It’s Dueling Home Runs for McGwire, Sosa

In his 118th games this season, Mark McGwire caught up with last year’s record home run pace Saturday, and he and Sammy Sosa firmed up a home-run rivalry.

Big deal.

“I can’t tell you how uninterested I am in that,” Chicago Manager Jim Riggleman said after the Cubs won in St. Louis, 9-7. “The significance of [Sosa’s] home runs is they help us win ball games, not put himself in the record books.”

McGwire’s 47th homer of the season helped the Cardinals, but his three-run shot was matched by Sosa’s 44th. They have homered on the same day 16 times this season, but it seems to have become routine after last season’s chase of Roger Maris’ record of 61 homers in a season, surpassed by both. They homered on the same day 21 times in the process.

“Last year was something else,” Sosa said. “This year has been great, but it’s not like last year. But we’re there again, and who knows what can happen?”

McGwire homered for the third time in two games. This one tied Eddie Murray for 15th place on the lifetime list at 504.

Sosa, who entered the game in a 3-for-31 slump, hit a towering drive to left field on a 2-and-0 pitch from Darren Oliver with two outs in the seventh to put the Cubs ahead, 7-5.

New York 6, San Francisco 1--It would figure two former Dodgers would do in the Giants at San Francisco.

Orel Hershiser pitched six strong innings and Mike Piazza went four for five with a home run to lead New York.

Piazza is 10 for 14 over his last three games, with two homers and six RBIs. His two-run shot in the fourth off Kirk Rueter (10-7) erased a 1-0 deficit and sparked a decisive five-run inning.

Hershiser (12-9) has won both of his starts this season against the Giants and is 22-9 lifetime against them.

Cincinnati 4, Philadelphia 1--Pete Harnisch (12-6) won his seventh decision in a row and helped his own cause with a bases-loaded double for two runs in the win at Cincinnati.

Harnisch took a sharply hit grounder off his right knee in the first inning but ignored the pain. He is pitching with worse pain anyway. Harnisch has a frayed rotator cuff that probably will need offseason surgery.

Houston 7, Pittsburgh 1--Chris Holt (3-11) continued his second-half resurgence with 7 2/3 scoreless innings for the Astros, who ended a four-game losing streak by winning at Houston.

Holt gave up five hits and improved his record to 2-2 with two no-decisions and a 1.93 earned-run average since the All-Star break.

Colorado 11, Montreal 8--Todd Helton, Dante Bichette and Edgard Clemente each homered twice for the Rockies in a game at Denver in which 10 home runs were hit.

Rookie Geoff Blum hit two solo homers for the Expos.

Milwaukee 4, Arizona 2--Scott Karl (8-10) pitched 6 1/3 strong innings for the Milwaukee in a win at Phoenix that ended Armando Reynoso’s club-record seven-game winning streak.