When you’re trying to win a baseball game, you probably shouldn’t pitch to Barry Bonds. That’s the conclusion Buck Showalter reached on a Thursday night twenty years ago. The Arizona Diamondbacks franchise was playing its 53rd game ever and 4th ever against the Giants. Their very first win in team history came against the Giants, in fact, and Barry Bonds had not hurt them at all (2-for-12, 1 run scored, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts). He didn’t even start this historic game, entering instead as a pinch hitter the inning before.
But Buck Showalter knew that Barry Bonds was “the greatest hitter of his generation” as you’ll hear in this clip from the broadcast.