Bonds, Leyland, Sanguillen named to Pirates HOF

On Feb. 18, Jaromir Jagr and the Pittsburgh Penguins came together for what had long been considered an unfathomable rapprochement, when Jagr’s No. 68 sweater was retired and hung from the rafters at PPG Paints Arena.

On Pittsburgh’s North Shore, a reconciliation of similar magnitude appears to be in the making, as Barry Bonds, MLB’s all-time leader in home runs, was announced as an inductee into the Pirates Hall of Fame’s Class of 2024.

The class also includes former catcher Manny Sanguillen and manager Jim Leyland. The trio will be honored Aug. 24 before a game against the Cincinnati Reds.

Bonds, 59, began his career with the Pirates in 1986 and played in Pittsburgh through 1992.

“This is great,” Bonds told MLB.com. “Pittsburgh is where my career started. That’s who drafted me, and I couldn’t have had a better manager, a better team and a better starting point. It was perfect.”

In December 1992, Bonds sent shockwaves across MLB when he signed with the San Francisco Giants for a then-record $43.75 million over six years.

Bonds went on to spend the rest of his career in San Francisco through 2007, winning four MVP awards (1993, 2001-04), nine Silver Sluggers and five Gold Gloves along with 12 All-Star selections.

Bonds reached superstar status in Pittsburgh, winning the first two of his seven MVP awards (1990, 1992) while helping the Pirates to three consecutive NLCS appearances between 1990-92.

But he achieved baseball immortality with the Giants, clobbering 40-plus homers in eight seasons, including his historic 2001 campaign when he set an MLB record with 73, as well as posting an OPS north of 1.000 in 14 of his 15 years with San Francisco.

Early into the 2006 season, his penultimate in the majors, Bonds eclipsed Babe Ruth’s 714 career homers for second all-time, putting him within striking distance of Hank Aaron’s record 755.

Bonds tied Aaron on Aug. 4, 2007, and stepped into sole possession of first place Aug. 7 with No. 756.

In 2003, as he was in the midst of winning four straight MVPs with the Giants, Bonds became ensnared in the BALCO performance-enhancing drugs scandal, which ultimately saw him indicted for both obstruction of justice and perjury in 2007 due to testimony given during the investigation.

Bonds’ contentious personality and ugly exit from the Pirates combined with the juxtaposition of his individual fortunes in San Francisco vs. that of his former club starting in 1993 made him a longtime persona non grata in Pittsburgh.

Bonds’ attachment to steroids has handicapped his hopes of induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

In 2022, his final year on the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA) annual ballot, he received 66% of the vote, short of the 75% needed for Hall of Fame eligibility.

Granted, Bonds’ vote percentage did rise every year, starting at 36.2% in 2013.

In many MLB circles, attitudes on steroid use have softened.

What that’ll mean for Bonds in the long-term remains to be seen, but the Pirates openly embracing him could constitute a small step in the right direction with regards to recognition for one of baseball’s most talented and controversial players.

“Just a tremendous, tremendous player,” Leyland said by phone Tuesday. “I stay in touch with Barry. I texted him not too long ago, we talked not too long ago. He was one of the first guys to get in touch with me when I got inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. It’s going to be great to see Barry, it’s going to be great to go in with him. It’s a very special honor for both of us, as well as Manny.”

Sanguillen, 80, played all but one of his 13 years in MLB with the Pirates, winning World Series titles with the club in 1971 and 1979.

Aside from the 1977 campaign, in which he was a member of the Oakland Athletics, from 1967-1976 and 1978-80, Sanguillen played in Pittsburgh and was a three-time All-Star (1971, 1972, 1975).

The Colon, Panama, native was the Pirates’ everyday catcher for the majority of his career, although he also was utilized briefly in right field after Roberto Clemente’s death, as well as at first base at the tail end of his playing days.

Sanguillen received MVP votes four times in his career (1970-72, 1975).

On Sept. 1, 1971, he was part of the first all-minority lineup in MLB history, featuring pitcher Dock Ellis, first baseman Al Oliver, left fielder Willie Stargell and right fielder Roberto Clemente.

In 1971, with the Pirates en route to the NL pennant and victory in the World Series, Sanguillen set career bests with a .319 batting average and 81 RBIs.

He had a career slash line of .296/.326/.398 and caught Bob Moose’s no-hitter Sept. 20, 1969.

“(Never) in my dreams I thought I was going to be a Hall of Famer, from where I come from,” Sanguillen said Tuesday at PNC Park. “To me, it’s a pleasure, and I thank God for it. It really makes me happy. I’m really grateful that the Pirates brought me here, and now I’m here in the Hall of Fame. I’m really thankful for everybody here in Pittsburgh and everybody out there for giving me the opportunity.”

Sanguillen has remained involved with the Pirates and frequently can be seen interacting with fans at PNC Park at his outfield barbeque stand.

He’s also been a longtime supporter of youth baseball in Pittsburgh.

Leyland managed the Pirates from 1986-96, overseeing a drastic improvement in the club’s fortunes that culminated with three straight NL East titles from 1990-92.

Leyland’s teams fell short of the World Series in each of those peak years, losing in the NLCS, starting with the Cincinnati Reds in six games in 1990 before back-to-back losses in Game 7 to the Atlanta Braves in 1991 and 1992.

Leyland was at the helm for the first four of 20 eventual consecutive losing seasons by the Pirates through 2012.

But immediately after leaving the Pirates, Leyland landed on his feet, leading the Florida Marlins to a 92-70 record and the NL wild card.

From there, the Marlins defeated the Giants in the NLDS, dispatched Atlanta in the NLCS before beating the Cleveland Indians in seven games to win the World Series.

Leyland managed the Colorado Rockies in 1999 before taking over the Detroit Tigers from 2006-2013. He led Detroit to the World Series in 2006 and 2012, as well as the ALCS in 2011 and 2013.

The 79-year-old Leyland won NL Manager of the Year honors with the Pirates in 1990 and 1992, as well as AL Manager of the Year in 2006 with Detroit.

When he took over the Pirates in 1986, the club was coming off a 57-win season, its last under Chuck Tanner.

Two years later, Leyland improved the team to 80 wins in 1987, then 85 in 1988, leading into 95-, 98- and 96-win campaigns from 1990-92.

Appreciated in Pittsburgh for his blue-collar attitude and style, Leyland is a 2024 inductee into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

“My family and I made a lot of friends in Pittsburgh, and it’s just a wonderful city,” Leyland said. “Everybody talks about it being a beautiful city, which it is, but the beauty lies really within the people. It’s the people of Pittsburgh who make it a beautiful place.”