"This time [Steve] Trachsel decided to start McGwire with a first-pitch sinking fastball, exactly the sort
of pitch McGwire devours. The ball arrived at 88 mph, accompanied by the usual strobe of fans' camera
flashes.
"McGwire lashed at the pitch, sending it so low toward the leftfield corner that he sprinted out of the
box, thinking it would stay in the park. The ball cleared the wall by about five feet and only three feet in
from the foul pole, the 12 ball -- in a set of 48 specially numbered balls prepared by Major League
Baseball for all of his at bats after his 59th homer -- in the corner pocket."
—Tom Verducci, Sports Illustrated, September 14, 1998
