During the sixth inning of Wednesday’s Opening Night matchup between two historic franchises, the Giants and Yankees, all-time home run leader Barry Bonds joined the Netflix broadcast booth at Oracle Park and told an incredible story about just how close he came to signing with the Yankees in 1992.
“George isn’t here anymore, so I can tell the truth, right?” Bonds said.
The “George” to whom Bonds was referring was, of course, George Steinbrenner, the legendary Yankees owner from 1973-2010.
According to Bonds, who was a free agent following seven seasons with the Pirates and two National League MVP Awards, Steinbrenner called him during that offseason with an offer to join the Bronx Bombers on the largest contract in baseball history.
“Well, I would’ve been a Yankees [player],” Bonds said, “but Steinbrenner got on the phone and they called us and they told me, ‘Barry, we’re gonna give you the money -- [make you] the highest-paid player … but you have to sign the contract by 2:00 this afternoon.'”
One thing you don’t do is give Bonds an ultimatum.
“And I said, ‘Excuse me?’” Bonds said. “And I just hung the phone up.”
Giants franchise history would have been a lot different if Bonds, who grew up in the Bay Area and whose father, Bobby, played for San Francisco from 1968-74, had not hung up on “The Boss.” Bonds went on to win five more MVP Awards with San Francisco, and he hit 586 homers while in a Giants uniform.
“I went to go get lunch and Dennis Gilbert, my agent, said, ‘Do you know what you just did?!’” Bonds said. “And I’m like, ‘Do you know what he just said?!’
“… By the time I walked down the street to go get lunch, I just said, ‘Lemme just think about this.’ The Giants called me, and I said, ‘I’m going home.’”
Wow. One of the all-time “what ifs” when it comes to blockbuster deals that almost happened but didn’t. Imagine Bonds smashing home runs over the short porch in right field at the “House that Ruth Built.”
The Giants and their fans, though, are happy it worked out so that Bonds ended up launching homers into McCovey Cove instead.