» August 25, 1986: A's 3B Mark McGwire hits his first ML home run -- a 450-foot blast to center field off Walt Terrell -- as Oakland beats Detroit 8–4 at Tiger Stadium.

» June 28, 1987: One day after hitting three home runs in Oakland's 13–3 rout of the Indians, A's rookie 1B Mark McGwire hits two more in a 10–0 Oakland romp to tie the major-league record of five homers in two games. McGwire's nine runs in two games ties an American League record set in 1937.

» August 10, 1987: At Seattle, Oakland's super rookie Mark McGwire belts his 38th homer, a solo shot off Mike Moore, to tie the ML rookie record for homers in a season.

» August 14, 1987: Oakland's Mark McGwire slugs his 39th home run of the season, off Don Sutton in the 6th inning, in a 12-inning 7–6 win over California, breaking the major-league record for rookies shared by Wally Berger and Frank Robinson. McGwire will finish the season with a whopping 49 homers.

» November 3, 1987: Oakland 1B Mark McGwire wins the American League Rookie of the Year Award, now called the Jackie Robinson Award, joining Carlton Fisk (1972) as the only player to win that league's award unanimously. McGwire set a rookie record with 49 homers and was the first rookie to lead the majors in homers since Al Rosen in 1950.

» June 20, 1988: In a 5–4 triumph over Milwaukee, Oakland's Mark McGwire hits a triple. His next and last ML triple will come in 1999 with the Cards.

» July 3, 1988: Oakland's P Gene Nelson steals a base while pinch running for Don Baylor in a 9–8, 16-inning win over Toronto, becoming the first American League pitcher to steal a base since John "Blue Moon" Odom in 1973. Jose Canseco's three home runs are not quite enough, and the game is not decided until Mark McGwire connects in the 16th inning to end it. McGwire will hit another 16th-inning home run tomorrow.

» July 4, 1988: Deja vu all over again. As he did yesterday, Mark McGwire belts a 16th inning homer to give the A's a 4–2 win over Cleveland. Doug Jones pitches three shutout innings for Cleveland, but gets no decision, ending his ML-record streak of 15 consecutive saves.

» October 18, 1988: Mark McGwire's home run off Jay Howell in the bottom of the 9th gives Oakland a 2–1 win in game three of the World Series.

» November 2, 1988: Oakland SS Walt Weiss becomes the 3rd consecutive A's player to win the American League Rookie of the Year award, joining sluggers Jose Canseco (1986) and Mark McGwire (1987).

» April 3, 1989: Facing Dave Stewart, Ken Griffey Jr. doubles in his first ML at bat, but the Athletics beat the Mariners, 3–2. Mark McGwire homers for the A's.

» June 11, 1990: Ageless Nolan Ryan pitches his unprecedented 6th career no-hitter, striking out 14 batters in a 5–0 win over the A's. He is the first to pitch a no-hitter for three different teams, and the first to throw a no-hitter in three different decades. The A's are missing Mark McGwire, Jose Canseco, and Carney Lansford in the lineup.

» August 15, 1990: Mark McGwire hits a game-winning grand slam in the bottom of the 10th to give Oakland a 6–2 win over Boston. He becomes the first player to hit 30 home runs in each of his first four seasons.

» August 17, 1990: Oakland's Bob Welch (20-4) wins his 20th game of the season 8–3 over the Orioles. Mark McGwire hits his 31st homer and drives in 3.

» November 7, 1990: Cleveland's Sandy Alomar Jr. wins the American League Rookie of the Year Award unanimously, joining Carlton Fisk and Mark McGwire as the only players to do so.

» May 1, 1992: Oakland OF Rickey Henderson steals the 1,000th base of his career in the 1st inning of the A's 7–6 win over Detroit. Mark McGwire adds a homer and Jeff Parrett (4–0) picks up the win when the A's score a run in the 8th.

» June 10, 1992: At Milwaukee, Mark McGwire hits his 22nd homer of the year and his career 200th. It comes in his 2,852nd at bat, and he is the 5th quickest to reach 200. The fastest was Ralph Kiner (2,537), then Babe Ruth (2,580), Harmon Killebrew (2,584) and Eddie Mathews (2,811). Winning for first-place Oakland is Ron Darling (6–3).

