Baseball: Bonds hits homer 714 to tie with Babe Ruth

Many fans booed Barry Bonds as he rounded the bases after his home run but cheers eventually overcame the jeers as supporters rose to their feet for his history-making feat. Picture / Reuters

OAKLAND - Barry Bonds hit his 714th home run yesterday with a second-inning blast against the Oakland As, breaking a two-week slump to tie with the legendary Babe Ruth for second place on the Major League's all-time homer list.

Police emerged alongside the field to ensure order as the San Francisco Giants slugger, who has been dogged by allegations of steroid use, rounded the bases with many fans booing.

But cheers eventually overcame the jeers as fans rose to their feet for the historic blast.

Even the lucky fan who caught the ball, which could be worth many thousands of dollars at auction, expressed disdain for Bonds.

Asked if he would give the ball to Bonds, college student Tyler Snyder, 19, said: "Probably not, I hate that guy."

He said he would sell the ball.

Bonds tipped his hat to the crowd and threw kisses to family members, including his wife and daughter seated right above the dugout.

In a slump since he hit his 713th home run two weekends ago, Bonds entered the game batting just .226.

The home run over the 110m sign came at a time a federal grand jury is investigating whether Bonds committed perjury about possible use of steroids during an inquiry that led to a prison sentence for his personal trainer.

A few Bonds supporters wore shirts with his number 25, and detractors had shirts mentioning the Balco doping scandal that threatens to tarnish the slugger's place in history.

"I believe that he does not have any respect for the history of the game," said Harrison Krat, 23, who wore a shirt with the number 73 - Bonds' record for most homers in a season - and an asterisk.

"He decided to say, 'I have to cheat to satisfy my ego'," Krat said.

The 41-year-old slugger has a contract through to the end of the season. In recent weeks he has often complained of fatigue and he runs awkwardly after several knee operations that kept him out of action for most of last season.

Bonds has faced not only the pressure of passing Babe Ruth, one of the best-known icons of US sports history, but potentially serious legal troubles off the field.

If the grand jury were to charge him with perjury, which legal experts say is often hard to prove, he could face five years in prison. He may also face tax troubles after a recent book reported he gave a lover income he did not report to authorities.

Bonds already holds several baseball records, including most home runs in a single season (73), most lifetime walks, and most Most Valuable Player awards (seven).

Many think age may catch up with Bonds before the left fielder can reach Hank Aaron's all-time Major League home-run record of 755.

If Bonds does near Aaron this year or next, Major League will again be forced to come to terms with what may one day be called the game's steroid era in the 1990s as many players experimented with doping.

Bonds has never failed a drug test but his lawyer has said the athlete could have inadvertently taken steroids contained in creams and substances his personal trainer Greg Anderson gave him.

ROLL OF HONOUR

* Barry Bonds holds the record for Most Valuable Player Awards, at seven, far more than the baseball legends in second place with three including Mickey Mantle, Joe DiMaggio and Stan Musial. In North American professional sport, only hockey's Wayne Gretzky has more MVPs, at nine.

* Because of both his keen eye and cautious pitching by opposing teams, Bonds holds the single-season record for both unintentional and intentional walks and the lifetime record for career walks.

* With his father, Bobby Bonds, who played with the San Francisco Giants and other teams in a 14-year career, he shares the record for most father-son home runs, RBIs and stolen bases.

* He set the single-season record for home runs in 2001 with 73, beating Mark McGwire's record by three. A new book alleges Bonds used steroids to power that record season and others when in his late 30s.

* His longtime personal trainer and boyhood friend Greg Anderson recently completed a prison sentence on steroid distribution charges stemming from the Balco probe. Bonds, who has denied knowingly using steroids, is now under investigation as to whether he lied about his past use to the grand jury.

- REUTERS