When legendary coach and manager Jim Leyland didn't hesitate to call out Barry Bonds
Jim Leyland and Barry Bonds were iconic for their time in Major League Baseball. Bonds took the world by storm with his monster numbers at the plate. Leyland was known for his fiery attitude, bringing him three Manager of the Year awards.
The two would butt heads in one of the most famous instances of a baseball manager ripping into one of their players. In 1992, during spring training, Leyland approached Bonds about his efforts, and he wasn't shy about it.
"Don't f*ck with me," said Jim Leyland in regards to Barry Bonds' attitude.
“Don’t f*ck with me”. Jim Leyland wasn’t having any of it from Barry Bonds. https://t.co/eiU03iF4lq
Leyland was not happy with how Bonds was carrying himself. Bonds had problems with the team as he wasn't happy with his contract. He wouldn't go as hard in practice, and coaches and teammates could tell.
When assistant coach Bill Virdon called out Bonds for "dogging it" in practice, Bonds snapped back at him. Leyland, who could hear the argument take place, didn't appreciate it. He walked right over to the drill and got right in Barry's face.
"If you don't want to be here, get your s*it off and quit," said Leyland.
If there was one thing that was certain with the Pittsburgh Pirates, it was that Jim Leyland was the captain of that ship. He wasn't going to let Barry Bonds and his frustration with his contract bring the whole team down. It was made very clear after this argument.
There was no hatred between Jim Leyland and Barry Bonds
The two would quickly get over the argument. Barry Bonds went on to have a monster season in 1992. He led the league in runs, walks, intentional walks, OBP, SLG, OPS, and OPS+. It was a good enough season to be voted into his second All-Star game.
After the 1992 season, Bonds signed a contract with the San Francisco Giants and never looked back. He would go on to spend the next 15 years of his insane career in San Francisco.
Looking back at the argument with Leyland, Bonds knew he was in the wrong. Leyland came to apologize for belittling Bonds in front of his teammates, but Bonds stopped him, saying he didn't need to apologize.
Former Tigers manager Jim Leyland and new Marlins hitting coach Barry Bonds catching up https://t.co/v0qcg5Utrd
The two would see each other at various times after Bonds retired and had a stint in the MLB as a hitting coach. As you can see, no love was lost.