Now that he's hit No. 600, the biggest home-run countdown of all begins for Barry Bonds.

Bonds made the math real easy Friday night. After becoming the fourth player to reach 600 homers, he needs 156 more to break Hank Aaron's career record.

Next up on the homer chart is his godfather, Willie Mays, at 660. Then it's on to Babe Ruth at 714.

''To be in that select group is great, but nothing's more satisfying than doing it in front of 40,000 friends here in San Francisco,'' Bonds said. ''I don't think that it could ever be more gratifying than that.''

Bonds launched a 421-foot solo shot to center field at Pacific Bell Park in the Giants' 4-3 loss to Pittsburgh.

The 38-year-old star stepped softly on home plate and pointed up with his both hands. He waved to his wife and daughter and pointed to his father, Bobby Bonds, who had surgery last month to remove a cancerous tumor from his kidney.

Mays had a prior commitment and was not in the sellout crowd.

Fireworks flew, the sellout crowd cheered and an emblem signifying his achievement was unveiled on the left-field wall.

Bonds hit his milestone homer off Kip Wells. Bonds had a chance to put the Giants ahead in the eighth, but he grounded out to second baseman Pokey Reese on the grass in short right field to end the inning with two runners on.

''I mean it's sweet, it's nice, I can't sit there and say that it isn't a great moment in my career because, definitely it is,'' Bonds said. ''We want to win bad. We're playing good and we just ran against the wall right here.'' The Associated Press