San Francisco slugger Barry Bonds has passed Mark McGwire to take sole possession of fifth place on major league baseball's all-time home-run list, with his 584th career homer Saturday against the Colorado Rockies.
Bonds' blast, a solo shot in the fourth inning, was not enough to stop the Rockies from beating the Giants, 6-3, in a National League match-up in Denver. Bonds needs just two more home runs to tie baseball legend Frank Robinson for fourth place on the all-time list.
Bonds did not want to talk about his achievement Saturday, telling reporters there is no fun in losing. He broke McGwire's record for home runs in a single-season last year with 73.
The Giants' star has hit 17 homers so far this season, just one less than league leader Sammy Sosa of the Chicago Cubs.
Sosa hit his 18th home run Saturday in the Cubs' 5-1 rout of the home-field Houston Astros, who extended their losing streak to six games. It was Chicago's fifth straight win.
Meanwhile, Shawn Green of Los Angeles hit two more home runs to lead the Dodgers to a 10-5 victory over the defending champion Arizona Diamondbacks. Green set a major-league record with his seventh homer in a three-game stretch.
Montreal's Jose Vidro hit a grand slam in the bottom of the 10th inning to lift the Expos to a 13-9 victory over the visiting Philadelphia Phillies, who blew a three-run lead in the eighth and a one-run lead in the ninth.
In other N-L games Saturday, the Milwaukee Brewers blanked the San Diego Padres, 2-0, and the Saint Louis Cardinals won their sixth straight with a 6-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Also, the Cincinnati Reds blasted four homers to beat the Atlanta Braves, 6-4, and the Florida Marlins edged the New York Mets, 6-5.
In the American League, Anaheim's Tim Salmon sent one over the fence in the bottom of the 13th inning to give the Angels a 4-3 win over the visiting Minnesota Twins.
And New York relief pitcher Ramiro Mendoza retired 10 of 11 batters to help the Yankees hold on to edge the Red Sox, 3-2, in Boston.
In other AL action, the Cleveland Indians shut out the Toronto Blue Jays, 3-0, the Kansas City Royals knocked off the Texas Rangers, 6-3, and the Oakland Athletics blanked the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, 6-0. Also, the Chicago White Sox downed the Detroit Tigers, 6-4, and the Baltimore Orioles edged the Seattle Mariners, 3-2.