Padres Put Chill on Sosa as the Cubs Cool Off Too

The frightening thing, Mark Grace was saying in the Monday twilight, is how easy Sammy Sosa makes it look. Sixty-two. The Chicago Cubs first baseman, said it once, twice, shaking his head, still trying to come to grips with it.

“I don’t think people realize how hard it is,” the awed Grace said in reference to the record home run total of teammate Sosa and Mark McGwire of the St. Louis Cardinals. “I mean, sixty-two. I’ve tied my career high with 16 this year and I’m damn proud. It would take me five years to hit 62. Some guys don’t hit 62 in their career. The St. Louis Cardinals won the pennant once and didn’t hit 62.”

Baseball’s ongoing and spellbinding race within the races came to San Diego Monday night, where Sosa demonstrated--if need be--that it isn’t easy at all.

After hammering four home runs in his last three games, including his 61st and 62nd Sunday in Chicago to catch McGwire, who had surpassed Roger Maris’ 37-year-old record of 61 six days before, Sosa struck out three times against Padre left hander Sterling Hitchcock and once against Dan Miceli during San Diego’s 4-3 victory.

“I don’t remember the last time I had a night like this, but it’s part of the game,” said Sosa. “I know I’m not superman. I know I can’t be the hero every day. They pitched me well. I take my cap off to them, but it’s not over. Tomorrow is another day. I’m not going to hang my head.”

Sosa insisted he isn’t--and wasn’t thinking of being the first to 63.

“I’m in the middle of a situation where I don’t have to think about home runs,” he said, referring to his focus on the Cubs’ wild-card bid.

But on a night when Sosa’s major league-leading strikeout total reached 156, the loss dropped the Cubs into a wild-card tie with the New York Mets. Greg Vaughn slugged his 49th home run and Ken Caminiti his 29th for San Diego. Trevor Hoffman registered his 50th save after Hitchcock, who had given up 27 homers in his previous 37 starts, and Miceli frustrated Sosa and the Cubs.

“I went at him aggressively,” Hitchcock said of Sosa. “I’ve given up enough home runs that I don’t worry about it.”

A crowd of 50,384 (more than 30,000 took advantage of an opportunity to use unused tickets from earlier games) was on its feet for each Sosa at-bat, warmly greeting the Cubs’ slugger, and didn’t seem to know how to react to the strikeouts.

Despite that hitless performance in the opener of the four-game series, Grace said Sosa should be an obvious choice for the league’s most-valuable-player award, although some voters may support McGwire.

“I compare his year to Ryne Sandberg’s [MVP season in 1984] and Andre Dawson’s [in 1987],” Grace said. “But then what he’s done this year makes those guys look like kindergartners, and I consider both of those guys to be first-ballot Hall of Famers.

“I mean, I never thought I’d see a year like he’s had. His numbers are far and away the best--not only in this league but in baseball.

“If he’s not the MVP this year, I don’t know what you have to do.”

Well, maybe there are a couple things, Grace acknowledged.

To receive his recognition as a “true superstar,” Grace said, Sosa will ultimately have to appear in the bright lights of the playoffs, and to receive the type attention that McGwire has, he will “have to hit more homers than McGwire.”

Sosa has 11 games left, McGwire 12.

“The attention I’m having is good enough for me,” Sosa said before Monday’s game. “I’m happy to be playing in the U.S. and to be the person I am. I’m not looking to make some more friends. I’ve got enough right now and I’m happy with what I have.”

Among the friends who called Monday to offer congratulations were President Clinton--”that was beautiful, it made me real proud,” Sosa said--and McGwire--”he hasn’t gone away, he’s still the man.”

Sosa also received a key to the city in a pregame ceremony, but was unable to find the combination against Hitchcock and Miceli, cut down swinging three times and once called out on strikes.

“What happens if he hits another home run tonight?” Grace had said before the game of a record-breaking 63rd. “Do we stop the game and go crazy? This is a very strange situation.”

Sosa remained at 62, and must face Padre ace Kevin Brown tonight.