» October 3, 1992: At Milwaukee, the A's knock the 2nd place Brewers out of the race, beating them, 10–3. The A's, first in the AL West, knock 4 homers including Mark McGwire's 42nd. Ricky Bones lasts just 1 1/3 innings and takes the loss. Mike Moore wins his 17th.

» October 4, 1992: Juan Gonzalez has three hits, including his American League-high 43rd homer, one better than Mark McGwire, to pace the Rangers to 9–5 win over California. Dean Palmer also homers, both coming off Bert Blyleven, to help Kevin Brown win his 21st.

» October 7, 1992: The A's win the opening game of the ALCS with a 4–3 victory over the Blue Jays. All but one of the game's runs are scored by homers, as Mark McGwire, Terry Steinbach and Harold Baines connect for Oakland, and Dave Winfield and Pat Borders for Toronto.

» June 11, 1995: Oakland's Mark McGwire hits three consecutive home runs in an 8-1 win over the Red Sox. McGwire hit two home runs yesterday, giving him a ML record-tying five home runs in two consecutive games. He is the 15th player to hit five homers in two games, and only the 2nd to do so twice in his career. He also hit five homers on June 27 and 28, 1987. Ralph Kiner performed the feat twice in 1947.

» June 15, 1995: The Royals defeat the Athletics behind the 1-hit pitching of Mark Gubicza, who walks just one while fanning 5. Mark McGwire's single is Oakland's only hit.

» April 28, 1996: On the 100th anniversary of the opening of Bennett Field at Michigan and Trumbull Avenues, the Tigers lose to the A's, 6–3. Scott Brosius rings up his 3rd two-homer game of the season, and Mark McGwire adds a homer, estimated at 462 feet, that almost clears the RF roof at Tiger Stadium, to lead the A's. Oakland collects four homers off Greg Gohr, and adds another, while Detroit bangs two, including Cecil Fielder's 10th of the year.

» May 25, 1996: Oakland's Pedro Munoz belts the longest home run in the 5-year history of Camden Yards to lead the A's to a 6–3 win over the Orioles. The 463-foot shot to dead center comes in the 6th inning with two on, and breaks a 2–2 tie. Mark McGwire also homers for Oakland. The O's get two more homers from Brady Anderson, and a dinger from Mike Bordick, but that's all the scoring.

» June 25, 1996: In Detroit, the A's outslug the Tigers, 12–8. Bobby Higginson and Jason Giambi each drive in five runs while Cecil Fielder and Mark McGwire match homers. For McGwire, it is #300.

» June 27, 1996: The Athletics stroke eight home runs in an 18-2 pounding of the Angels. Scott Brosius hits 2, while Mark McGwire, Geronimo Berroa, Jason Giambi, Terry Steinbach, Ernie Young, and Jose Herrera also connect. The seven different players going deep ties the ML record.

» July 25, 1996: Mark McGwire clouts his 37th homer into the 5th deck at Toronto's Skydome, just the 2nd player to reach there. The 488-foot drive off Huck Flener lands four rows up from where Jose Canseco hit one in the 1989 playoff. The A's still lose the game to the Jays, 4–3 when Joe Carter hits a dramatic 2-run 2-out homer in the bottom of the 9th. McGwire will hit his 38th tomorrow in an A's win.

» August 12, 1996: Geronimo Berroa hits three home runs in the Athletics' 11-1 win over Minnesota. He becomes the 10th player in history to have a pair of 3-homer games in the same season. Berroa accounts for five of Oakland's runs and Mark McGwire accounts for four with a pair of homers himself.

» August 30, 1996: Mark McGwire pounds his 45th homer and drives in three runs as the A's beat the Red Sox, 7–0. The loss snaps the Sox' 5-game win streak. The 3rd-place Sox have the American League's hottest team since the All-Star break, going 33–17; on August one Boston was 17 games out of 1st place, and since then have gained 11 games. A's pitchers will record shutouts in their next two games as well.

