It was a showdown between two of MLB's best players.
Eric Gagne had just won the NL Cy Young the season before with the Los Angeles Dodgers and entered a brisk April 2004 night in San Francisco looking to close the Giants out. But three-time reigning NL MVP Barry Bonds, the most feared hitter MLB had seen in a long time, wasn't going to make it easy on Gagne.
“I had to tip my hat to the greatest player of all time...”
“He changed the game more than anybody.”
Eric Gagne relives his epic showdowns with @BarryBonds (via @JoeLoAndDibs) pic.twitter.com/CQ6mGCsZOj
— 95.7 The Game (@957thegame) July 17, 2020
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"For me, I was at the top of my career," Gagne told 95.7 The Game's "Joe, Lo & Dibs" on Thursday. "And he was the best player that ever lived to me in my opinion, and to face him and go face-to-face with the best in the world. I was the best at doing what I was doing at the time so that was amazing.
"That's basically what you work your whole life for, to face the best and I did that. I went after it aggressively, and he beat me twice out of that so I had to tip my hat to the greatest player of all time. So for me, it was a lot of fun to be a part of, it was an honor to pitch against him."
For those who didn't have the luxury of watching that showdown live, here is the full at-bat from McCovey Cove featuring a duel of two of the game's best.
Although Bonds bested Gagne, the Dodgers closer still managed to lock down the save and a win for LA by retiring the next two Giants batters in that last half of the ninth inning.
[RELATED: Why Bonds is on CC's all-time athlete Mount Rushmore]
Bonds hit .294 in his career against Gagne, including being intentionally walked four times by the hurler. But Gagne struck Bonds out five times, and that mammoth home run above was the only time the slugger rounded the bases against him.
Despite the vitriol typically seen between the Giants and Dodgers, Gagne clearly has plenty of respect for Bonds' game.
"I love to get beat by the best in the world, and that's what happened and Barry deserves to be recognized as the best player in the world because he's unbelievable, he changed the game more than anybody."
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Gagne recalls infamous Bonds showdown, epic home run - NBC Sports Bay Area
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