SAN FRANCISCO, Oct 8: Barry Bonds hit his 73rd run and set the a major league record for slugging percentage as the San Francisco Giants completed the season with a 2-1 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers Sunday.
After sitting out Saturday, Bonds faced knuckleballer Dennis Springer with two outs in the first inning.
The three-time Most Valuable Player was just 1-for-7 lifetime against Springer before sending a 3-2 pitch over the right-field fence for his record home run and a 1-0 lead.
Bonds singled in the third inning, popped out in the sixth and flied out in his final at-bat in the eighth. He finished with an .863 slugging percentage, bettering the mark of .847 set by Hall of Famer Babe Ruth in 1920.
The 37-year-old Bonds also walked 177 times, seven more than the record that Ruth set in 1923.
In St Louis, the Houston Astros have home-field advantage throughout the postseason.
Shane Reynolds’ 100th career win may have been his most important as he pitched the Astros to a 9-2 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals that clinched the Central Division title and the top playoff seed in the National League.
In Atlanta, the Braves became the first team in major league history to win a division with a losing record at home, suffering a season-ending 4-2 loss to the Florida Marlins.
In Chicago, Sammy Sosa continued to make history as his Chicago Cubs suffered a season-ending 4-3 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates.
In Cincinnati, Pat Burrell homered and drove in three runs as the Philadelphia Phillies posted a 4-1 victory over the Cincinnati Reds.
In Milwaukee, Richie Sexson hit his 45th home run and matched a career high with five RBI, powering Milwaukee to a 15-5 rout of the playoff-bound Arizona Diamondbacks.
In New York, Britt Reames and Mark Smith helped the Montreal Expos end a disappointing season on a positive note.
Reames pitched 5 2/3 scoreless innings and Smith hit a three-run homer to give the Expos a 5-0 victory over the New York Mets.
In St Petersburg, Mike Mussina and Orlando Hernandez each pitched four scoreless innings in playoff tuneups while Mariano Rivera notched his 50th save as the New York Yankees finished the regular season with a 1-0 victory over the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
In Detroit, Carlos Beltran had a grand slam and a two-run homer and Joe Randa and Dee Brown had back-to-back home runs in the seventh inning as the Kansas City Royals concluded the season with a 10-4 triumph over the Detroit Tigers.
In Minneapolis, Corey Koskie drove in three runs and scored three times and Brad Radke allowed three runs in 8 1/3 innings as the Minnesota Twins posted an 8-5 victory over the Chicago White Sox.
In Toronto, C.C. Sabathia tuned up for his Game Three start in the Division Series by tossing five effective innings as the Cleveland Indians avoided a fifth straight loss with a 3-2 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays.
Sunday’s results (home team in CAPS):
American League
Kansas City 10 DETROIT 4
Cleveland 3 TORONTO 2
NY Yankees 1 TAMPA BAY 0
MINNESOTA 8 Chi White Sox 5
Oakland 6 ANAHEIM 2
Texas 4 SEATTLE 3
National League
Florida 4 ATLANTA 2
Montreal 5 NY METS 0
Philadelphia 4 CINCINNATI 1
MILWAUKEE 15 Arizona 5
Houston 9 ST LOUIS 2
Pittsburgh 4 CHICAGO CUBS 3
SAN FRANCISCO 2 Los Angeles 1
Colorado 14 SAN DIEGO 5
—Reuters