Baseball legend Barry Bonds will make a return to his alma-mater next week.
The former Sun Devil will throw out the first pitch for ASU baseball as the team unveils its new Baseball Heritage Collection uniforms against UNLV on Tuesday at Phoenix Municipal Stadium. The design of the Adidas uniforms will resemble those worn by Bonds during his tenure at ASU.
Bonds, the MLB single-season (73) and career (762) leader in home runs, graduated from ASU in 1986 with a degree in criminology and helped the Sun Devils reach the College World Series in back-to-back seasons from 1983-84.
“I am extremely humbled and proud that Sun Devil baseball has chosen to debut a uniform that commemorates my time at Arizona State, as well as that of my teammates and coaches,” Bonds said in a statement. “I want to thank coach Tracy Smith and the entire team for this great honor.”
The specialized uniforms will feature stitched, retro logos on the fronts of the hats and jerseys that were used in the 1970s and 1980s. The jersey sleeves will be embroidered with the throwback Pac-12 logo that is reminiscent of Bond’s tenure at ASU, and the hats will show off a stitched “AS” logo.
Great tradition. Even greater future.
— adidas Baseball (@adidasBaseball) February 24, 2017
Stay tuned for the @asu_baseball Heritage uniform coming soon.#teamadidas #ForksUp pic.twitter.com/xZqDP6gGjL
Bonds' MLB career was filled with controversy stemming from his part in the steroid era of baseball. But before Bonds' professional career began, he was playing outfield at Packard Stadium for the Sun Devils.
Bonds tallied some incredible stats in college. He was a part of the All-College World Series team in both 1983 and 1984. He was voted into the All-Time College World Series Team in 1996.
His career stats at ASU rank among the programs' best. Bonds’ 45 career home runs are tied for fourth all-time, while his 438 career bases are ranked ninth all-time in the school's record book.
But despite the numbers, Bonds' collegiate career didn't come without controversy which came to a head when Bonds was reportedly almost kicked off the team with a team vote.
Bonds went on to play for two MLB teams, the Pittsburgh Pirates and the San Francisco Giants. During his career, he earned seven MVP awards, 14 All-Star bids and eight Gold Glove honors.
The Sun Devils' game against UNLV is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. MST on Tuesday.
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