» September 7, 1996: The Athletics collect 19 hits and pound the Royals 13–6, as Mark McGwire hits his 48th home run. He also reaches the 100 RBI level.

» September 14, 1996: Oakland 1B Mark McGwire becomes the 13th player in history to hit 50 home runs in a season as he connects against Cleveland's Chad Ogea in the 1st inning of Cleveland's 9-8 win over the A's in the 2nd game of a doubleheader. The big first baseman hit his 49th in the 1st inning of the opener, a 9-2 loss to the Indians. Because of injuries, McGwire has played in only 119 or his team's 150 games.

» September 22, 1996: Oakland 1B Mark McGwire becomes the 30th player to homer twice in the same inning as he hits numbers 51 and 52 in the 5th inning of the Athletics' 13–11 win over Seattle. The A's score eight runs in the inning, and the Mariners come back with seven of their own in their half.

» April 30, 1997: Mark McGwire hits two tape-measure blasts as the A's outslug the Indians, 11–9, in 10 innings. McGwire's first shot, off Orel Hershiser, is the first ever off the Jacobs Field scoreboard and dents the Budweiser sign. It travels an estimated 485 feet. His 2nd, in the 10th, is the tie-breaker.

» May 27, 1997: Kansas City takes a 2-0 lead into the ninth before the visiting A's -- held to one hit for eight-plus innings by Jose Rosado -- get a two-run homer from Mark McGwire and a solo shot from Scott Spiezio to take the lead. Pinch-hitter Scott Cooper's homer in the bottom of the ninth then ties it. The A's bat around in the 10th, scoring five runs, and the Royals three-run answer falls short as the A's win, 8–6.

» June 3, 1997: In Oakland, Mark McGwire hits his 22nd homer as Oakland rallies for five runs in the seventh inning to beat Detroit, 9–8. It is McGwire's 10th homer in 19 games.

» June 24, 1997: At Seattle, the Mariners fall to the Athletics, 4-1, despite a 19-strike out performance by Randy Johnson. The 19 Ks are the most ever by an American League left hander. Mark McGwire turns one Johnson fastball into a homer that travels an estimated 538 feet.

» July 16, 1997: In Oakland, Mark McGwire hits his 33rd and 34th homers to lead the A's to an 11–3 win over the hapless Royals. Jose Canseco strikes out in all five at-bats for the Athletics, tying an Oakland record. Combined with his three strikeouts on Monday, he ties a major league record with eight whiffs in two consecutive games.

» July 31, 1997: Baseball's premier power hitter, Mark McGwire, leaves the A's for the St. Louis Cardinals, who send three pitchers to Oakland. McGwire's five-year $28 million contract runs out at the end of this year and Oakland fears they will not be able to sign him. The A's receive minor leaguers Eric Ludwick and Blake Stein, along with T.J. Mathews (4–4).

» August 8, 1997: The Cards end a homerless drought of 104.2 innings (as noted by Tom Ruane) when Ray Lankford and Mark McGwire hit back-to-back homers in the 3rd inning. The homerless streak is the longest of the 1990s. For McGwire, it is his first of the year as the Cards win 6–1 over the Phillies.

» August 15, 1997: Mark McGwire cracks a 2-run homer in the 9th to tie the game for St. Louis and Delino DeShields hits a leadoff homer in the 12th as the Cards edge the Braves, 3–2. For McGwire, who also walks four times, it is his 4th homer in four games.

» September 14, 1997: Mark McGwire notches his 51st homer, and St. Louis Cardinals score seven runs in the eighth to win, 10–4. McGwire, the first player with consecutive 50-homer seasons since Babe Ruth in 1927-28, connects off Joey Hamilton (11-6) in the sixth. He has 17 homers in 37 games since St. Louis acquired him from Oakland on July 31 and has 14 games remaining to chase Roger Maris' season record of 61.

» September 16, 1997: Mark McGwire hits his 52nd home run hours after signing a three-year contract with the Cards for $28.5 million. But Cardinals' closer Dennis Eckersley collapses in the 9th and the Dodgers come back to win, 7–6. McGwire's 517-foot first-inning blast, the longest ever measured at Busch Stadium, ties him for the ML lead with Ken Griffey Jr.

