Barry Bonds Honored by Willie Mays as He Gets His Number Retired by Giants

By Ross Kelly August 12, 2018 at 3:17pm

Barry Bonds doesn’t need to push for his own induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Perhaps the greatest living ballplayer who ever took the field is doing that for him.

The San Francisco Giants retired Bonds’ No. 25 jersey prior to Saturday’s game against Bonds’ first team, the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Many Giants greats appeared at the ceremony, including Bonds’ godfather, Willie Mays. Many consider Mays to be the best player alive and some even view him as the best all-around player in the game’s history.

When Mays took the mic, he gave the best endorsement possible for Bonds in the Hall of Fame by saying: “Vote this guy in!”

“Vote this guy in!” — Willie Mays wants Barry Bonds in the Hall of Fame

(via @NBCSGiants) pic.twitter.com/iMWgItoaOn

— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) August 12, 2018

“Give someone the honor that deserves to be in the Hall of Fame…The Hall of Fame is a type of fraternity that when you get there, you’ll say ‘Man, how did I get here?’ and I want him to have that honor.

“On behalf of all of the people in San Francisco and all over the country, vote this guy in. He is very, very important to me.”

Mays, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1979, his first year of eligibility, played with Barry Bonds’ father, Bobby, with the Giants.

Barry Bonds has been on the ballot for six years but has not reached the 75 percent of voters required for induction.

Should Barry Bonds be voted into the Hall of Fame?

His percentages have risen in recent years and topped out at 56.4 percent in 2018. He will stay on the ballot for 10 years before his name is turned over to the Veterans Committee.

At the age of 87, Mays doesn’t want to wait for that to happen and would like his godson to go in as soon as possible.

Bonds was also congratulated by many other sports, including the San Francisco 49ers’ Ronnie Lott, the Golden State Warriors’ Steph Curry and Major League Baseball’s Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez.

He also received a shout-out from someone who graduated from Junipero Serra High School, California, 13 years after he did, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.

Congrats from a few legends, Barry. @RonnieLottHOF @Pudge_Rodriguez @JoeMontana @SteveKerr @StephenCurry30

#Bonds25 | #SFGiants pic.twitter.com/uRhKAOfcPI

— SFGiants (@SFGiants) August 12, 2018

“Congratulation on the retirement of No. 25. In Giants history there have been so many great players and you were certainly the best,” Brady said. “What an honor it was to watch you play.

“Thanks for bringing so much joy to Serra High School, but also to the entire community and San Francsico. We love you man. I hope you have a great day!”

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