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| | Saturday, 10 August, 2002, 06:48 GMT 07:48 UK Clash of the Titans  As Barry Bonds passes Mark McGwire's career home runs tally and joins the 600 club, BBC Sport Online's Alex Trickett puts the baseball giants head to head. Barry Bonds and Mark McGwire are already MLB legends in their own right. McGwire, who retired as a St Louis Cardinal in 2001, will always be remembered for smashing the single-season home run record in 1998. When he belted 70 homers that year, coasting past Roger Maris' long-term mark of 61, few thought his total would ever be bettered.
But three years later, up stepped Barry Bonds. The San Francisco Giants slugger hit 73 homers in 2001 to lift the bar still higher. After a strong start to the new season, Bonds has now passed McGwire's career tally of 583 and has moved up to fourth on the all-time list. Both men make a compelling case, but who is baseball's complete modern slugger? Power The edge here goes to Big Mac. Not only did he crush baseballs into the stands with alarming regularity, he also made a habit of firing souvenirs into local car parks and gardens.
During the 'Home Run Derby' at the 1999 All-Star game, thousands assembled outside Fenway Park on the off-chance that a big hit would come their way. They were not disappointed. In the space of a few minutes, McGwire littered the streets of Boston with half a dozen fearsomely-struck balls. Bonds is not light on his touch, however. His speciality is firing balls into the San Francisco Bay from home plate at the Giants' Pacific Bell Stadium. Big Mac 9, Bonds 8 Average McGwire's average of .263 is not bad for a power hitter, who is likely to drive far enough to bring in runs whenever he connects. However, Bonds is something of an all-round star. His average of just under .300 compares favourably to those of smaller-framed athletes, like Rickey Henderson and Cal Ripken Jr, whose main job is just to get on base. En route to 73 homers and the National League MVP last season, Bonds averaged .328. Big Mac 6, Bonds 8 Fielding A specialist left-fielder, Bonds is agile and sure-handed and has collected eight Golden Glove awards in recognition of his fielding.
Following in the footsteps of other sturdy sluggers - who are traditionally given protected roles in the field - McGwire held first base for much of his MLB career. He did this well enough, but had fewer opportunities to shine. Big Mac 6, Bonds 8 Base-running This is what truly sets Bonds apart from other sluggers. Unlike most power hitters, he is lightning quick around the baseball diamond and is the only player in history with 400 stolen bases (now closer to 500) and 400 home runs. Big Mac's statistics are more in keeping with his heavy build. No whippet around the bases, McGwire rarely attempted a steal and was successful only 12 times in 16 pro seasons. Big Mac 5, Bonds 8 Public appeal The golden summer of 1998 will live long in the memories of millions of Americans. The nation was gripped as Chicago Cubs' Sammy Sosa matched McGwire homer for homer until the dying weeks of the regular season.
By the time the last ball had been struck, McGwire had the record, but both men had the affection of fans and media for making baseball more exciting than ever before. No friend of the media - or of many of his team-mates for that matter - surly Bonds put in his record-breaking performance to lesser ovation. Some blame 11 September and others say his 73 came too soon after McGwire's 70, but Bonds never caught the public's imagination in the same way. Big Mac 9, Bonds 5 Overall You have to hand it to Barry Bonds. He is the modern slugger supreme, blending power, average, fielding and speed to devastating effect. He may not be as likeable as Big Mac, but there have been fewer bigger talents in the history of the game. Total: Mark McGwire 35, Barry Bonds 37 | |
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