» September 17, 1997: Mark McGwire blasts his 53rd homer, the most since 1961, to pace the Cards to a 12–9 win over the Cubs. RHP Rod Myers serves up the gopher.

» September 22, 1997: Ken Griffey Jr. hits his 54th and 55th homers, overtaking Mark McGwire for the major league lead, as Seattle clinches a tie for the American League West title, defeating Oakland 4-2. Griffey now has the seventh-highest homer total in ML history, trailing only Roger Maris (61 in 1961), Ruth (60 in 1927), Babe Ruth (59 in 1921), Foxx (58 in 1932), Hank Greenberg (58 in 1938) and Hack Wilson (56 in 1930). Griffey's 55 homers are the most in the majors since Maris set the record in 1961. He has five games left, all at the Kingdome, to match Maris' mark. With three home runs, Seattle has 257 this season, tying the major league mark set by Baltimore last year.

» April 4, 1998: Cardinals 1B Mark McGwire homers in his 4th straight game to tie the National League record set by Willie Mays in 1971 for home runs in consecutive games at the beginning of the season. The Cardinals defeat the Padres by an 8–6 score.

» April 14, 1998: Mark McGwire of the Cardinals hits three home runs and notches five ribbies in a 15–5 victory over the Diamondbacks. Matt Williams hits a grand slam, the first in Diamondbacks history.

» April 30, 1998: The Cubs record their 1,000th win over the Cardinals, winning 8–3 behind Kerry Wood. Mark McGwire hits his 11th, off Marc Pisciotta in the 8th.

» May 8, 1998: Cardinals 1B Mark McGwire hits his 400th career home run in a 9–2 loss to the Mets. He is the 27th player to reach 400, and does so in fewer at bats than anyone in history, 4,726.

» May 16, 1998: At Busch Stadium, Mark McGwire crushes a Livan Hernandez pitch for a 545-ft. homer to lead the Cards to a 5–4 win over the Marlins. "It's the best ball I've ever hit," says the Cards slugger. On May 12, he hit a homer 527 feet.

» May 19, 1998: The Cardinals Mark McGwire hits three home runs in a game for the 2nd time this season, leading St. Louis to a 10–8 victory over the Phillies. He is only the 12th player in history to have a pair of 3–HR games in the same season. McGwire drives in six of the Cardinal runs as he reaches the 20 home run mark faster than other player in history.

» May 24, 1998: The Giants score three runs in the 17th inning to take a 9–6 decision from the Cardinals. Willie McGee gets four hits for St. Louis and Mark McGwire hits his 24th home run.

» June 28, 1998: The Twins Bob Tewksbury slows down Mark McGwire, twice retiring him with a 44–MPH lob. McGwire grounds out in the 1st inning swinging at a lob, and then with a 0–2 count in the 4th, pops out to first on another. Tewksbury also retires Ray Lankford in the 6th on a lob and ends with a 3–2 win.

» June 30, 1998: Mark McGwire belts his 37th homer of the year, tying Reggie Jackson's record for most homers before the All-Star break. The homer is a 472-ft upper deck shot off KC's Glendon Rusch.

» July 20, 1998: Mark McGwire hits his 43rd homer in the Cards 13–1 drubbing of the Padres. His homer ties the club record set by Johnny Mize in 1940.

» August 7, 1998: Mark McGwire lines a single against the Cubs, driving in two runs. For Big Mac, they are his first runs driven in without a homer since June 7. The Cards roll over the Cubs, 16–3 as Kent Bottenfield allows just three hits in seven innings. Ray Lankford has a 3–run homer in the 1st for St. Louis off Stevens, in relief of Steve Trachsel who lasts just 1/3 of an inning.

» August 23, 1998: The Pirates defeat the Cardinals, 4–3, despite five hits, including a home run, by St. Louis 3B Fernando Tatis. Mark McGwire also hits his 53rd homer for the Cards.

