Barry Bonds and Hank Aaron will forever be linked in the history books. On Friday morning, a couple of hours after it was announced that Aaron had passed away, Bonds honored the Hall of Famer on his social media pages, thanking Aaron for being a trailblazer for African American baseball players.
"Being able to grow up and have the idols and role models I did, (helped) shape me for a future I could have never dreamed of," Bonds wrote.
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Aaron, the all-time home run king prior to Bonds, passed away at the age of 86. He is one of the most famous players in MLB history, and yet somehow remains underrated. Aaron was known for breaking Babe Ruth's home run record, but he was far more than just a slugger. He was a 25-time All-Star who won three Gold Gloves and twice won the batting title, and in 1957 he was named National League MVP. Aaron ranks third in MLB history in games played (3,298), first in total bases (6,856) and RBI (2,297) and third in hits (3,771). He broke Ruth's home run record in 1974 and held the title until Bonds passed him in 2007.
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In retirement, Aaron was a frequent visitor for big Giants events and taped a video that played on the scoreboard when Bonds hit his 756th homer. The Giants also honored Aaron on Friday morning:
Former Giants manager Dusty Baker, who played with Aaron in Atlanta, also sent out a message: