Baseball: Bonds passes Babe Ruth's record

SAN FRANCISCO - San Francisco Giants slugger Barry Bonds passed one of the magical numbers in American sports today by hitting his 715th career homer and overtaking baseball legend Babe Ruth for second place on the all-time home-run list.

Bonds' fourth-inning blast against the Colorado Rockies' starting pitcher Byung-Hyun Kim came a week after he matched Ruth's 714 career home runs during an interleague game against the Oakland Athletics to end a nearly two-week slump.

At 41, Bonds, a seven-time most valuable player who has struggled with injuries over the past year, now trails only Hank Aaron's 755 career homers for the Major League Baseball record.

Fans gave a standing ovation to Bonds, a hero to the Giants faithful who look past his central role in baseball's steroid scandal.

A federal grand jury is investigating whether Bonds lied during a probe into steroid use by professional athletes.

Bonds' milestone homer was a powerful shot over the centrefield wall of the Giants' AT&T Park.

The fan who caught the ball was quickly escorted away from other fans by police, according to ballpark workers.

Teenage Giants fan Jeff Lee said Bonds' home-run ball tipped off the top of his baseball glove he had brought to the game.

"I should have brought my first-base glove then I would have caught the ball," Lee said.

- REUTERS