» August 26, 1998: Florida's Derrek Lee, Kevin Orie, and Cliff Floyd hit consecutive home runs in the 9th inning of a game with St. Louis. The Marlins, who were trailing 6–0 at the time, go on to tie the game with six runs, then win, 7–6, with a run in the 10th. Mark McGwire hits home run #54 for the Cards.

» August 30, 1998: Mark McGwire's 55th home run leads the Cardinals to an 8–7 victory over the Braves.

» August 31, 1998: Cubs' OF Sammy Sosa ties Mark McGwire by hitting his 55th home run in Chicago's 5–4 win over Cincinnati. Sosa has hit 30 of his homers at Wrigley, three short of Hack Wilson's Cub record and tying him with Ernie Banks.

» September 1, 1998: Mark McGwire hits his 56th and 57th home runs of the season, in a 7–1 Cardinals' win over Florida, to break Hack Wilson's National League standard for home runs in a season. McGwire also eclipses Babe Ruth's record of 114 home runs in consecutive seasons set in 1927–28.

» September 2, 1998: Mark McGwire hits two home runs against the Marlins for the 2nd consecutive day to set a new major league mark for homers in a season by a righthanded batter with 59. The Cardinals defeat the Marlins by a score of 14–4.

» September 5, 1998: Mark McGwire slugs his 60th home run of the season to become the 3rd player in history to reach the milestone. The 1st–inning blast off lefty Dennis Reyes helps the Cards on their way to a 7–0 blanking of the Reds.

» September 7, 1998: Mark McGwire hits his record–tying 61st home run of the year in the 1st inning off Cubs' P Mike Morgan in St. Louis' 3–2 victory.

» September 8, 1998: Mark McGwire breaks Roger Maris' single–season home run mark by clouting his 62nd of the year off Steve Trachsel in the 4th inning of the Cardinals' 6–3 win over the Cubs in St. Louis.

» September 12, 1998: Mark McGwire draws his 152nd walk of the season, to break the National League mark set by Barry Bonds, as the Astros defeat the Cardinals, 3–2.

» September 13, 1998: Sammy Sosa hits his 61st and 62nd home runs of the season against the Milwaukee Brewers to tie the National League record of 10 multi–HR games in a single season set by Ralph Kiner in 1947. The two home runs pace the Cubs to an 11–10 win, and tie Sosa with Mark McGwire for the home run lead.

» September 15, 1998: Pittsburgh takes the 1st game of a doubleheader against St. Louis, 8–6, as Cardinals' 1B Mark McGwire hits his 63rd home run of the season. The Cardinals take the nightcap, 9–3, to gain a split.

» September 18, 1998: Mark McGwire hits home run #64 as he leads the Cardinals to a 5–2 win over the Brewers.

» September 20, 1998: Mark McGwire wastes no time as he hits home run #65 in the 1st inning of the Cardinals' 11–6 win over Milwaukee.

» September 25, 1998: The home run race continues unabated as Sammy Sosa blasts his 66th homer in the 4th inning at Houston, and Mark McGwire responds in the 5th inning with his 66th in the 5th inning at Busch Stadium. Sosa's solo shot ties the game at 2–2, but the Astros score in each in the next four innings to win, 6–2. Kevin Tapani fails in his bid to win his 20th. The Cards top the Expos, 6–5, as McGwire adds another single and J.D. Drew a pair of homers.

» January 12, 1999: The ball that Mark McGwire hit for his 70th home run is sold at auction for $2.7 million by Guernsey's Auction House in New York. The buyer is later revealed to be Todd McFarlane, creator of the Spawn comic book series.

» May 4, 1999: Mark McGwire hit a grand slam off Greg Maddux. It is the 12th grand slam of McGwire's career and just the 2nd regular season grand slam that Maddux has allowed (the 1st was to Benito Santiago in 1996). The Cardinals scored six runs in the 2nd off Maddux, which was the 1st time he's allowed six runs in an inning. For McGwire, it is also his 100th home run with the Cardinals, becoming the 24th player to hit 100+ home run with more than one franchise and the 14th player to hit 100+ home run in both leagues.

