Barry Bonds Wishes He Played 1 More Season, Says He'd Have Nearly 800 Home Runs | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, and Rumors
Andrew Mccoy
Published Mar 24, 2026
"I should have played one more year, I should have had the chance to," Bonds said, per Janie McCauley of the Associated Press.
According to McCauley, Bonds said it "stung" ending his career before the 2008 season, but he didn't push to return to the Giants because "I was just told I'm not coming back and that was it."
The slugger also pointed to how close he was to 800 career long balls: "I was what (38) away from 800? I'd have been real close. I would have never hit under 20-something, no matter what."
Bonds, who now works in the Giants organization as special adviser to the CEO, acknowledged "I wish I could have gotten to retire better, or just walk away better, whatever it was, however you want to call it."
Despite hitting more home runs than any player in MLB history, steroid allegations surrounded Bonds at the time of his retirement.
He hasn't been inducted into the Hall of Fame even though he won seven National League MVPs, 12 Silver Sluggers and eight Gold Gloves.
Bonds granting he wanted to play another year is notable because he drilled 28 home runs and led the league with a .480 on-base percentage in his final season. He likely could have thrived in the middle of the Giants lineup for at least another year given his 2007 performance.
