HOUSTON - Say hey, Willie. Barry is about to catch you.
Barry Bonds hit his 659th home run Monday night, moving within one of tying Willie Mays for third place on the career list and helping the San Francisco Giants rally for a 5-4 victory over the Astros.
With the Say Hey Kid in attendance, Bonds lined a first-pitch fastball from Roy Oswalt over the rightfield fence in the eighth inning for a three-run shot that tied it at 4.
"It was great to have a game like this early," said Bonds, who went 3-for-3 with two doubles and a walk. "I just wanted to hit the ball hard like Willie told me to do and not to think about it."
San Francisco completed the comeback in the ninth against Octavio Dotel, the Astros closer after the offseason trade of Billy Wagner to the Phillies. Dotel hit Tony Torcato with a pitch, and Torcato advanced to second on a bunt and third on a wild pitch before pinch-runner Cody Ransom scored on J.T. Snow's sacrifice fly.
Bonds begins his 19th season dogged by accusations of steroid use, which have persisted despite his denials and the absence of evidence. Monday he returned to the field, the one place where he can get away from the attacks.
"I just wanted to play baseball," Bonds said. "I didn't have any fun hearing things about me when I know it's not right."
Bonds' blow ended what had been a top-notch outing by Oswalt, chosen to start on opening day over former Yankees Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte.
Oswalt scattered seven hits and a run over seven innings before allowing two hits in the eighth ahead of Bonds. Manager Jimy Williams conferred with Oswalt before allowing him to pitch to Bonds, who promptly laced a pitch just over the fence.
"I threw the ball outside. I thought I was going to get him to hit to centerfield, but you throw it away and he (pulls) it to rightfield. What are you going to do?" said Oswalt, who chastised himself for throwing a "dumb pitch."
Williams, whose team broke camp without a left-hander in the bullpen to face Bonds, said he believed Oswalt was his best option in that situation.
"You can't lose sleep over it," catcher Brad Ausmus said. "Roy was fine. He was still pitching in the low 90s. He's as good a pitcher as we have on the team, and I felt very comfortable with him out there."
It was Bonds' sixth opening-day homer, and it came in the building where he tied Mark McGwire's single-season mark of 70 in 2001. Bonds went on to set his own standard at 73.
