McGwire blasts 65th; just misses No. 66

MILWAUKEE (AP) - Mark McGwire hit his major league record 65th home run yesterday, then had an apparent No. 66 taken away by an umpire's ruling in the St. Louis Cardinals' game against Milwaukee.

McGwire pulled two ahead of Sammy Sosa with a first-inning shot off Milwaukee lefthander Scott Karl.

Everybody but second-base umpire Bob Davidson thought McGwire had No. 66 in the fifth inning, when he sent a line drive deep to left-center field off rookie Rod Henderson.

AP PHOTO St. Louis Cardinals' slugger Mark McGwire watches his league-leading 65th home run leave Milwaukee County Stadium on Sunday. McGwire appeared to hit his 66th home run later in the game, but it was ruled a fan interfered with the ball.

But Davidson ruled that a fan had interfered by reaching over the yellow railing at the 392-foot sign and pulling the ball in. McGwire was forced to stop at second with a double - he rounded the bag, looking for a signal - as the crowd jeered and Cardinals manager Tony La Russa protested briefly.

TV replays were inconclusive.

The yellow pipe was installed about 18 inches above the outfield wall padding after the 1982 World Series, when a fan reached down and snatched a ball from Ben Oglivie's grasp.

It has been the source of several disputes since, mostly because there's a chain-link fence between the padding and the yellow rail, making it difficult for umpires to tell for certain whether a ball clears the rail, hits right in front of it and bounces over or even if a fan reaches over.

McGwire, who struck out four times Saturday night, took a curtain call after giving St. Louis a 2-0 lead. His 423-foot homer in the first followed a single by Fernando Tatis.

Although most of his teammates took regular batting practice, McGwire hit in the batting cage beneath County Stadium.

Before the game, La Russa said he had no doubt his slugger would bounce right back after his first four-whiff game of the year.

"If you're talking about the mental aspect of the game, you never have to worry about Mark," La Russa said. "He's been very strong mentally. He's been the same every day, all year."

On a 2-1 pitch, McGwire sent a no-doubt drive into the left-field bleachers, setting off a scramble for the ball. Charles Dombrowski, 21, of Wisconsin Rapids, came up with it.

Karl also was victimized for long balls by Pat Kelly, Ron Gant and pitcher Manny Aybar before leaving the game after three innings trailing 6-0.

McGwire had an 18 at-bat homer drought after breaking Roger Maris' record Sept. 8, but has three homers in his last five games.

The last two have come at County Stadium, the ballpark where Hank Aaron hit his final home run for the career record.

McGwire, who broke a tie for the home run lead Friday with a 417-foot two-run homer off Milwaukee rookie Rafael Roque, skipped batting practice yesterday after hitting nine homers in 18 swings Saturday night.

Sunday's homer was the 451st of McGwire's career, tying him with Carl Yastrzemski for 20th on the career list. He has 176 homers the past three seasons.

09-21-98