"You had to pick your poison” - When Buck Showalter discussed intentionally walking Barry Bonds in infamous bases-loaded situation

There is arguably no player more polarizing in MLB history than Barry Bonds. The former San Francisco Giants and Pittsburgh Pirates legend was one of the best players to ever don a uniform thanks to his combination of speed and power. That being said, his connection to performance-enhancing drugs tainted his legacy.

"18 years ago today, Barry Bonds hit No. 715 to pass Babe Ruth for second on the all-time HR list. Relive the historic moment with Kruk & Kuip" - @KNBR

PED usage or not, during his prime, Barry Bonds struck fear into the hearts of his opponents. The 14-time All-Star was a player that opposing managers did not want to play around with, which explains why he holds the MLB record for most intentional walks in a career.

Over his 22 seasons in the MLB, Bonds was intentionally walked 688 times. To put that into perspective, Albert Pujols is second on that list with 316. Perhaps the most iconic intentional walk of Bonds' career came in 1998. Arizona Diamondbacks manager Buck Showalter decided to walk Bonds with the bases loaded in order to face Brent Mayne.

"#OTD in 1998, Barry Bonds drew an intentional walk ... With the bases loaded." - @theScore

"I love Brent Mayne, good major league player, but he wasn’t Jeff Kent and he wasn’t Barry Bonds," Buck Showalter said on a 2020 episode of Balk Talk Podcast. "You had to pick your poison," explaining the decision to face Mayne instead of Bonds with the bases loaded.

Even though the intentional walk of Bonds allowed the San Francisco Giants to score a run, the strategic move paid off for Showalter. Brent Mayne lined out to right field, helping the Arizona Diamondbacks hold on to an 8-7 victory.

The iconic walk came back to light after Jose Ramirez made Barry Bonds comparison

The bases-loaded walk is a moment that will live forever in the MLB history books, it may not have been something that the new generation of fans may have seen. Thanks to Cleveland Guardians superstar Jose Ramirez, the Bonds walk has been brought back into the public eye.

Jose Ramirez drew a bases-load against the Los Angeles Angels, and even though it was not intentional, the third baseman couldn't help but draw comparisons. The Guardians star joked after the game that he was better than Bonds when asked about the bases-loaded walk. Even though he was joking when he made the comparison, it also brought a new generation to the iconic Bonds moment.