SAN FRANCISCO - Barry Bonds bounced up and down on his tender big toe as he reacted to the finality of it all, the spotlight of this city on him in left field for one last time.

The slugger jogged to the position he’s held for the past 15 years, the sellout crowd roaring and on its feet as has been customary so many times during his historic yet controversial tenure. He waved in every direction and tipped his cap while a homemade banner reading “Thank you Barry — A Giant Forever” dangled over the wall behind him.

They stood and cheered again on Wednesday when he stepped into the on-deck circle in the first inning, and Bonds was quick with another greeting. No matter that he followed Randy Winn’s two-out home run with a groundout after a competitive eight-pitch at-bat. Fans waved placards reading “THANKS BARRY” and flashbulbs lit up the ballpark.

More people packed McCovey Cove in kayaks in hopes of one last chance at a Bonds souvenir home run ball, a spectacular full moon in the distance.

Bonds grounded out weakly again in the fourth against Padres ace Jake Peavy and gingerly made his way back to the dugout — yet he had one more oooh-ahhh moment in him when he flied out to the warning track in right-center to end the sixth. He stayed put at 762 home runs.

Bonds then walked to the mound and shook hands and hugged Peavy before pointing to the San Diego dugout and former teammate Bud Black, who tipped his cap. Bonds clapped his hands together in the air in appreciation and pointed to various spots in the stands. He received handshakes in the dugout, then put away the bulky body armor that protects him when he crowds the plate.

Bonds headed for the clubhouse and received a hug from 17-year-old son, Nikolai, outside the door before he disappeared.

He committed a fielding error in the fifth when he bobbled Khalil Greene’s two-run single, and Bonds tried to make a sliding stop on Josh Bard’s single that followed.

Earlier, he stepped in for what probably were his final rounds of batting practice in a Giants uniform, cameras clicking at his every move.

Some of the San Diego Padres even came out early to catch a glimpse — with Black perched on the front of the dugout rail.

Slideshow   The Week in Sports Pictures A kayaker flips out, a racehorse eyes the Triple Crown and more. more photos

After missing 10 games because of a sprained big right toe that is worse than initially thought, Bonds was in the starting lineup and batting in his regular cleanup spot Wednesday. But he isn’t scheduled to play this weekend in Los Angeles.

“This will be the only game I play in, yes,” Bonds said.

MSNBC.com podcast Manny will never get into Hall A semiweekly opinionated podcast on the hottest topics in sports, hosted by JT the Brick. Get each new Rant automatically by subscribing to the podcast: right-click on the "Pod" button below and copy and paste the link into your podcast software's subscription function. iTunes users can subscribe directly by clicking on the "iTunes" button below. Or, listen to JT's current Rant with the "MP3" button.

So, this was it. The end of a history-making era for the 43-year-old home run king, seven-time NL MVP and 14-time All-Star — in the very city where he used to bounce around the clubhouse as his late father, Bobby, and godfather, Hall of Famer Willie Mays, got ready for games.

San Francisco stuck by him through allegations he began using steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs to fuel his pursuit of Mark McGwire’s single-season home run record that he broke with 73 homers back in 2001. Bonds has long denied knowingly taking such products.

Manager Bruce Bochy took notice when he wrote Bonds into the lineup for the last time, a special piece of paper set to go into safe keeping in the Giants’ archives. Bochy knows Bonds might not ever play again, too, despite the slugger insisting he wants to suit up next year somewhere.

Don't miss this on MSNBC.com Pass it on: Sons of infertile men may be next The eight biggest Olympic marketing debacles Reality show judges range from wise to wacko Cosmic Log: Is this your jetpack? Forget your inhibitions: World's sexiest islands

“When you write his name into the lineup for the final time, you realize what you’re doing,” Bochy said. “I know it’s a possibility (he’s done). Talking to him, he wants to play some more. He might change his mind and we could be seeing this tremendous talent play for the last time.”