McGwire hits No. 62, passes Maris

No. 62 was not a trademark McGwire moonshot, but a laser to left, a 341-footer that barely cleared the wall and was his shortest of the season.

McGwire connected with two outs in the fourth inning off the Chicago Cubs' Steve Trachsel for the historic homer, punctuating the chase that reinvigorated the sport and captivated a nation.

McGwire was so caught up in the moment that he missed first base as he rounded the bag and had to return to touch it, pulled back by coach Dave McKay.

From there, McGwire got handshakes from every Chicago infielder as he trotted home to history and a hug from catcher Scott Servais. Cubs right fielder Sammy Sosa, who has 58 home runs, ran in from right field to hug McGwire and give his rival a high-five.

McGwire was mobbed by his teammates at home plate, where he hoisted his 10-year-old batboy son Matt high into the air. McGwire then ran into the seats to hug the family of Maris, whose 37-year-old record he had just broken.

Before the game, McGwire held the bat that Maris used to hit his 61st and rubbed it against his chest.

"Roger, I hope you're with me tonight," McGwire said.

He was, indeed.

AP PHOTO Mark McGwire lifts his son, Matt, into the air last night after hitting his 62nd home run of the season.

As the ball cleared the left-field fence, there was no scramble to retrieve it because it landed in an area where no fan could get it.

Tim Forneris, a ground-crew worker, picked it up and later gave it to McGwire.

"Right when it hit off the bat, I knew it was going out and it went right over the sign," he said. "There was a bunch of ground-crew guys on the wall. But I was right on the edge and I said, 'That ball is mine."'

After McGwire finished celebrating with his teammates and the Maris family, he grabbed a microphone to address the sellout crowd of 43,688, which was still standing and cheering.

"To all my family, my son, the Cubs, Sammy Sosa. It's unbelievable," McGwire said. "Thank you, St. Louis."

McGwire, who appeared anxious in grounding out on a 3-0 pitch in the first inning, hit his solo shot on the first pitch at 8:18 p.m. CDT. It triggered an 11-minute delay, baseball's biggest midgame celebration since Cal Ripken broke Lou Gehrig's consecutive games record in 1995.

The home run, despite its short distance, surely will rank as one of the biggest in history, up there with the ones hit by Bobby Thomson, Bill Mazeroski, Hank Aaron, Carlton Fisk, Kirk Gibson and Joe Carter.

The 34-year-old slugger also did it at home, just like he wanted. The Cardinals begin a five-game road trip today and McGwire wanted to share the moment with the fans and city he has embraced since Oakland traded him to St. Louis on July 31, 1997.

McGwire did not get an immediate chance to add to his total, which includes 15 home runs in only 21 days. His next time up, Trachsel intentionally walked him, and McGwire walked again in the eighth inning.

McGwire's race began on March 31 when he hit a grand slam on opening day, but his chase to become 1998's home run champion is not finished.

With the Cardinals out of contention, McGwire may take off a few days over the final 18 games; the season ends Sept. 27. He is just four homers ahead of Sosa, who figures to play every day down the stretch with the Cubs still in the NL wild-card race.

Like Maris, McGwire broke the mark in an expansion season. But consider this stat: This year, home runs are being hit at a rate of 2.05 per game; last year, the average was also 2.05.

McGwire accomplished his feat in the Cardinals' 145th game, while Maris' Yankees played 163 in 1961. Before Maris set his record, commissioner Ford Frick declared any record would carry a "distinctive mark" if it did not beat Babe Ruth's mark of 60 in 154 games. But that decision was reversed seven years ago.

McGwire picked on his share of young pitchers, hitting eight home runs off rookies, but other victims included Orel Hershiser and relief aces Robb Nen and Rod Beck. He connected twice against World Series MVP Livan Hernandez, including a 545-foot monster drive that was the longest in Busch history.

McGwire actually caused more problems for Arizona's stadium than its first-year pitching staff. He hit a bng-practice drive that resulted in $2,000 damage to the scoreboard at Bank One Ballpark.

His slam off Ramon Martinez started a run in which he homered in the first four games of the season, tying Willie Mays' record. In April, he became the first Cardinals player to hit three homers in a game at Busch.

McGwire hit his 400th career homer in May and hit his 37th home run in June, tying the major league record for most before the All-Star break.

In July, he set the mark for the fastest to reach 40 homers in a season. In August, he came the first player to reach 50 home runs in three straight years. And then came September and the most memorable month of all.

09-09-98