McGwire Can't Walk Away From No. 64

McGwire Can’t Walk Away From No. 64

By ROSS NEWHAN

Oct. 3, 1999 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

ST. LOUIS —

With Sammy Sosa watching from right field, Mark McGwire was walked once intentionally and twice cautiously Saturday. It might have been an afternoon of four walks in this sequel to the Great Home Run Race of last year except that McGwire took a rare swing at a 3-and-0 pitch in the first inning and launched his 64th homer over the center-field fence.

A Busch Stadium crowd 48,481 roared with approval when McGwire connected against Chicago Cub southpaw Andrew Lorraine but booed heatedly when McGwire walked in his next three at-bats as his St. Louis Cardinals were losing, 6-3.

The home run was McGwire’s fifth in the last six games and put him two up on Sosa--who has only one homer in his last 10 games--as they head into today’s season finale. Both McGwire and Sosa, who staged a historic duel last year that McGwire won with a record 70 homers to Sosa’s 66, continue to insist there is no race and there has been too much emphasis on the individual.

McGwire cited the booing as indication that the home run business is “out of hand.”

“People have to understand,” he said, “that there’s a game to be played and teams want to win.”

The Cardinals are 74-86 and the Cubs are 67-94 and last in the National League Central, but a win is a win, particularly for Cub Manager Jim Riggleman, who is expected to be fired Monday.

He had McGwire walked intentionally with two out and a runner at third and the Cardinals leading, 2-1, in the third.

“I recognize all the interest, but it was the thing to do at the time,” Riggleman said. “The other two [walks] weren’t intentional.”

Cardinal Manager Tony La Russa, whose pitchers went after Sosa and held him to a single in five at-bats, accused a reporter of trying to stir up trouble when asked about the walks.

“We try to take care of our own business,” La Russa said, “and you can tell by our record that we have a tough enough time doing that.”

McGwire, who leads the National League with 146 runs batted in, is second to Jeff Bagwell in walks with 131 and has 293 in the last two seasons.

“Mark doesn’t usually swing at 3-and-0, but he may have gotten tired of walking to first,” La Russa said. “Usually when he get to 3-and-0 it’s ball four, see ya later.”

McGwire said it was only the sixth time in more than 600 plate appearances he had swung at 3-and-0, but “it had nothing to do with frustration. Sometimes 3-and-0 is the best pitch you see all day, although that was a pretty nasty fastball on the outside corner.”

It was the 521st homer of his career, tying Willie McCovey and Ted Williams for 10th on the all-time list, and 404th of the decade, 22 more than Ken Griffey Jr. He is bidding for his fourth home run title, but he dismissed that, talking again about his disappointment with the Cardinals’ season and the disturbing focus on individual accomplishments.

In fact, before Friday night’s series opener, the McGwire and Sosa homer tally was removed from the Busch Stadium scoreboard.

It was La Russa’s idea, with McGwire’s agreement.

“Team, team, team,” La Russa said. “This is not a tennis match or the Ryder Cup. I just don’t think it was appropriate.”

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Home Run Leaders

Mark McGwire’s 64th home run of the season was No. 521 of his career, tying him for 10th on the all-time list:

1. Hank Aaron 755

2. Babe Ruth 714

3. Willie Mays 660

4. Frank Robinson 586

5. Harmon Killebrew 573

6. Reggie Jackson 563