Through   144 Games:  Projected   Total: 63 71

Through   142 Games:  Projected   Total: 54 62

Through   142 Games:  Projected   Total: 51 58

Through   144 Games:  Season   Total: 61 70

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DENVER -- Barry Bonds hit three home runs Sunday to give him 63 for the season, passing Roger Maris' once-magical mark and moving him closer to Mark McGwire's record.

Playing at Coors Field, Bonds broke Maris' record of 61 for most homers in a season by a left-handed hitter.

Bonds has 18 games left to break McGwire's record of 70 set in 1998.

After an off-day Monday, Bonds and the San Francisco Giants begin a series at Houston's homer-friendly Enron Field.

Bonds hit No. 61 in the first inning to match Maris' then-major league record 61 homers for the New York Yankees in 1961. Bonds broke the mark with No. 62 in the fifth.

Bonds added a three-run homer in the 11th off Colorado reliever Todd Belitz.

Bonds also became the fastest to reach 62 homers, doing it in his 144th game. Mark McGwire needed 145 games to reach 62 when he broke Maris' record by hitting 70 homers in 1998.

In the first, on a 1-1 count, Bonds launched a 488-foot solo shot off Colorado's Scott Elarton. Bonds' soaring drive struck a beer sign beyond the center-field wall.

It was the third-longest homer in Coors Field history, exceeded only by a 496-foot shot by Mike Piazza and a 493-footer by Larry Walker.

In the fifth, Bonds lined a 2-2 pitch from Elarton that just cleared the right-field wall.

Maris, whose record stood for 37 years, had been surpassed only by McGwire and Sammy Sosa -- both right-handed hitters.

Bonds struck out looking in the third. He had gone homerless on Friday and Saturday.

Also in Sunday's game, Rockies manager Buddy Bell, hitting coach Clint Hurdle and slugger Larry Walker all were ejected by home-plate umpire Rob Drake in a four-pitch sequence.

Hurdle, who was ejected in the third inning of Saturday's game for arguing pitch calls made by Ted Barrett, was tossed by Drake after arguing a strike call with Walker at the plate, a pitch that made the count 2-1.

Hurdle and Bell both went to the plate to argue.

When Walker, on a full count, took a called third strike on a pitch from San Francisco's Jason Schmidt that appeared to be low, Walker flipped his bat in frustration and was ejected by Drake. Bell again argued that call and he, too, was tossed.

Bell returned to the dugout and angrily threw his clipboard onto the field, the papers scattering.

The next batter, Todd Helton, also took a called third strike and argued briefly with Drake but was not ejected.