Ex-MLB star says he was ordered to hit Barry Bonds and lied about it

Former Philadelphia Phillies All-Star pitcher Ricky Bottalico must have been watching the MLB Home Run Derby on Monday night.

The pre-show broadcast on Netflix that included Elle Duncan, Barry Bonds, Albert Pujols and Anthony Rizzo rehashed Bonds’ fight with Bottalico in 1998. Bottalico plunked Bonds during a game between the Phillies and San Francisco Giants, sparking the only time Bonds charged the mound.

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Ricky Bottalico of the Philadelphia Phillies pitches during a game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Mo. (Jonathan Kirn/Allsport)

While Duncan said that Bottalico swore the pitch got away from him, Bonds denied it.

“No, it didn’t, it did not get away,” Bonds said. “He’s a good pitcher and he’s a good man. In that situation, it was part of the game of baseball during that time, and I accepted it.”

Bottalico pushed back on Duncan’s notion that the ball got away from him as he appeared on 97.5 The Fanatic on Tuesday before the MLB All-Star Game took place in Philadelphia.

“That is a bold-faced lie.” he said. “I’ve told the story on this show, I’ve told the story on NBC Sports Philadelphia, I have told the story. I was told to go in and hit Barry Bonds. It’s that simple.

Elle Duncan attends the 7th Annual Sports Power Brunch: Celebrating the Most Powerful Women in Sports at Four Seasons San Francisco on Feb. 4, 2026. (Jeff Schear/Getty Images)

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“When it happens, in the newspapers in the next day and all that back then, I had to say I didn’t do it on purpose or else I’m suspended for a month. It’s that simple. Yes, we had to lie back then.”

Bottalico said he walked back to the locker room and his coaches said, “Do not tell me you did it on purpose.”

“Elle, wrong, wrong, wrong, oh did I say wrong? Wrong,” he added.

Bottalico said the team was frustrated with Bonds because he stole a base when the Giants were up seven runs. He said he wasn’t even supposed to pitch that day as he was coming off of surgery and had already made an appearance the night before.

Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Ricky Bottalico is shown in action on the mound. (RVR Photos/USA Today Sports)

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The righty made one All-Star appearance in his career – the 1996 season. That year, he had a 3.65 ERA in 69 appearances. He played five consecutive years for the Phillies before becoming a journeyman reliever around the league.