SF Giants power-hitting infielder reaches home-run mark not done since Barry Bonds

In an otherwise forgettable game on Saturday, Willy Adames blasted his 25th home run of the season. Sarah Langs of MLB.Com shared that Adames became the first Giants player since Barry Bonds in 2007 to reach at least 25 home runs before the calendar turns to September.

SF Giants power-hitting infielder reaches home-run mark not done since Barry Bonds

If you missed the rest of the game, you probably made the right call. The Orioles beat the Giants by a score of 11-1 on Saturday. The only run scored by San Francisco came from Adames' swing of the bat.

If you did watch the full game, you may have noticed an odd quirk take place. Christian Koss took the mound in the ninth inning and did not allow a run. That was the fourth time that Koss took the mound this season, and he has still not allowed a run. He still has not struck out a hitter, either.

There is no surprise that Bonds was the last Giants hitter to reach 25 home runs before September. I would not have guessed that he did so in 2007. That was his final season. He put up a 1.045 OPS with 28 home runs and 66 RBI in 477 plate appearances that year. Bonds fell just shy of reaching the 30-homer threshold for the 15th time in his career.

The last time Bonds reached that threshold was in 2004. Of course, that was also the last time a Giants hitter reached that mark. Brandon Belt fell one home run shy of 30 homers in 2021, but sustained a fractured thumb in the final week of the year. Matt Chapman got close last year.

Will they finally end that drought? Willy Adames is looking to reach that mark for the third time in his career. He has hit at least 30 home runs in two of the last three seasons.

The right-handed bat is now on pace to reach 30 home runs. He has hit 13 home runs in the second half of the year, which has already surpassed his 12-homer mark from the first half of the season. In particular, Adames has been on a tear at the plate lately, blasting nine of his 25 home runs this month. Will he finally end the drought? He has checked off one box so far.

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