SAN FRANCISCO -- For the first time all Series, Barry Bonds got a hit that stayed in the ballpark. Three of 'em, in fact. Kinda forgot he could do that, huh?

On Thursday night, Bonds rounded out an already legendary postseason run with the type of hits that get the ol' heart rate going, for a change. He legged out two doubles, scoring two runs and driving in another. And for one game, Barry was no longer a fearsome ball machine, launching pills over the fence as quickly as opposing pitchers could deliver them.

	The Barr-O-Meter
	During each World Series game, the Barr-O-Meter will measure the degree to which Anaheim pitchers challenge Barry Bonds. Here's a quick summary of what went down in Game 5: 1st inning: RBI double to right field. 2nd inning: Intentionally walked with runners on second and third. 4th inning: Flew out to left field. 6th inning: Double to left-center. 7th inning: Single to center.
	THROUGH GAME 5 AB H/HR Walks R/RBI Balls Strikes 12 6/3 10 7/5 55 26

On Thursday, he simply looked like the guy who hit a league-best .370 this season. So, instead, the highlight reels will focus on the Giants' offensive combustion, led by Jeff Kent doing his best Bonds impression, hitting two homers and scoring four runs. According to Bonds, that's just fine -- give him a ring before you give him all the credit.

"I'm like that surfer boy, I just want to surf, dude," Bonds said after the game. "I don't want to own the store."

But as they gun for a Series-clinching victory in Game 6, Bonds is indeed the sole owner and proprietor of the Giants' surf shop. And Thursday, the shop owner showed how skilled he was at multi-tasking, mixing in some base hits to go with his longballs.

"When people see Barry hit, all they want is home runs," said Reggie Sanders. "If he gets a base hit, people are like 'Aww, man.' But we know he's one of the best hitters in the game, too. Whenever he gets to the plate, no matter what happens, it's usually a good thing."

Did we mention that Bonds also got intentionally walked once by the Angels? And the sun also set. But Thursday night's chance to flex his muscles was a dream compared to the three intentional passes Bonds had to swallow in Game 4.

In the first inning, Bonds came up with runners on first and second. As he did in Game 1, Anaheim starter Jarrod Washburn challenged Bonds, and Barry responded by banging a low offspeed pitch down the right-field line for a double, driving in Kenny Lofton from second. After the game, Angels manager Mike Scioscia admitted that he thought about intentionally walking Bonds to load the bases but liked his chances with Washburn, who retired Bonds in two of three battles in Game 1.

"Obviously, (Washburn) didn't want to give in to Barry," Scioscia said. "He took a little off a fastball, trying to get it down to get a groundball. Barry stayed on it and drove it into the right-field corner. That's a good piece of hitting."

A quick rundown of the rest of Bonds' night: Intentionally walked in the second, flied out in the fourth, doubled again in the sixth, singled in the seventh. Whew. Bonds has now reached base in 16 of 22 World Series plate appearances and is hitting .500 (6-for-12) in the Series. But even though it's the Angels facing elimination, it's the Giants' slugger who will be tossing and turning tonight.

"It's been difficult to sleep ever since I've been in this playoff," Bonds admitted afterward. "Just playing at-bats in my head, pitches, everything."

But despite saying he dwells on his at-bats, Bonds isn't sharing his conclusions with the rest of us. "To keep analyzing each and every day is just draining. I want to do my talking on the field."

Problem is, that makes for a pretty boring article, especially when you're on The Bonds Beat for the entire Series. So, as usual, we turn to Bonds' teammates for extra analysis.

"He's prime time," said Benito Santiago. "The reason why he was the batting champ this year? It's what you saw tonight."

The poor Angels are looking cursed when it comes to pitching to Bonds. In Game 1, they went after him and he hit a solo homer. In Game 2, they walked him three times, and he came around to score twice even though the Giants lost. And in Game 5, the Angels tried both and got burned by each. When they pitched to Bonds, he cracked base hits. When they intentionally walked him, he came around to score. And pitching around him wasn't too inviting, either, with Kent and Santiago combining to go 4-for-8 with seven RBI. Now, with Kent breaking out of his slump (his three hits on Thursday equaled his total through the first four games) and Bonds doing damage in every way imaginable, the Giants are one win away from the World Series championship.

But here's hoping this thing goes seven games. Because Barry still needs to squeeze a triple in there somewhere, you know?

Andy Latack writes for ESPN The Magazine.