Barry Bonds, at age 43, tied major league baseball's home run king when he clubbed number 755 over the fence.
"The hard part is over right now," Bonds said late Saturday after the game.
Bonds matched Hank Aaron's all-time mark in San Diego, where his San Francisco Giants were playing the Padres in a three-game series that began Friday at Petco Park. He smacked a pitch to left-centre field during his first at-bat.
Padres pitcher Chad Hensley served up the historic hit on his fourth pitch, a 91-miles-per-hour fastball, to Bonds. The count was 2-1.
After driving the ball an estimated 382 feet to the opposite field, Bonds jogged about six steps, stopped, looked, clapped his hands and then ran out the bases as a mixture of boos and cheers rang out from Padres fans.
Commissioner Bud Selig rose and put his hands in his pockets while Bonds' family reacted with hugs and high-fives.
Aaron wasn't there. He has previously said he wouldn't follow Bonds' efforts in person.
Bonds embraced with his 17-year-old son Nikolai, a Giants batboy, after he crossed home plate.
After hugging teammate Ryan Klesko and being congratulated by other teammates, Bonds moved to the field-level seats where he kissed his wife Liz and eight-year-old daughter Aisha through the screen.
Adam Hughes of La Jolla, Calif., the man who ended up with the ball, was taken to a secure area so it could be authenticated.
Earlier in the day, the New York Yankees' 32-year-old Alex Rodriguez hit his 500th home run, becoming the youngest player in history to reach that milestone. Many baseball observers think Rodriguez could be the man most likely to next reach the heights of Bonds and Aaron.
Bonds, a 228-pound left-fielder, reached his milestone while under intense media and fan scrutiny. Sports networks carried Bonds' plate appearances live. A team of about 400 journalists followed him from stadium to stadium.
All the extra pressure could explain while he had gone two for 18 since hitting homer number 754 on July 27 in Florida.
In three subsequent at-bats in the third, fifth and eighth innings on Saturday, Bonds walked and scored a run to give the Giants a 2-1 lead. However, the Giants lost 3-2 in the 12th inning.
Bonds won't play Sunday, which means his next chance to break the record is Monday in San Francisco.
Steroids cloud
Rumours of steroid use hang like a cloud over Bonds. Many fans have turned against him. A few in every stadium he would visit held giant inflatable syringes while others chanted "steroids, steroids" whenever he came to the plate.
In San Diego, many fans held up signs with an asterisk to show they considered Bonds' achievement to be tainted.
In a statement after the game, Selig said, "No matter what anybody thinks of the controversy surrounding this event, Mr. Bonds' achievement is noteworthy and remarkable.
The commissioner said either he or a representative would attend the Giants' next few games "out of respect for the tradition of the game, the magnitude of the record and the fact that all citizens in this country are innocent until proven guilty."
While Selig spoke with Rodriguez after his achievement, he reportedly hasn't spoken with Bonds in years.
Bonds became embroiled in scandal in 2003 when a grand jury indicted his trainer, Greg Anderson, for supplying anabolic steroids to athletes -- including a number of baseball players.
This led to speculation that Bonds had used performance-enhancing drugs in a period when there was no mandatory testing in Major League Baseball.
Bonds maintained his innocence, saying bodybuilding, diet and legitimate supplements were behind his changed physique and increased power.
Ironically, Hensley had been a Giants draft pick. He got suspended in 2005 for violating baseball's minor league steroids policy.
Public opinion turned seriously against Bonds with the publishing of Lance Williams and Mark Fainaru-Wada's book "Game of Shadows" in 2006. The book alleges Bonds used stanozolol and a host of other steroids.
Bonds comes from an impressive baseball lineage. He is the son of former Major League all-star Bobby Bonds, the godson of Hall of Famer Willie Mays and distant cousin of Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson.
He holds numerous records, the most significant records next to his home-run total including:
- Single season major league record for home runs (73);
- All-time leader in both walks (2517);
- Intentional walks (675); and
- Winner of seven MVP awards.
With files from The Associated Press
