San Francisco Giants legend Barry Bonds made headlines with his recent claim that he could still hit a 100 mph fastball even at his age of 60 years old.
While people might be quick to dismiss that, it also should be remembered that Bonds not only was one of the greatest hitters of all time with 12 Silver Slugger Awards and two batting titles as a power hitter, but he also led Major League Baseball in walks and on-base percentage during his final season at the age of 42 while slashing .276/.480/.565.
The folklore of Bonds is hard to ignore when it comes to this claim, and former Giants player Andrew McCutchen added even more fuel to that fire when sharing an incredible story about the seven-time MVP.
In 2018 when I was on the Giants, Bonds was in the batting cages before one of our games. We were taking bp like we normally before a game when he out of the blue decides, he wants to take some swings. He steps in the cage wearing slacks and dress shoes. 1st pitch he does his… https://t.co/n96xXTQjCv
— Andrew McCutchen (@TheCUTCH22) March 7, 2025
“… You could hear the whip of his bat, unlike anything I’ve seen at that present time. He slips from the torque and the slippery dress shoes on the turf and the ball goes straight up into the net above him. Now, There was a tv that was bout 5 feet above the net of our cage. The ball was hit so hard that it hit the tv screen and completely shattered it. Mind you, the ball didn’t go thru a hole of any sort. The net just stretched far enough because of Bonds’ power. I say all of that to say this, I believe him,” he said as part of his story on social media.
That’s pretty remarkable to consider.
McCutchen, who won NL MVP in his own right during the 2013 season with the Pittsburgh Pirates, not only was one of the best players in baseball at one point, but he was also surrounded by some of the game’s best in the mid-2010s at multiple All-Star Games.
For him to not have ever heard something like the sound of Bonds swinging highlights just how incredible the legendary slugger was with a bat in his hand.
Now, it should be pointed out that this occurred about seven years ago when Bonds was in his early-50s, so with Father Time able to put some more mileage on his body, it still is hard to believe he could hit a 100 mph heater.
But McCutchen says he believes the legend.
And after reading the story he shared, it’s safe to say Bonds might have a fighting chance at putting his bat on a ball traveling that fast, even at 60 years old.
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