McGwire Doesn’t Get to Rest

There was no day off for baseball’s new home run king. A record crowd wouldn’t allow it.

A day after he hit No. 62 in front of an adoring home crowd in St. Louis, a sleepless Mark McGwire took his home run show on the road and got standing ovations as he went 0 for 2 Wednesday night in the Cardinals’ 6-3 loss at Cincinnati.

McGwire didn’t get to bed until the early morning hours and then found he couldn’t nod off as history played out in his mind. When he got to Cinergy Field, he resisted the temptation to sit out and let it sink in. There were too many fans for that--51,969, the largest weekday crowd in stadium history, excluding season openers.

The Reds’ Bret Boone treated the crowd to two home runs, while McGwire grounded out and flew out before leaving the game. He tossed a ball and both batting gloves to fans behind the Cardinals’ dugout before heading for the clubhouse.

“I think I’ll finish the season without taking days off,” he said. “I feel pretty good and that’s the bottom line.”

The baseball that McGwire hit for his 62nd home run finally landed right where he said it belonged--in the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y. Accompanying the ball were McGwire’s bat, with his signature just above the label; his hat, uniform, size 13 cleats and batting gloves; the uniform his batboy son Matt was wearing; and the official scorecard of the game.