SAN FRANCISCO -- New Hall of Famer Jeff Kent was greeted by a crowd of Giants legends when he stepped onto the field to have his No. 21 retired during a special pregame ceremony at Oracle Park on Saturday.
He shook hands with luminaries like Juan Marichal, Dusty Baker, Buster Posey and Will Clark, though his most notable exchange came alongside his old teammate Barry Bonds.
Kent and Bonds had a frosty relationship during their days in San Francisco, but the two embraced each other and seemed to poke fun at their past history by reenacting their infamous dugout scuffle in San Diego in 2002. Bonds leaned into the moment by grabbing hold of Kent and playfully shaking him, drawing laughs from both of the famed sluggers.
“I’ve said it many times,” Kent said before the the Giants' 7-2 win in the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader against the D-backs. “He and I have never gone out to dinner, but I’ll go to war with that guy any day of the week.
“If Bonds and I weren’t fighting in the dugout, we wouldn’t have what we’ve got, I guarantee you.”
The callback brought some levity to a momentous day for Kent, who became the 16th Giant to have his number retired on Saturday.
“I’m in awe,” Kent said. “I can’t even explain having a number up there along the guys that I got to meet: [Willie] McCovey, [Willie] Mays, Gaylord Perry, Will the Thrill.”
While Kent -- the all-time home run leader at second base -- got his long-awaited election into Cooperstown via the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee last year, Bonds remains on the outside looking in due to his ties to performance-enhancing drugs.
Still, Kent seemed to extend a show of support for the Home Run King on Saturday, turning toward Bonds and saying, “Barry, keep with it brother, you’ve got a shot, man.”
The most emotional part of the day for Kent came when he was asked about his son, Kaeden, a 23-year-old infield prospect who was acquired from the Yankees as part of the Heliot Ramos trade on Aug. 3. Kent admitted that he was a bit nervous to see Kaeden join the Giants organization, though he was heartened to see his son homer twice in his second game with High-A Eugene on Thursday.
“I’ve tried so hard to not have to live through my kid,” Kent said. “There’s still a little bit of hesitation that my own boy, if he makes it to the big leagues, he’s got to look at the shadow of the number that now hangs on the wall.
“I don’t know why I’m tearing up about it -- I did good in my speech. I don’t know. He’s tough enough. I think he can handle it. I’ll beat him up, so he will handle it. I don’t know what else I can add. Hopefully, you can spin something out of that. Add the tears to it, too.”
The Hall of Fame lifestyle will take some getting used to for Kent, who considers himself a simple guy, but he said he’s looking forward to embracing whatever opportunities come his way down the line.
“Getting comfortable with this is next,” Kent said. “Getting comfortable with coming back and doing what Hall of Famers do. Coming back to Spring Training, kissing babies, going to functions with the Giants, giving advice, sitting in the locker room like Mays and McCovey -- doing nothing until some kid wants to come and talk to you. I’m going to have a real hard time doing that. I’m an in-your-face guy. I’m either all out, or I’m all in. There’s no halfway for me. So I’m going to have to get comfortable with that.”