» June 8, 1999: Kansas City overcomes Mark McGwire's 475th career homer and beat the Cards, 11–10. Big Mac ties for 17th place on the home run list with Willie Stargell and Stan Musial.

» July 2, 1999: In the Cards 9–5 loss to the Diamondbacks, Mark McGwire belts a pair of homers, his 56th multi-homer game, which moves him into 4th place on this list ahead of Foxx.

» August 5, 1999: The Padres defeat the Cardinals, 10-3, despite a pair of home runs by Mark McGwire, including the 500th of his career. McGwire becomes the first player in history to hit his 400th and 500th homers in successive seasons.

» August 22, 1999: At Shea, the Mets and Cardinals split a DH, with NY winning the opener, 8-7, and St. Louis taking the nightcap, 7-5. Mark McGwire hits two home runs in the 1st game, his 49th and 50th of the season. Number 49 breaks a light bulb in the scoreboard, 502 feet away. This gives him a major league record 50 or more home runs for four straight seasons.

» August 24, 1999: The Cards lose to the Brewers despite Mark McGwire's 508th career homer. He has hit 493 of these while playing 1B, equaling Lou Gehrig's mark for the position.

» September 1, 1999: Mark McGwire powers his 52nd homer in the Cards 9–3 win over Florida. It is his 590th career dinger and his 494th as a first basemen, surpassing Lou Gehrig.

» September 17, 1999: The Cardinals score nine runs in the 4th inning on their way to an 11-8 win over the Astros. Mark McGwire hits home run #56 on the season, and the 513th of his career. Big Mac passes Ernie Banks and Eddie Mathews on the all-time list.

» September 26, 1999: The Cardinals lose to the Reds, 7-5, despite Mark McGwire's 60th home run of the season. McGwire joins Sammy Sosa as the only players in history to reach the 60 homer mark twice. Big Mac will end the season with 147 RBIs on 145 hits, the only player in ML history (with 100 hits in a season) to have more ribbies than hits. Jay Buhner, in 1995, came closest with 121 RBIs and 123 hits (.984)

» October 3, 1999: It lasts just five innings, but the Cardinals (74-88)defeat the Cubs (67-95), 9-5, as both Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa homer in their last game of the season. McGwire takes Steve Trachsel deep in the 1st and finishes with 65 home runs, with Sosa next in line with 63, homering in the 3rd. McGwire's home run is his 522nd moving him past Ted Williams and Willie McCovey for 10th place on the All-time list finishes with 147 RBIs on 145 hits, the first player ever to have more ribbies than hits; Jay Buhner, in 1995, came closest with 121 RBI on 123 hits. Last year McGwire drove in 147 runs on 152 hits. Starter Larry Luebbers earns the win for the Cards with just four innings of work, a rarity. Rick Ankiel saves it after Luebbers pitches to three batters in the 5th. More than 145,000 fans watched the 3-game set with the cubs, giving the Cards a franchise-record 3,230,356 for 79 dates.

» November 9, 1999: Kansas City Royals OF Carlos Beltran is named the American League Rookie of the Year. Beltran was the 1st rookie with 100+ RBI since Mike Piazza had 112 in 1993 and the 1st in the AL since Mark McGwire had 118 in 1987. He is the first rookie with 100 runs /100 RBI since Fred Lynn in 75.

» April 22, 2000: The Rockies clip the Cardinals, 7-6. Mark McGwire and Fernando Tatis homer for St. Louis as the Cards set an National League mark for most home runs in the month of April (42).

» April 30, 2000: The Cardinals defeat the Phillies, 4-3, as Mark McGwire and Jim Edmonds hit home runs. St. Louis finishes the month with 55 homers, a new record for April. It also ties the National League mark for homers in any month.

» May 8, 2000: Mark McGwire of the St. Louis Cardinals hits his 12th home run of the season, against the San Francisco Giants. The homer tied "Big Mac" with Jimmie Foxx for ninth place on the all-time list with 534 career homers. McGwire needs just two taters to catch number eight on the list, Mickey Mantle, at 536.

