Kirk Gibson says he knows firsthand how special Barry Bonds was during his playing days ... and he tells TMZ Sports the guy should be recognized for all his accomplishments -- even if it's not the popular opinion.
We spoke with the MLB great at LAX this week ... and asked about Aaron Judge's 62-home run season and whether he's the REAL single-season king, considering every player above him on the record list is allegedly tied to PEDs.
Gibson heaped a ton of praise on Judge .