High high can he go?
McGwire slams 64th to go up 1 in home run record race
Posted: Friday September 18, 1998 09:23 PM
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Back on the Mark: Going into the night, McGwire was batting .217 with one home run in his last eight games AP |
MILWAUKEE (AP) -- As much as he's enjoying this home run derby, Mark McGwire
also can't wait for it to end.
"Damn right," McGwire said Friday before hitting his record-setting 64th
at Milwaukee. "I wish we were going to the playoffs, and it's unfortunate
that we're not, but it's going to be a nice winter. It's not easy, believe
me, and I'll probably never tell the story. I'll probably keep it to
myself. But it's a mental grind."
McGwire, who moved one ahead of Sammy Sosa, said
he's turned down dozens of book proposals.
"I'm so dead set against writing a book," he said. "As far as I'm
concerned, I'll never write a book while I'm playing, and the chances of
writing a book when I retire are probably slim and none. I just don't
believe in that."
Milwaukee figures to play a key role in the race. After a three-game
series against the McGwire's Cardinals, the Brewers play two games against
Sosa's Cubs.
Sosa has 10 homers in 10 games against the Brewers and McGwire had two in
eight games against Milwaukee coming in.
Brewers batting coach Jim Lefebvre has worked with both players, as
batting coach with Oakland when McGwire hit a rookie-record 49 homers in
1987, and as manager of the Cubs in 1992 and '93. Meeting reporters as a
warmup act for McGwire, Lefebvre said McGwire faces the bigger challenge.
"Sammy said it beautifully the other day. He said, 'I'm playing for my
team. Mark, he's out there to keep it going, to try to hit home runs,' "
Lefebvre recalled. "I think it's very difficult for him."
McGwire shrugged off such talk.
"I know everybody is trying to analyze it, 'Well, they face this pitching
staff and this team,' and 'He's in the playoff hunt and he's not,' "
McGwire said. "Throw it out the door. It comes down to getting pitches to
hit."
McGwire also criticized reporters for making too much of whether or not
either of them homers on a given day.
"I think sometimes people are sitting there going, 'Well, they're at 63.
They haven't hit something in a couple days. What's wrong with them?' My
God! Let's just enjoy what's going on instead of trying to critique
everything that's not going on."
And also reiterated that he didn't care whether he finishes first or
second.
"I think what he and I have been doing is fantastic," McGwire said. "It's
like, does it really matter? I don't think it does."
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