Barry Bonds did something Wednesday night that you’ll almost never see him do on a major league field – and it wasn’t hitting his 735th career home run.
He did that all right, taking his first step of the season toward becoming baseball’s all-time home run king when he flicked a pitch from Chris Young into the left-field bleachers in the first inning of the Giants’ 5-3 loss to the San Diego Padres at AT&T Park.
But before the solo homer, Bonds did something else. He squatted and caught the ceremonial first pitch.
It’s a task usually left to backup catchers and lowly rookies, but Bonds pulled the duty because the Giants gave the honor to Sue Burns, wife of late Giants senior general partner Harmon Burns.
Sue Burns inherited the largest stake in the team, believed to be about 40 percent, with her husband’s death following a long illness.
And amid a divided boardroom, she was the driving force in the club’s decision to re-sign Bonds to a one-year contract during the off-season. The deal, worth $15.8 million plus incentives, was loudly criticized in and out of the industry.
The division among Giants ownership explains why Bonds isn’t pictured on the club’s media guide and has been downplayed in its marketing efforts even though he is positioned to break the most hallowed record in American sport.
But there was no hint of disapproval from the crowd as Bonds’ home run disappeared into the first row of the left-field bleachers – only applause as Bonds rounded the bases and another ovation as he walked to left field to start the second inning.
Bonds remembered his best patron. He pointed to Sue Burns and his own family in the stands as he strode into the dugout.
The numbers changed on the home run counter in right field, which shows Bonds just 20 away from tying Hank Aaron. If he stays healthy past his 43rd birthday in July, he figures to approach the record after the All-Star break.
No player his age has ever hit 20 home runs in a season, but Bonds hasn’t been this fit since his last MVP season in 2004. He made an impressive, running catch to end the third inning, though he grimaced a bit as he stopped sharply in foul territory.
More important, Bonds hasn’t lost any bat speed. He barely took a full swing at Young’s 2-2 fastball but muscled it through the chilly air, and it slipped into a rugby scrum in the first row.
It was his 86th home run against the Padres, the most he has against any opponent. Most of those came with Bruce Bochy in the San Diego dugout.
This time Bochy got to enjoy the ball’s flight. But he didn’t get to enjoy his first win as Giants manager.
Adrian Gonzalez hit a tiebreaking, two-run homer off Jack Taschner in the eighth inning and the Padres’ three-headed hydra of Cla Meredith, Scott Linebrink and Trevor Hoffman kept the Giants scoreless.
Giants right-hander Matt Cain was hurt on two pitches in the fifth – a solo home run to Khalil Greene and a two-run shot to Marcus Giles after a walk.
The Giants tied it on Pedro Feliz’s two-out single in the sixth, and then it became a duel of bullpens.
Before the game, Bonds joined owner Peter Magowan and executive Larry Baer in a tribute to Harmon Burns.
“Harmon was more than a personal friend,” Bonds said from the podium. “He was a great owner and has a great family. We always said Harmon was one of the greatest players on our team.”
Contact Andrew Baggarly at abaggarly@mercurynews.com