Barry Bonds Finishes at 73

On October 7, 2001, the last day of the regular season, Barry Bonds hit his 73rd home run of the year at Pacific Bell Park against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The blast came off knuckleballer Dennis Springer and set the final number in a single-season record that nobody has approached since. Bonds had broken Mark McGwire's record of 70 two days earlier and added one more before the season ended.

The home run landed in the right-center field stands in the first inning. Bonds had already established himself as the most feared hitter in baseball, and the 73rd was confirmation of a season spent operating beyond the boundaries of what anyone considered possible. He had hit his first home run on April 2 and never went more than a week without one.

Bonds finished 2001 with numbers that look almost fictional. His .863 slugging percentage exceeded the previous record, held by Ruth, by nearly 17 points. He walked 177 times because pitchers preferred to put him on base rather than let him swing. His intentional walks alone totaled 35, and that number would skyrocket in subsequent seasons as opposing managers grew even more cautious.

The Giants lost to the Dodgers 2-1 that day and missed the playoffs entirely. Bonds's historic season ended without a single postseason at-bat. The 2001 season belonged to the Arizona Diamondbacks and their World Series victory over the Yankees, while Bonds went home with a record that would define him, for better and worse, for the rest of his career.