SAN FRANCISCO, 17 November 2004 — San Francisco Giants slugger Barry Bonds captured a record seventh MVP award on Monday, providing a sparkling finish to a season tainted by doping allegations.

Bonds easily claimed the National League honor for an unprecedented fourth consecutive year, collecting 24 first-place votes and 407 points in balloting conducted by the Baseball Writers Association of America.

Los Angeles Angels third baseman Adrian Beltre was a distant second with 311 points, followed by first baseman Albert Pujols and third baseman Scott Rolen of the National League champion St. Louis Cardinals.

No other player in Major League history has won more than three MVP awards.

Defying age, the 40-year-old Bonds produced another remarkable campaign leading the NL in hitting with a .362 average and a .812 slugging percentage.

His 45 homeruns lifted him into third on the all-time list, his tally of 703 just 11 behind Babe Ruth and 52 shy of the all-time record held by Hank Aaron.

The most feared slugger of his generation, Bonds was often left frustrated as opposing pitchers issued him a major league record 232 walks, making his hitting statistics all the more astounding.

Even more remarkable, Bonds was able to maintain his focus despite being in the eye of a doping scandal that swirled around his former personal trainer and BALCO, the Bay area laboratory accused of supplying performance-enhancing drugs to athletes.

Greg Anderson, Bonds’ ex-trainer, BALCO owner Conte, vice president James Valente and well-known track coach Remi Korchemny were charged with steroid distribution in a case linked to some of the best-known names in track and field and baseball. Bonds has vehemently denied ever using steroids.

“No one ever helped me do anything except my father,” Bonds told journalists in a teleconference on Monday, but declined to talk about steroids, cutting short questions about his past praise for BALCO.

Although he was clearly upbeat at winning his seventh MVP, Bonds expressed regret that he has never won the World Series.

“I’m pleased but I’m not like overly pleased. I think if I had a championship I could sit there and say, hey guys, man, this is really great,” he said.