SAN FRANCISCO -- Barry Bonds moved within single digits of tying Hank Aaron's all-time homer record and ended his 14-game home run drought during the Giants' 6-4 loss to the Rockies on Sunday.
Bonds, whose last home run came on May 8 against the Mets at AT&T Park, declined to talk about home run No. 746 in light of the Giants' loss, but it was a comforting sign to see the slumping slugger belt one to center field in the final game of the homestand.
Although the Giants lost, Bonds went 2-for-3 and snapped an 0-for-17 skid.
"My dad and [godfather] Willie [Mays] always told me, 'If you can't handle times like this, you can't appreciate success -- period,'" Bonds said.
With Rich Aurilia on first, Bonds lofted a homer to bring the Giants within one run of the Rockies.
"Big home run there to get us back in the game, picked the club up, battled back to tie it and we just came up short," manager Bruce Bochy said.
Colorado starting pitcher Taylor Buchholz probably felt a little shorter after he got his first taste of a Bonds home run on a 2-1 count. Buchholz became the 439th pitcher to fall victim to a Bonds homer.
It was Bonds' 12th home run of the season and his 2,874 career hit, moving him past Babe Ruth for sole possession of 34th on the all-time list. The two-run shot also snapped a 14-game RBI drought, the second longest of his career.
Bonds now sits 10 homers away from passing Aaron's record of 755.