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Sosa one shy of 60

Cubs slugger hits No. 59 as Reds beat Cubs 5-3

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Posted: Friday September 10, 1999 10:50 AM

With Thursday's loss, the Cubs are 28-25 this season when Sosa homers. AP

CHICAGO (AP) -- Sixty now seems a cinch for Sammy Sosa.

Just one more powerful swing, one more drive over a fence or a wall, either at Wrigley Field or elsewhere, and he will be the first major league player to reach 60 homers twice.

"I know I'm just one more way. The whole world is pretty much thinking about it," Sosa said Thursday after hitting his 59th as the Chicago Cubs lost again, 5-3 to the Cincinnati Reds.

"For me," Sosa said, "the more I think about it, the more anxious I get, so I don't want to think about it. I just want to go out there and be relaxed."

Babe Ruth hit his benchmark 60 homers in 1927. Six years earlier, he'd hit 59. Mark McGwire set the record with 70 last season and has 54 this year with three weeks left.

"For people to mention me with that kind of glory, I have to feel great as a person and a human being, but I still got to do my job," Sosa said.

With a 17 mph wind blowing out on a perfect day for home run hitters, Sosa wasn't the only one to connect. Another potent power hitter -- one who's even hotter than Sosa -- connected again for the Reds.

Greg Vaughn hit his fifth homer in three games, a two-run, go-ahead shot in the seventh. It was his seventh homer in his last 26 at-bats, and the Reds' 23rd homer over a seven-game span. Vaughn, who hit 50 a year ago, now has 36 for the season.

"He's been unbelievable," Sosa said.

The Reds remained three games behind Houston, which beat Philadelphia 3-1, in the NL Central. Cincinnati started the day 3 1/2 games behind New York, which played later at Los Angeles, in the wild-card race.

"It was a pretty important game, " Vaughn said. "Every one is important from here on out."

Sosa drove a fifth-inning pitch from Pete Harnisch 465 feet into the back row of center-field bushes that serve as a hitter's backdrop. His drive, which ended a three-game homerless stretch, didn't need any help from the wind.

With 16 homers in his last 26 games, Sosa is eight games ahead of his 66-homer pace of a year ago when he fell four short of McGwire.

Last year, Sosa didn't reach No. 59 until the Cubs' 148th game. Thursday's meeting with the Reds was Chicago's 140th game, meaning Sosa has 22 games left.

Sosa also flied out, popped up, struck out and walked. McGwire and the Cardinals, meanwhile, were idle Thursday.

"Sammy's in a groove, hitting the ball well. He's very aggressive," Reds shortstop Barry Larkin said.

"But 70? That's almost Nintendo stuff. It's a prestigious thing. It's not diluted because they're both doing it within the context of the game. Sammy might expand his strike zone late in a game, but it's the real thing."

Sosa's homer gave the Cubs a 3-0 lead, but the Reds came back in the top of the sixth with RBI singles from Aaron Boone and pinch-hitter Mark Sweeney off Kyle Farnsworth (3-9).

Vaughn homered after a walk to Sean Casey.

Chicago's Henry Rodriguez hit an RBI single in the first and the Cubs made it 2-0 in the second on Jeff Reed's double, an infield out and a suicide squeeze bunt by Farnsworth.

Reliever Scott Sullivan (5-3) worked one inning for the win and Danny Graves got his 21st save, getting Sosa on a called third strike to end the game.

Mark Lewis hit an RBI single in the Reds ninth.

Notes: The Reds tied another NL record with 22 homers over a six-game span Friday through Tuesday and also Saturday through Wednesday. The 1954 Giants also hit 22 homers over six games. The major league record is 25 by the 1977 Boston Red Sox. ... The Reds sent the bats of Lewis and Dmitri Young to the Hall of Fame, along with two baseballs, to mark their achievements last weekend in Philadelphia. Lewis hit the Reds' NL-record ninth homer in Saturday's game, while Young had homer No. 5 Sunday, giving the Reds a major league record 14 over two games. ... The Cubs are 28-25 when Sosa homers this season. ... The Cubs went back to their veteran infield for one game with Mickey Morandini, Jeff Blauser and Gary Gaetti at second, short and third instead of rookies Chad Meyers, Jose Nieves and Cole Liniak. ... The Cubs announced after the game they had signed free agent third baseman Shane Andrews to a contract for the rest of the season. He was released by Montreal after batting .181 in 98 games with 11 homers and 37 RBIs.

 

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