Ricky Bottalico, a former All-Star pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies, was reminded of his famous encounter with Barry Bonds during the MLB Home Run Derby. The pre-show on Netflix, featuring Elle Duncan, Barry Bonds, Albert Pujols, and Anthony Rizzo, brought back memories of the 1998 incident.
The clash occurred when Bottalico hit Bonds with a pitch during a Phillies-Giants game, leading to Bonds charging the mound. Duncan suggested Bottalico claimed the pitch slipped from his hand, a claim Bonds rejected. ‘No, it didn’t get away,’ Bonds insisted. ‘He’s a good pitcher and a good man. It was part of the game back then, and I accepted it.’
Bottalico countered Duncan’s statement during his appearance on 97.5 The Fanatic. ‘That is a bold-faced lie,’ he declared. ‘I’ve shared the story repeatedly. I was instructed to hit Barry Bonds. It’s straightforward.’
He explained that after the incident, he had to deny intentional action to avoid suspension. Bottalico added that his coaches explicitly advised him against admitting it. ‘Elle, wrong, wrong, wrong,’ he stressed.
Bottalico revealed the team’s frustration with Bonds stemmed from Bonds stealing a base while the Giants led by seven runs. Bottalico wasn’t scheduled to pitch that day, recovering from surgery and having pitched the previous night.
The right-handed pitcher, who made one All-Star game in 1996 with a 3.65 ERA, spent five years with the Phillies before continuing his career with other teams. His experience has become a notable story in baseball history.
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