Death of Giants Legend Leaves Barry Bonds ‘Beyond Devastated’

Two of the top players in San Francisco Giants history shared a bond that went beyond the baseball field.

July 10, 2007; San Francisco, CA, USA; 2007 Major League Baseball All-Star Game -- Barry Bonds walks Willie Mays to a 1958 Cadillac during a pre-game tribute to Mays. / Jack Gruber-USA TODAY NETWORK vi

Part of the reason that Barry Bonds signed with the San Francisco Giants as a free agent before the 1993 season was his relationship with Willie Mays.

When Bonds was growing up his father, Bobby Bonds, was teammates with Mays while the pair were in San Francisco.

Bobby broke into baseball with San Francisco in 1968 and played alongside Mays until the future Hall-of-Famer was traded to the New York Mets in 1972. Bobby enjoyed a long career with seven other teams, and even coached Barry when his son arrived in the Bay Area.

In 1964 Barry Bonds was born in Riverside, Calif. Bobby was already in the Giants’ minor league system and Mays became Barry’s godfather.

So, Mays’ passing on Tuesday at age 93 hit Barry hard. His father passed away at 57 years old in 2003 and Mays remained a constant part of his life after Bobby’s passing.

Barry took to Instagram to make a short statement on Mays’ passing.

Barry Bonds shared a heartfelt message about Willie Mays on his Instagram. 🧡🖤 pic.twitter.com/pTWa2rZ5nk

— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) June 19, 2024

"I am beyond devastated and overcome with emotion. I have no words to describe what you mean to me -- you helped shape me to be who I am today," Bonds wrote. "Thank you for being my Godfather and always being there. Give my dad a hug for me."

Barry was already a two-time National League MVP when he arrived in San Francisco. He was the NL MVP in his first season with the Giants and won four straight from 2001-04.

Barry eventually became the game’s top home run hitter, passing Hank Aaron with 762 home runs in a career that spanned from 1986-2007. But, Mays remains the Giants’ all-time home run hitter with the franchise. He hit 646 home runs to Barry’s 586 home runs.

Barry was a 14-time All-Star, a 12-time Silver Slugger, and eight-time Gold Glove winner, a three-time Major League Player of the Year and a two-time batting champion.

Mays was signed by the Giants while they were still in New York and he started his Major League career in 1952. He spent the vast majority of the career with the Giants before he was traded to the New York Mets in 1972, where he finished his career in 1973.

Mays was a 24-time All-Star, a two-time National League MVP, the NL Rookie of the Year, a 12-time Gold Glove winner, a .302 career hitter with 3,293 hits and 660 home runs. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1979 and his number, 24, is retired by both the Giants and the Mets.