Holds the Major League Baseball career home run record with 762.
Seven-time National League Most Valuable Player (a record) and 14-time All-Star.
Has broken multiple records in Major League Baseball including winning 12 Silver Slugger awards, most career walks, and most intentional walks.
Former MLB player Willie Mays is his godfather.
Has shown miniature schnauzers he and his sister Cheryl Dugan own, at the Westminster Dog Show.
Timeline
May 30, 1986 – Makes his Major League debut with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
1993 – First season with the San Francisco Giants.
1993 – Founds the Bonds Family Foundation, whose mission is to “encourage, promote and fund programs designed to improve the educational achievements, standard of living and quality of life conditions for African-American youth within the Bay Area community.”
1994 – ESPY award for “Male Athlete of the Year.”
1999 – Awarded the Philanthropist of the Year Award by the National Conference on Black Philanthropy.
2001 – Finishes the season with 73 home runs, a new MLB record.
2002 – Bonds carries the torch for the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.
December 4, 2003 – Bonds testifies to a grand jury that he had used a substance given to him by a trainer accused of distributing steroids, but that he (Bonds) did not know they were steroids.
July 4, 2004 – Becomes the all-time leader in walks with 2,191.
September 17, 2004 – Hits his 700th home run.
November 15, 2004 – Is voted National League MVP for a record, seventh time.
2005 – Bonds misses the entire 2005 MLB season recovering from knee surgery.
March 7, 2006 – The book, “Game of Shadows,” alleges extensive steroid use by Bonds beginning in 1998. Bonds denies the accusations.
March 24, 2006 – Bonds sues the authors of “Game of Shadows” to try to block them from making any money on the book, which his attorneys say is based on illegally obtained grand jury transcripts.
May 20, 2006 – Bonds hits his 714th home run, tying Babe Ruth for second place on the all-time home run list. On May 28, Bonds hits his 715th home run, passing Ruth.
June 2, 2006 – Bonds requests and is granted dismissal of his lawsuit against the authors of the book, “Game of Shadows,” as the authors have been subpoenaed to testify before by a federal grand jury regarding the 2003 BALCO court case documents they obtained.
September 23, 2006 – Bonds hits his 734th home run, beating Hank Aaron’s National League home run record.
August 4, 2007 – Bonds hits his 755th home run, tying with Aaron as the all-time home run leader. On August 7, Bonds hits his 756th home run, surpassing Aaron.
September 21, 2007 – The San Francisco Giants announce they will not re-sign Bonds for the 2008 season.
November 15, 2007 – A federal grand jury indicts Bonds on perjury and obstruction of justice charges. The indictment is in connection to an investigation of the use of steroids in major league baseball. On December 7, Bonds pleads not guilty to the charges of perjury and obstruction of justice and is released on $500,000 bond.
May 12, 2008 – Federal prosecutors file a superseding indictment against Bonds, charging him with 14 counts of lying to a grand jury and one count of obstruction of justice when he denied knowingly using performance-enhancing drugs. One June 6, Bonds is arraigned and pleads not guilty to all charges.
July 1, 2008 – Bonds’ 756th home run ball is received by the Hall of Fame with the addition of a carved asterisk from ball owner, Marc Ecko. Bonds is reported as saying he will not allow himself to be inducted if the asterisk ball is put on display.
November 25, 2008 – A judge dismisses three of the perjury counts against Bonds.
January 21, 2011 – A federal judge announces that former teammates and retired baseball players will have to testify in Bond’s upcoming perjury trial. On February 10, Bonds has the number of felony charges brought against him by federal prosecutors reduced from 11 to five. His trial on the perjury charges begins on March 21.
March 22, 2011 – Gary Anderson, Bonds’ personal trainer, is found in civil contempt and taken into custody when he refuses to take the stand to answer questions about Bonds’ steroid use.
April 13, 2011 – Bonds is convicted of one count of obstruction of justice. A mistrial is declared on three counts of perjury after jurors report they can’t reach an agreement.
June 15, 2011 – Attorneys for Bonds file appeal motions to overturn his conviction, in US District Court in San Francisco.
June 23, 2011 – US District Court Judge Susan Illston grants the prosecution’s request to delay sentencing while it decides to retry Bonds on perjury charges. On August 31, prosecutors decline to retry Bonds on perjury charges.
August 26, 2011 – A judge rejects Bonds’ bid to dismiss his conviction for obstruction of justice. On December 8, federal prosecutors recommend a 15-month prison sentence for his obstruction of justice conviction.
December 16, 2011 – Bonds is sentenced to two years of probation, 30 days of home confinement, 250 hours of community service, and fined $4,000. The judge stays the sentence while Bonds appeals his conviction.
May 3, 2012 – Bonds files a brief with the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals urging the court to overturn his obstruction of justice conviction. Bonds’ conviction is upheld in an opinion filed by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals on September 13, 2013.
July 1, 2014 – The appeals court orders Bonds’ case to be reheard by a larger panel of judges. On April 22, 2015, the appeals court overturns Bond’s 2011 conviction for obstruction of justice.
July 21, 2015 – Federal prosecutors drop the case against Bonds.
December 2015-October 2016 – Spends one season with the Miami Marlins as a hitting coach.
March 21, 2017 – Joins the San Francisco Giants organization as special adviser to the CEO.
August 11, 2018 – The San Francisco Giants retire Bonds’ No. 25 jersey.
January 25, 2022 – Bonds falls short of the 75% of votes (66%) needed to be elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in his tenth and final year of eligibility.
May 31, 2023 – HBO and Words + Pictures announce Bonds will be the subject of a new documentary. The documentary, currently in production, will chronicle Bonds’ life and career.
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