Mac doubles up again
Suddenly sizzling McGwire gets Nos. 50, 51 against Mets
Posted: Friday August 21, 1998 12:06 AM
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Mac-nificent: Mark McGwire has now hit 161 home runs in the last three seasons combined AP |
NEW YORK (AP) -- Mark McGwire is
finally on the record about the record.
"I'd have to say that I do have a shot," he said. "But I know it's
going to be tough."
Start the countdown at 11.
McGwire closed the gap on Roger Maris' record with two more home runs
Thursday night and gave baseball fans more reason to believe this is the
year.
McGwire hit his 50th and 51st homers to creep nearer to breaking
Maris' mark of 61 homers in a season as the St. Louis Cardinals
split a doubleheader with the New York Mets.
In the first game, McGwire became the first player in history to hit
50 home runs in three consecutive seasons with a high drive in the seventh
inning of the Cards' 2-0 win.
"To be the first player to do it three consecutive years, you go back
through the thousands of power hitters who played this game and nobody's
ever done it," he said. "And now I can sit here and say I'm the first
player to do it. I'm pretty proud of it."
McGwire wasted no time hitting No. 51, connecting in the first inning
of the second game, but St. Louis blew a three-run lead and lost 5-4.
Since spring training, McGwire has been hounded by questions about
whether he or anyone else could break baseball's most hallowed record. He's
maintained all along that getting to 50 early would be the key.
"That's what I truly believe," he said Thursday afternoon. "Ever since
I was a young kid hitting home runs. I mean if someone gets to 50 by
September 1, they have a shot down the stretch run."
If McGwire believes, then so should everyone else. After all, he hit
15 homers last September for St. Louis.
Brian
Jordan homered in both games for the Cardinals.
Mike
Piazza hit a two-run homer in the second game for New York, which
rallied to win with two runs in the seventh. Rey Ordonez hit
an RBI double to tie it against Darren Oliver
(1-2) and Tony
Phillips brought in the go-ahead run with a groundout.
The Mets, who were playing their second of three doubleheaders this
week, lead Chicago by one-half game for the wild card. The Cubs beat San
Francisco 7-3 Thursday.
In Game 2, Wendell shut down the Cardinals for two innings to earn his second save of the season AP | |
After Jordan led off the seventh inning of the first game with a homer
off Willie
Blair (4-16), McGwire made history by sending a 2-1 pitch over the wall
in left-center. McGwire pumped his right fist above his head as he rounded
first base. The Shea Stadium crowd of 40,308 saluted him with a rousing
standing ovation.
"I have to thank the fans here in New York," he said. "It was
tremendous, I'm mean, wow, what a reception. They were rooting me on."
Only Babe Ruth (1920-21 and 1927-28) and McGwire had hit 50 or more
homers in back-to-back seasons before McGwire's 369-foot shot. McGwire hit
52 homers in 1996 for Oakland and 58 for the A's and Cardinals last
year.
McGwire said the first person he called after the first game was his
son, Matt, who has been with his dad for much of the season.
"He already knew about it," he said.
McGwire wanted to retrieve his historic home run ball to give to the
Hall of Fame, but the fan, Mike Scelsi, 31, of Yonkers, New York, wouldn't
give it up.
"The sad thing is that all these balls will be held up for ransom,
it's sad," said McGwire who got teary-eyed during both his interview
sessions. "I would like to have it."
In the first inning of the second game against Rick Reed (15-7),
McGwire lined a 3-2 pitch into the left-field seats for No. 51. It was his
fourth homer in three games. He hit Nos. 48 and 49 on Wednesday in
Chicago.
"He has a chance to do what no one thought would be done," Reed said.
"He has a good shot now. To be honest, I'm excited. But he could have
started this stuff after he left."
In the first game, Donovan
Osborne (3-2) shut out the Mets on four hits in eight innings. The
left-hander allowed just a pair of walks through five innings before
Phillips flared a single to left with one out in the sixth. One out later,
Matt Franco
grounded a single to right, but Osborne worked out of the jam by striking
out Piazza.
Former Met Juan Acevedo
pitched the ninth for his third save.
Blair didn't look like a pitcher who now leads the major leagues in
losses. The right-hander gave up three hits -- two homers -- and two runs
in seven innings.
McGwire, who earlier this season hit his 400th homer here off Reed, is
the sixth NL player to hit 50 in a season and first since George Foster hit
52 in 1977 for Cincinnati.
Reed allowed six hits and four runs in seven innings with nine
strikeouts. Notes: Scelsi was offered $10,000 on the spot by a
collector. ... McGwire tossed several balls into the stands during both
games and gave a bat to a young girl sitting near the Cardinals' dugout
during the first game. Most of the crowd left after he struck out against
Turk Wendell
in the eighth inning of the second game. Wendell got his second save. ...
At 34 years, 324 days, McGwire is also the oldest player to hit 50 homers.
Johnny Mize was 34 years, 256 days when he connected for his 50th in 1947.
... The Mets have used 109 different batting orders this season. ...
McGwire got his first stolen base of the season in the third inning of the
second game. ... Comedian Jerry Seinfeld was in the crowd.
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