Throwback Thursday: Baseball's Home Run King Barry Bonds makes his MLB Debut

The man who would go on to sit atop baseball's all-time home runs leaderboard didn't start his MLB career off with fireworks.

Barry Bonds made his MLB debut with the Pittsburgh Pirates on this date in 1986. He played center field and wound up going 0-5 in the contest.

“I went 0-for-5 with three strikeouts, I believe,” Bonds recalled for MLB.com in 2016 for the 30-year anniversary. 

Barry Bonds did accomplish something that would become a regular for him later in his playing days by taking a walk in the game. The Pittsburgh Pirates would go on to lose the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, 6-4, in extra innings.

Barry Bonds spent the first seven seasons of his baseball career in Pittsburgh and helped the Pittsburgh Pirates win the National League East in 1990, ’91 and ’92. The team failed to get past the National League Championship Series, losing each series during that three-year stretch.

Following the 1992 season, Barry Bonds joined the San Francisco Giants and would go on to put up historic numbers during his 15 year San Francisco career. Barry Bonds would set MLB records for home runs (762) and walks (2558) while becoming one of the most prolific hitters in baseball history.

There is, of course, the discussions of PED usage and Barry Bonds' career will always be tainted by the debate of whether or not he accomplished what he did by gaining a competitive edge. This cloud of doubt will almost certainly prevent MLB's home run king from being enshrined in Canton.

(Photo via Jeff Hixon/Allsport)