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- Genetics were on Barry’s side from the get-go. Not only was his dad a great all-around baseball player, his aunt Rosie was a world record holder in the 80-meter hurdles—and a member of the 1964 U.S. Olympic team—and his uncle Robert was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs. His other uncle, David, was a high-school football star until a shoulder injury ruined his career.
- Barry sharpened his batting eye by numbering tennis balls, then only swinging at the odd numbers as they were pitched to him.
- Barry nearly ended his athletic career as a junior in high school when he slammed his hand in a locker and almost severed a finger. After several stitches and more than a month in a cast, he made a miraculous recovery, and never felt any adverse effects from the injury.
- Among the baseball stars that preceded Barry at Junipero Serra High School were Jim Fregosi and Danny Frisella. Football Hall of Famer Lynn Swann and New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady also attended the school.
- In the summer of 1983, Barry joined USC’s Oddibe McDowell and UCLA star Shane Mack in the Alaska Goldpanners’ outfield. All three would go on to be first-round draft choices.
- Barry’s favorite pitcher to face is John Smoltz. He’s the only guy crazy enough to taunt Barry before games and laugh at him from the dugout.
- Barry won’t talk to anyone before games. His preparation is so intense that not even teammates will approach him.
- Barry hit a record 17 homers in May of 2001.
- Barry slugged nine home runs over a six-game span in 2001. He set a record that year for the fewest singles (49) by a player in 150 or more games.
- Barry drew a major-league record 68 intentional walks in 2002, including eight time with the bases empty. His 13 walks during the World Series that year also set an all-time mark.
- During a November exhibition tour of Japan in 2002, Barry befriended David Eckstein of the Angels. He admired how hard the shortstop worked, and even saw something in his swing that he eventually adopted into his own.
- Barry and Jimmie Foxx are the only players ever to hit 30 homers in 12 consecutive seasons.
- Barry’s dad was a three-time All-Star, and led the NL in runs scored twice. He was also the MVP of the 1973 All-Star Game.
- Barry and his father are the only players to log five 30-30 seasons. They hold the all-time father-son home run record.
- Barry is the only player ever to hit two doubles in an All-Star Game.
- Barry has a son, Nikolai (born in 1990), and a daughter, Aisha (born in 1999).
- Barry and his former wife, Susann, were wed in 1988, but their marriage ended on bitter terms 13 years later. Barry met the native of Sweden in Montreal, where she was studying to be a beautician. Their divorce settlement was one for the California law books. Susann challenged the validity of their premarital agreement, which was made before Barry earned his big moneywith the Giants. Though the court ruled he had to pay child support in the neighborhood of $20,000 a month, the judgment upheld the prenup, thus establishing ground rules that have since effected nearly every such pact signed in California.
Oddibe McDowell
Jimmie Foxx, 1936
Goudey Premium
Bobby Bonds, 1972
Topps