Bonds hits 40th homer in loss
Associated Press
SEATTLE — Barry Bonds wanted to talk about his team's tough loss, not his 40th home run.
Associated Press
Bonds ended his longest homerless drought of the season, but the Seattle Mariners rallied to beat the San Francisco Giants 4-3 on Tom Lampkin's RBI single in the bottom of the 11th inning last night.
Barry Bonds, who went 13 games without a homer, hit his 40th of the season in the first inning against Seattle.
"You don't want to see that happen to your best," said Bonds, referring to David Bell's home run in the ninth off closer Robb Nen that tied the score at 3.
Bonds, who had gone 13 games without a homer, hit his 534th career home run to tie Jimmie Foxx for 10th place on the career list.
But the Mariners rallied from 3-2 down in the ninth inning when Bell hit his 10th homer with one out off Nen. It was Nen's fifth blown save in 31 chances.
"He throws hard," Bell said. "It's just a matter of putting your bat on the ball. This is a good way for us to start off the second half."
In the 11th, Mike Cameron walked with one out off Brian Boehringer (0-2) and stole his 19th base. With two outs, Lampkin singled up the middle off Chad Zerbe and Cameron beat Ramon Martinez's throw to the plate.
"There are very few guys in the world that can score on that play," Bonds said. "Speed kills and it killed us tonight."
Arthur Rhodes (6-0) got the victory by striking out the final two Giants in the top of the 11th.
Bonds, who went 44 at bats without a homer, hit a 429-foot shot to right-center in the first inning off Paul Abbott to become the fastest player to reach 40 home runs and give the Giants a 1-0 lead.
"I think I've seen all his other home runs on TV this year," Cameron said. "Now, I got to see one live. He's unbelievable."
Bonds' first homer since June 23 came in the Giants' 89th game. Mark McGwire hit his 40th homer in St. Louis' 90th game in 1998, when he hit a record 70.
