Barry Bonds

2005 injury problems

On March 22, 2005, Bonds announced that he could be sidelined for the rest of the 2005 season because of surgery on his knee. At the press conference, Bonds also indicated that he was frustrated by the focus on his alleged steroid use and the negative portrayal of him in the media. Later, Bonds sounded positive about his rehabilitation and told fans at the Opening Day festivities, "I will be back!" The chances of Bonds' return to the playing field were covered relentlessly through the summer by ESPN, in anticipation of potentially unprecedented scrutiny by the media and baseball fans. For the media, this story was irresistible in light of baseball's recently toughened testing program for steroids. On May 4, 2005, Bonds revealed on his website that he had undergone a third arthroscopic knee surgery because of a bacterial infection in his knee. This setback led many to assume Bonds would not play in the 2005 season. It also raised much speculation as to whether Hank Aaron's career home run record of 755 is out of reach.

Related Topics:
March 22 - 2005 - Opening Day - May 4 - Hank Aaron

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On August 1, 2005, in an interview with MLB.com, Barry Bonds stated that he would most likely not return for the 2005 season due to continued build up of fluid in the knee due to activities. On August 5, however, he stated on his website that he was unsure but remained optimistic.

Related Topics:
August 1 - 2005 - August 5

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In September, Bonds started working out with the team while the team was in Los Angeles, playing the Dodgers. On September 10, the Giants announced that Bonds would be activated on September 12. He was indeed activated on September 12 and immediately returned to being a starter in left field.

Related Topics:
Los Angeles - Dodgers - September 10 - September 12 - Left field

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Bonds returned on September 12, 2005 against the San Diego Padres. He nearly hit a home run in his first at-bat, but the ball was ruled to be only a double due to fan interference. Bonds finished the night 1-for-4 with a double. Bonds continued his pre-injury dominance at the plate, hitting home runs in four consecutive games from September 18, 2005 to September 21, 2005.

Related Topics:
September 12 - 2005 - San Diego Padres - September 18 - September 21

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The Giants now find themselves in an unlikely pennant race with the Padres for the National League West division title. The Padres have led the division most of the year but suffered from widespread injury problems and inconsistent play after a hot streak to start the season. The Giants, meanwhile, have steadily climbed back into contention. In the two weeks after Bonds' return, the Giants went 10-4, cutting an 8-game deficit to the Padres to 3 games on the morning of September 27. A four-game series between the two teams this week.

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Whether or not the Padres hold off the Giants, the division champion threatens to be the first team in Major League Baseball history to qualify for the playoffs with a losing record. Perception that the division is weak, so much so that its eventual champion will be exit the monthlong MLB playoff tournament quickly and irrelevantly, has contributed to a less overpowering spotlight on Bonds' return than ESPN probably projected. Bonds has also benefited from the fact that his 2005 debut was so long delayed, the college and pro football seasons actually started before his did. Finally, even diehard baseball fans have been somewhat distracted by the American League's highly competitive logjam of talented teams, about to determine their playoff fate in the season's final days.

Related Topics:
Major League Baseball - American League

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Perhaps media scrutiny will increase only if Bonds improbably helps the Giants to the division title. The Giants are only now approaching something close to full strength after a raft of injuries this season. Besides Bonds, major figures such as Moises Alou, Ray Durham, Armando Benitez, Omar Vizquel, Marquis Grissom, Edgardo Alfonzo, LaTroy Hawkins, Tyler Walker, and others missed significant time in 2005. This was hardly a shocking turn of events considering the Giants' roster is one of the oldest in recent baseball memory. Nevertheless, it might give the lie to most fans' low opinion of the team's postseason potential.

Related Topics:
Moises Alou - Ray Durham - Armando Benitez - Omar Vizquel - Marquis Grissom - Edgardo Alfonzo - LaTroy Hawkins - Tyler Walker

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Career Statistics (as of September 29, 2005)

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Year Ag Tm Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG TB

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+--------------+---+----+----+----+---+--+---+----+---+--+---+---+-----+-----+-----+----+

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1986 21 PIT NL 113 413 72 92 26 3 16 48 36 7 65 102 .223 .330 .416 172

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1987 22 PIT NL 150 551 99 144 34 9 25 59 32 10 54 88 .261 .329 .492 271

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1988 23 PIT NL 144 538 97 152 30 5 24 58 17 11 72 82 .283 .368 .491 264

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1989 24 PIT NL 159 580 96 144 34 6 19 58 32 10 93 93 .248 .351 .426 247

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1990 25 PIT NL 151 519 104 156 32 3 33 114 52 13 93 83 .301 .406 .565 293

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1991 26 PIT NL 153 510 95 149 28 5 25 116 43 13 107 73 .292 .410 .514 262

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1992 27 PIT NL 140 473 109 147 36 5 34 103 39 8 127 69 .311 .456 .624 295

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1993 28 SFG NL 159 539 129 181 38 4 46 123 29 12 126 79 .336 .458 .677 365

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1994 29 SFG NL 112 391 89 122 18 1 37 81 29 9 74 43 .312 .426 .647 253

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1995 30 SFG NL 144 506 109 149 30 7 33 104 31 10 120 83 .294 .431 .577 292

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1996 31 SFG NL 158 517 122 159 27 3 42 129 40 7 151 76 .308 .461 .615 318

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1997 32 SFG NL 159 532 123 155 26 5 40 101 37 8 145 87 .291 .446 .585 311

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1998 33 SFG NL 156 552 120 167 44 7 37 122 28 12 130 92 .303 .438 .609 336

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1999 34 SFG NL 102 355 91 93 20 2 34 83 15 2 73 62 .262 .389 .617 219

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2000 35 SFG NL 143 480 129 147 28 4 49 106 11 3 117 77 .306 .440 .688 330

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2001 36 SFG NL 153 476 129 156 32 2 73 137 13 3 177 93 .328 .515 .863 411

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2002 37 SFG NL 143 403 117 149 31 2 46 110 9 2 198 47 .370 .582 .799 322

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2003 38 SFG NL 130 390 111 133 22 1 45 90 7 0 148 58 .341 .529 .749 292

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2004 39 SFG NL 147 373 129 135 27 3 45 101 6 1 232 41 .362 .609 .812 303

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2005 40 SFG NL 14 42 8 12 1 0 5 10 0 0 9 6 .286 .404 .667 28

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+--------------+---+----+----+----+---+--+---+----+---+--+---+---+-----+-----+-----+----+

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20 Seasons 9140 2742 77 1853 141 1431 .300 .442 .611

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2730 2078 564 708 506 2311 5584

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