New York ? Barry Bonds won his record seventh NL MVP award in a walk.

Capping a season filled with suspicion and success, the San Francisco left fielder became the oldest player to become the MVP of a major North American pro league. The 40-year-old received 24 of 32 first-place votes and 407 points Monday in balloting by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America to earn the award for the fourth straight season.

“I don’t know if one is better than the other. I think they’re all overwhelming,” Bonds said. “You almost get lost for words, the kind of things that are being accomplished in my career.”

Los Angeles third baseman Adrian Beltre was second, followed by St. Louis first baseman Albert Pujols.

Bonds, who testified last December before a federal grand investigating steroid distribution, avoided responding to questions about steroids during a conference call.

Bonds is the only baseball player with more than three MVP awards and the only one to win more than two in a row. He hit .362 to win his second NL batting title in three seasons and shattered the major league record with a .609 on-base percentage, topping the previous mark of .582 he set two years ago. He walked 232 times, 34 more than the previous record he set in 2002 and more than 100 better than anyone else in baseball this season. His 120 intentional walks obliterated the old mark of 68, also set by Bonds in 2002.

Bonds hit 45 homers in 373 at-bats, while Beltre hit a major league-leading 48 in 598 at-bats and Pujols had 46 in 592.

Only 52 home runs behind Hank Aaron’s career mark, Bonds said he intends to play two more seasons and is motivated by his quest to win a World Series title for the first time. The Giants missed the playoffs this season, finishing one game behind wild-card winner Houston.

The AL MVP award will be announced today.