Barry Bonds assesses how he would fare against Satchel Paige

Barry Bonds. Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

Watch: Barry Bonds gives confident answer about how he would fare against Satchel Paige

By Adam Gretz | Last updated Jun 20, 2024 9:02 PM ET

The San Francisco Giants and St. Louis Cardinals are paying tribute to the Negro Leagues on Thursday night by playing at Rickwood Field due to its importance to the leagues. Before the game began a discussion broke out among the all-time major league greats on the Fox broadcast, with Derek Jeter asking Barry Bonds and Ken Griffey Jr. how they would have fared against the great Satchel Paige.

Bonds wasted no time in answering with great confidence.

He was hitting a home run.

Barry Bonds and Ken Griffey Jr. joined Fox's coverage of MLB's Rickwood Field game.

Derek Jeter asked Bonds and Griffey how they'd fare vs. Satchel Paige.

Bonds: "Me? Gone. Lost your mind Jeter! Gone! Simple. Gone. Read about it on ESPN!" ⚾️☄️pic.twitter.com/8tKGp19Is2
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) June 20, 2024

It is always a fascinating discussion to wonder how modern stars would do against stars from the past. Not only because it would be amazing to watch, but because of how much the game has changed over the decades.

Players have gotten bigger, faster and strong and benefit by better equipment and training. If you dropped 1998 Barry Bonds into the 1940s, he probably would dominate. But if you gave Paige modern-day equipment and training facilities, he almost certainly becomes even better than he was and perfectly capable of competing against the best.

Adam Gretz

Adam Gretz is a freelance writer based in Pittsburgh. He covers the NHL, NFL, MLB and NBA. Baseball is his favorite sport -- he is nearly halfway through his goal of seeing a game in every MLB ballpark. Catch him on Twitter @AGretz

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