Mark McGwire Hits His 62nd Home Run

On September 8, 1998, Mark McGwire of the St. Louis Cardinals hit his 62nd home run of the season, breaking Roger Maris's single-season record that had stood since 1961. The ball came off a Steve Trachsel fastball in the fourth inning and barely cleared the left-field wall at Busch Stadium, traveling just 341 feet. It was McGwire's shortest home run of the year, and it was the most celebrated.

McGwire had been chasing Maris alongside Sammy Sosa of the Chicago Cubs all summer. Sosa was in the visiting dugout that night, and when McGwire rounded the bases, Sosa jogged in from right field to embrace him. McGwire lifted his son Matt, a Cardinals batboy, into his arms at home plate. He pointed to the sky. Members of the Maris family, seated in the front row, applauded.

The race between McGwire and Sosa captivated the country. Baseball was still recovering from the 1994 strike that had canceled the World Series, and the home run chase drew millions of casual fans back to the sport. Sosa hit 66 home runs that season. McGwire finished with 70. Both totals were surpassed three years later when Barry Bonds hit 73 in 2001.

The subsequent revelation that McGwire had used performance-enhancing substances complicated the legacy of the record. McGwire admitted to using androstenedione during the 1998 season and later acknowledged broader steroid use throughout his career. He was denied entry to the Baseball Hall of Fame by voters who could not separate the numbers from the circumstances.

The moment at Busch Stadium on September 8, 1998, was genuine in its emotion. Fifty thousand fans screamed. A national television audience watched. For one night, a home run that barely left the park felt like the biggest hit in baseball history.