McGwire Ends Slump in Big Way

Feeling the effects of playing in 18 consecutive games since the All-Star break, Mark McGwire was itching for a day off. He made history instead.

McGwire ended an 0-for-16 slump with his major league-leading 44th homer as the St. Louis Cardinals defeated Colorado, 3-1, Sunday night at Denver to end the Rockies’ five-game winning streak.

“I would have loved to have had the day off today,” said McGwire, who homered for the first time in six games. “But look what happened. I ran into one.”

The homer, a 452-foot shot in the fourth inning, broke the Cardinals’ season mark of 43 set by Johnny Mize in 1940 and added to McGwire’s major-league record for home runs before Aug. 1.

Kent Mercker (6-8) got his first win in eight starts for the Cardinals.

Chicago 3, New York 1--Sammy Sosa hit his 38th homer and Kerry Wood remained unbeaten at Wrigley Field. The Cubs have a three-game lead over San Francisco in the NL wild-card race.

With the Cubs trailing 1-0 in the sixth, Sosa drove a 2-2 pitch from Rick Reed (11-7) into the shrubbery beyond the center-field wall, following a one-out walk to Jose Hernandez.

Wood (10-5) gave up four hits in seven innings and ran his home record to 7-0 in nine career starts at Wrigley. The rookie walked three and struck out six.

Milwaukee 6, Montreal 5--Bob Hamelin and Jeff Cirillo hit home runs and Darrin Jackson doubled home the tiebreaking run in the eighth for the Brewers at Milwaukee.

The Brewers overcame an injury to starting pitcher Cal Eldred. He left the game because of a strained right arm while warming up before the second inning.

With the score tied at five in the eighth, Jeromy Burnitz drew a one-out walk from Shayne Bennett (3-4), moved up on a groundout and scored on Jackson’s drive to right-center field.

Atlanta 2, Pittsburgh 1--Greg Maddux extended his four-year winning streak against the Pirates, repeatedly squirming out of jams before Andres Galarraga’s go-ahead single in the eighth inning for the Braves at Pittsburgh.

Maddux (14-4), who had lost two of his previous three decisions, limited the Pirates to a run on four hits in 7 2/3 innings.

Maddux improved to 5-0 against the Pirates since April 30, 1994.

San Francisco 2, Cincinnati 1--Jeff Kent hit reliever Stan Belinda’s second pitch for a home run, giving the Giants a victory in 10 innings at San Francisco.

After the Reds’ Brett Tomko two-hit the Giants over a career-best nine innings, Belinda (4-7) gave up Kent’s fourth homer in three games and 13th of the year, a drive into the left-field bleachers.

San Diego 5, Houston 4--In 41 consecutive save chances, Padre closer Trevor Hoffman had been perfect, but on one pitch, his streak ended and so did his bid to set a major league record, although the Padres came back to defeat the Astros in the 10th inning on Andy Sheets’ two-out single at San Diego.

Hoffman, who gave up a home run to Moises Alou on his first pitch in the ninth inning to tie the game, had his first first blown save since last Aug. 22, and it left him tied with Rod Beck for the major league record for consecutive saves.