'Burgh's best to wear it, No. 24: Barry Bonds leads a strong group of all-time greats

The Tribune-Review sports staff is conducting a daily countdown of the best players in Pittsburgh pro and college sports history to wear each jersey number.

No. 24: Barry Bonds

The first remarkable fact that comes to mind about Barry Bonds — other than his all-time record 762 home runs, an average of 90.7 RBIs over 22 seasons and, of course, the off-target throw home in the Pittsburgh Pirates’ NLDS loss to the Atlanta Braves in 1992 — is this:

The man somehow found a way to hit all those homers and drive in 1,996 runs while being walked 20% of the time, a record 2,558 times the bat was taken out of his powerful hands in 12,606 plate appearances — 688 intentional.

Even in his seven years with the Pirates — only two fewer than Andrew McCutchen spent in Pittsburgh — he was a two-time National League MVP in 1990 and 1992, the latter one while playing on a team that was one inning from earning a trip to the World Series.

Clearly, he had a great career in Pittsburgh because he is the Tribune-Review’s staff choice for the best athlete in Pittsburgh to wear No. 24, even though another Pirates MVP, Swissvale High School’s Dick Groat, Pitt running back James Conner (wearing No. 30 with the Pittsburgh Steelers) and Larry Harris, the third-leading scorer in Pitt basketball history, also wore the number.

Bonds hit 176 home runs and drove in 556 runs for the Pirates before leaving in free agency after the ‘92 season to join the San Francisco Giants where his father Bobby was a star for 14 seasons. In San Francisco, he bumped up his number to 25.

Some insist Bonds’ career was tainted by allegations that he used banned performance-enhancing substances. Although he retired after the 2007 season, he never has been voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y.

His last act as a Pirate will be remembered in ignominy when his throw failed to nail former teammate Sid Bream at home plate in Game 7 of the NLDS.

But his achievements are many and should not be minimized, if only for their great magnitude: seven-time MVP (four in a row from 2001-04), 14-time All-Star, eight-time Gold Glove winner, two-time batting champion and the only player to hit at least 400 home runs and steal at least 400 bases (762/514).

Groat, however, comes a close second, with Conner and Harris not far behind.

Groat played in the NBA after an All-American basketball career at Duke, but was a 14-year MLB veteran, winning two World Series (with the Pirates in 1960 when he hit .325 and was National League MVP and St. Louis Cardinals in 1964).

He hit .290 in nine seasons with the Pirates, playing shortstop and forming one of baseball’s all-time great double play combinations with Bill Mazeroski.

Desperate for pitching help, the Pirates traded him to the Cardinals in 1963 for Don Cardwell, who compiled a 33-33 record in four seasons in Pittsburgh. The trade deeply hurt Groat, but he led the National League with 43 doubles, hit .319 and finished second to Sandy Koufax in the NL MVP voting that year.

Conner was named ACC Offensive Player of the Year in 2014 after rushing for 1,765 yards. But he suffered two serious setbacks in 2015 when he hurt his knee in the opener and was lost for the rest of that season. Then, near the end of the year, he was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

The knee injury ended up costing him far more games than the cancer — Hodgkin’s lymphoma cost him none. After a successful series of chemotherapy treatments, he returned in 2016 to lead Pitt in rushing with 1,092 yards. He finished his career second to Tony Dorsett in career yards (3,733).

The Steelers, with whom he wears No. 30, drafted him in the third round in 2017.

It is fitting to include Larry Harris among Bonds, Groat and Conner because he was an all-time Pitt basketball great from 1974-78.

He finished third in career scoring with 1,914 points, behind Charles Smith and Clyde Vaughan. He shot 50.7% from the field for his four seasons and 81.3% from the foul line (191 for 235) in his final two seasons.

Not to be forgotten is former Pitt wide receiver Gordon Jones, who is tied for eighth all-time in career receptions with 133, including 21 touchdowns, from 1975-78. He is an East Allegheny graduate.

Check out the entire ’Burgh’s Best to Wear It series here.