Barry Bonds Was All Smiles Learning of His Induction Into the Pirates Hall of Fame

The slugger spent seven seasons of his 22-year MLB career in Pittsburgh.

Screengrab via Pirates

The Pittsburgh Pirates announced Tuesday that MLB's all-time leading home run king Barry Bonds will be inducted into their team Hall of Fame later this summer.

"That is awesome. It's great," Bonds said in a video posted to social media by the Pirates. "That's where my career started. That's who drafted me. I couldn't have had a better manager, a better team, a better starting point for me. It was perfect."

“We built a bond that no way it’s ever going to be broken.”

Barry Bonds talks about his time in Pittsburgh and being a member of the Pirates Hall of Fame. pic.twitter.com/VoeLKrv0lq

— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) May 21, 2024

Bonds was selected by the Pirates with the No. 6 pick of the 1985 MLB draft. He debuted in '86 and spent the next seven seasons in Pittsburgh before signing with the San Francisco Giants in free agency in 1993.

Bonds batted .275/.380/.503 and mashed 176 of his record 762 career homers over seven years with the Pirates.

"We built a bond that—no way it's ever going to be broken," Bonds said. "To be able to tell my kids that, 'Your dad has gotten into the Pirates Hall of Fame.' This is just a great moment."

Bonds, of course, has yet to enter the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. He fell short of the 75% votes needed during his 10 years of ballot eligibility from 2013 to '22. Bonds also was denied entry in December 2022 via the Hall of Fame's Today's Game Committee.

Bonds might not be headed for Cooperstown anytime soon, but his No. 25 jersey is retired by the Giants and now he has a spot in Pirates immortality.

Bonds will be officially inducted in the Pirates Hall of Fame along with Jim Leyland and Manny Sanguillen on Aug. 24 at PNC Park.