66

Sammy Sosa hit his record 66th home run Friday night, moving ahead of Mark McGwire for only the second time this season when he connected in the Chicago Cubs’ game at Houston.

His lead in the home-run race didn’t last long, though. Forty-five minutes later, McGwire hit his 66th homer in the fifth inning of the St. Louis Cardinals’ game against Montreal.

Facing friend and fellow Dominican Jose Lima, Sosa lined an 0-1 pitch into the third deck in left-center field to lead off the fourth inning.

His 462-foot shot was his fourth in nine games against the Astros, and his third against Lima, who yielded Nos. 50 and 51 at Wrigley Field on Aug. 23.

Following Sosa’s two-homer game off Lima, there was a published report questioning whether Lima grooved a pitch for the Cubs star. Both players denied the allegation.

Sosa has been ahead of McGwire in the home-run chase just once this season. On Aug. 19, Sosa hit No. 48 in a game against St. Louis -- about an hour later, McGwire also hit his 48th and the Cardinals slugger connected later in the game to take the lead.

Sosa tied McGwire at 65 with two home runs Wednesday at Milwaukee, snapping his 0-for-21 slump.

Both Sosa, whose Cubs were tied for the NL wild-card lead, and McGwire began Friday with three games left.

About a minute after Sosa hit No. 66, his revised total was posted on a scoreboard at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. Fans there watching McGwire play against Montreal mostly booed the update.

Sosa’s homer allowed the Cubs to tie the Astros at 2-2. Chicago was tied with the New York Mets and one game ahead of the San Francisco Giants in the race for the NL’s last playoff spot.

The packed Astrodome cheered loudly as Sosa rounded the bases, flashbulbs popping. He acknowledged fans with a curtain call.

Before the game, Sosa admitted he was playing with a heavy heart having heard details of the destruction in the Dominican Republic caused by Hurricane Georges. His charitable foundation is organizing an emergency relief effort.

“The president (Leonel Fernandez) called me and explained what has happened,” Sosa said. “He told me to go out and play the games, because this is my job and I’m here to do it, no matter what.”