Bonds Hits Two More Home Runs

<br>Barry Bonds seems destined to destroy his home run record _ by the All-Star break. <br><br>Looking unstoppable, Bonds hit two more long homers at Dodger Stadium, leading the San Francisco Giants over

Thursday, April 4th 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

Barry Bonds seems destined to destroy his home run record _ by the All-Star break.

Looking unstoppable, Bonds hit two more long homers at Dodger Stadium, leading the San Francisco Giants over Los Angeles 12-0 on Wednesday night.

The man who made 73 a magic number last year joined Hall of Famer Eddie Mathews as the only players in history to open a season with a pair of two-homer games. Mathews did it for the Milwaukee Braves in 1958.

``I just try to see it and hit it,'' Bonds said. ``I'm strong enough to hit it out of the ballpark. I'm just trying to stay consistent and hit it.''

In other NL games, San Diego held off Arizona 8-7, Chicago beat Cincinnati 10-3, Florida edged Montreal 6-5, Houston routed Milwaukee 15-2, Philadelphia downed Atlanta 3-1, Colorado beat St. Louis 6-3 and Pittsburgh defeated New York 5-3.

Bonds' stats after two games: 5-for-6, four homers, five runs scored and nine RBIs.

``I think it's natural to be awe-struck a little bit,'' said winning pitcher Russ Ortiz, who also homered. ``We're fans of the game, too. You just feel privileged to play with someone like that. He's spoiling us right now, it's definitely fun to watch.''

Bonds' two homers _ both over 440 feet _ gave him 571 overall, two behind Harmon Killebrew for sixth place on the career list.

The four-time MVP put the Giants ahead for good in the first inning with a three-run homer off Hideo Nomo that sailed an estimated 443 feet.

In the fourth, Bonds went even deeper, launching a 459-foot drive.

``You just accept it, you know what I mean?'' Giants manager Dusty Baker said. ``You accept it and be thankful for it.''