On This Date in Sports August 4, 1999: Big Mac 500
In collaboration with the Sportsecyclopedia.com
Mark McGwire of the St. Louis Cardinals hits the 500th home run of his career, reaching the milestone faster than any other player in MLB history. The milestone home run comes in the third inning against Andy Ashby of the San Diego Padres at Busch Stadium. McGwire would add a second home run off Ashby in the eighth inning, his 44th of the season. However, the Padres won the game 10-3.
The home run chase between Mark McGwire of the St. Louis Cardinals and Sammy Sosa of the Chicago Cubs was the story of the 1998 season. McGwire won the great record chase, topping the old record held Roger Maris of the New York Yankees who had 61 home runs in 1961. McGwire finished the year with 70 home runs, while Sosa had 66. However, circumstance would later tarnish that record and that magic home run chase as both were eventually linked to steroids.
Mark McGwire was born on October 1, 1963, in Pomona, California. A star at USC, McGwire was drafted tenth overall by the Oakland Athletics in the 1984 draft. After making his debut at the end of the 1986 season, Mark McGwire broke out in a big way in 1987, establish a rookie record with 49 home runs as he was named Rookie of the Year. McGwire played a key role on an A’s team that would win three straight pennants, winning the 1989 World Series.
After dealing with injuries in 1993 and 1994, Mark McGwire began a career revival in 1995. A year later he hit 52 home runs, starting a four-year stretch where he had at least 50 home runs. Including 1997, which he finished with 58 while splitting the season between the Athletics and St. Louis Cardinals. The 1998 season would see Mark McGwire battle Sammy Sosa all season as each topped the old record held by Roger Maris.
Following up his 70 home runs in 1998, Mark McGwire had 42 home runs as the Cardinals faced the San Diego Padres in the early part of August. Both teams were having disappointing seasons, as the Cardinals led by Tony LaRussa sat at 55-53, while the Padres following a trip to the World Series in 1998, were scuffling at 50-57 under Bruce Bochy. Andy Ashby made the start for San Diego on Thursday night at Busch Stadium, while Larry Luebbers started for St. Louis.
The Padres scored runs in each of the first two innings, as Phil Nevin had an RBI grounder in the first, while Chris Gomez drove in a run in the second. After an RBI grounder by Edgar Renteria in the second, the Cardinals tied the game with Mark McGwire’s 500th home run in the third. The Padres surged in front again the fifth as Nevin had an RBI double and later scored on a single by Wally Joyner. Gomez drove in a run with a sac-fly in the sixth to give San Diego a 5-2 lead. In the eighth inning, McGwire hit a second home run, number 501 in his career. Bochy taking no chances called on closer Trevor Hoffman for a four-out save and shut down St. Louis the rest of the way. Meanwhile, the Padres blew the game open with five runs in the ninth, with Tony Gwynn and Hoffman each having two-run doubles for the final score of 10-3. It would be the final two RBI of Hoffman’s career.
Mark McGwire meanwhile went on to finish the season with 65 home runs to lead the National League again, becoming the first player with two 60-homer seasons. Sosa meanwhile finished with 63 long balls in 1999. He would retire following the 2001 season with 583 home runs.