San Francisco Giants Legend Makes Outrageous Claim About Legendary Skills

Despite being 60 years old, Bonds said he can still hit 100 mph pitches.

"100? That's easy," Bonds said. "I don't care how hard you throw a baseball ... To go up there and hit it, I don't care how hard you throw."

Bonds' logic was that since he can catch a 100 mph pitch with a glove, he can hit one with a bat, too. He also added that he would need to train more to "do something spectacular" like hit a home run.

But at the very least, Bonds believes he could still make contact.

Given Bonds' age and how long he's been retired, that's hard to believe.

While he still appears to be in good shape, reflexes and hand-eye coordination naturally diminish over time. That's why even the best hitters lose their batting skills by the time they reach their 40s, and usually well before that.

In his defense, Bonds remained an elite hitter into his 40s and never showed major signs of decline. He turned 43 during his final season, but still batted a ridiculous .276/.480/.565 with 28 home runs and 66 RBI, leading MLB in walks (132) and on-base percentage (.480).

Still, 60 is a lot different than 43.

Just ask 58-year-old Mike Tyson, who looked like a shell of his former self in his unanimous decision loss to Jake Paul (then-27) last November.

Baseball is a young man's game, and Father Time is undefeated.

Furthermore, pitchers throw considerably harder now than they did during Bonds' playing days.

In 2008, the first year after Bonds retired, there were 214 MLB pitches clocked at 100 mph or faster. By 2022, that number had exploded to 3,880 -- a staggering increase of 1,813%.

Similarly, the average fastball velocity increased from 91.1 mph in 2008 to 94.2 mph in 2023.

Pitchers are also more focused on spin rate now, giving their pitches more movement and making them even harder to hit.

Not surprisingly, offense has declined over time as the game has become more difficult for hitters.

In 2007, MLB teams averaged a .758 OPS and 4.8 runs per game. By 2024, those numbers had dropped to .711 and 4.4, respectively.

Maybe Bonds can still hit 100 mph fastballs after all these years, but it's definitely not "easy."

If it was, maybe someone would have broken his single-season home run record by now.

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