Beginning on August 19 with two home runs against Sosa's Chicago Cubs, McGwire
hit thirteen home runs to bring his total to sixty. Needing one home run to tie Maris and
two to break his thirty-seven year old record, McGwire would again play Sosa's Cubs at
St. Louis with Sosa currently at fifty-eight home runs. Major League Baseball security
officials covered some of the game balls with an invisible ink would glow under infrared
light and numbered them from one to forty-eight. The opposing pitchers were to be given
the special baseballs only when McGwire was batting so that a possible home run ball
could be verified when caught by a fan. Over six hundred media members were in
attendence on Sunday as well as Roger Maris' family for the first of two games that could
crown McGwire the new home run king. More importantly for McGwire himself, his
father John coincidentally was turning sixty-one years old on the same day, September 7,
1998. McGwire blasted number sixty-one over the left field fence at 1:21 p.m. to give his
father a once-in-a-lifetime birthday present.
The same conditions were present Tuesday night, September 8, 1998, as McGwire
stepped into the batter's box in the fourth inning in the Cardinal's 145th game of the
season. Pitcher Steve Trachsel threw a first-pitch fastball to McGwire that he drove to
left field. The low line drive only missed the foul poll by about three feet and cleared the
fence by only five. Even though it was McGwire's shortest home run of the season, 341
feet with no one on base, it was also the biggest of his career. The ball didn't even reach
the stands but the twelve ball out of forty-eight instead fell into a field-level concourse
where it was retrieved by groundskeeper Tim Forneris who later gave it to McGwire.
Meanwhile McGwire initially missed tagging first base in excitement. When he made it
home he was greeted by his teammates, his 10-year-old son Matthew, and Sammy Sosa
from right field. He also went into the stands to hug the Maris children. Pandemonium
ensued before the game was finished. A ceremony followed the game with McGwire
acknowledging the fans, Maris family, and press while receiving a 1962 red Corvette in
honor of Maris.
After hitting historic number sixty-two, it took McGwire one week to hit another home
run. He had reached sixty-five as baseball began the final three days of the season. Friday
Sosa took the lead with number sixty-six, temporarily becoming baseball's single season
home run record holder. McGwire learned about Sosa's home run in the middle of a game
against the Montreal Expos and needed only forty-five minutes to hit his own sixty-sixth
to pull even. On Saturday, McGwire hit two more home runs against Montreal while Sosa hit none. On Sunday, McGwire put the finishing touches on the greatest year ever for a hitter by crushing his sixty-ninth and finally his seventieth home run. Sosa finished with sixty-six.
McGwire had finished the season with five home runs in his last twelve at bats after
falling behind to Sosa. When the final game had ended McGwire accepted the St. Louis
award for bringing great distinction to the community. Then he once again thanked the
St. Louis fans for their support while fireworks went off in the background. In 1998, McGwire may have achieved an record that is truly unbreakable. However, he does still have two years remaining on his contract with the Cardinals. When asked if he'd like to break his own record he simply answered, "I think I'd just rather leave it as it is".
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