» May 18, 2000: The Cardinals defeat the Phillies, 7-2, behind Mark McGwire's three home runs and seven RBIs. The homers move McGwire past Mickey Mantle into 8th place on the all-time list with 539.

» May 24, 2000: The Cardinals gaff the Marlins, 5-1, as Mark McGwire hits his 20th home run of the year. He becomes the fastest player to ever reach 20 homers, doing so in his 35th game, six fewer than Mickey Mantle in 1956 and McGwire himself in 1998.

» June 24, 2000: The Cardinals defeat the Dodgers, 6-1, behind Mark McGwire's major-league-leading 28th home run of the season. It is McGwire's 550th career homer.

» August 26, 2000: The Devil Rays defeat the Orioles, 4-1, in the 1st game of a DH. Tampa Bay 1B Fred McGriff ties a major league mark by hitting a home run in his 37th different ballpark. Mark McGwire has also performed the feat. The Orioles take the 2nd game, 2-0.

» September 16, 2000: The Cardinals defeat the Cubs, 7-6, despite Sammy Sosa's 50th home run of the season. Sosa becomes the 2nd player to hit 50 or more in three consecutive years, joining Mark McGwire.

» May 8, 2001: The Devil Rays edge the Orioles, 4-3, as Tampa Bay's Fred McGriff joins Mark McGwire, Hank Aaron, Barry Bonds, Eddie Murray, and Reggie Jackson as the only players to homer off 300 different pitchers in their career. McGriff's solo in the 8th snaps a 3–3 tie.

» June 14, 2001: Matt Morris strikes out 11 in the Cardinals 3–2 win over the Dodgers, and Mark McGwire clubs a solo homer off Jose Lima to pass Reggie Jackson on the all-time homer list. McGwire's homer is his 563rd, putting him 6th on the home run list.

» June 18, 2001: Well, it's not Wrigley. The Cubs lose their 12th straight in St. Louis as the Cards beat them 6–2. Mark McGwire and Jim Edmonds match homers with Sammy Sosa and Eric Young. Back home, the Cubs announce plans to renovate Wrigley Field, adding more than 2,200 seats.

» June 22, 2001: The Giants double the Cardinals, 10-5, despite a home run by Mark McGwire. It is the first meeting between teams sporting 500-HR hitters (Barry Bonds and Mark McGwire) since 1976.

» July 1, 2001: The Giants clip the Cardinals, 5–4, on Barry Bonds Day. Barry has a double and three walks as Calvin Murray provides the scoring with a 3-run home run. Mark McGwire is 0-for-4 and is now 0-for his last 22 at bats.

» July 19, 2001: The Rockies obtain IF Alex Ochoa from the Reds for 2B Todd Walker and minor league OF Robin Jennings. The Reds also call up top OF prospect Adam Dunn, who hit 32 homers in the minors this year. Dunn will clout 19 homers for the Reds including 12 in August, setting the NL rookie record for most home run in any month, with 12. The old mark of 11 was set by Frank Robinson, in August 1956. The only other rookies to hit more home run in a month were Rudy York (18--August 1937), Mark McGwire (May 1987) and Jimmie Hall (13--August 1963).

» August 15, 2001: The Cardinals defeat the Reds, 8–4, for their 7th straight win. St. Louis 1B Mark McGwire singles in the 5th inning, marking his first hit other than a home run in 72 at bats. McGwire's last 11 hits had been homers, a run unprecedented in the last 25 years. Cleveland's Albert Belle had eight straight hits for home runs in 1995.

» August 26, 2001: The Cubs defeat the Cardinals, 6–1, as Sammy Sosa hits two more home runs, his 50th and 51st of the season. In doing so, he joins Mark McGwire and Babe Ruth as the only players with four 50–homer seasons.

» August 28, 2001: The Marlins defeat the Cubs, 4–3, despite Sammy Sosa's 52nd home run. The blast gives Sosa a share of the NL record for home runs in August, tying the mark set by Willie Mays in 1965. He also ties Babe Ruth for the most homers in seven consecutive seasons: the Babe hit 343 between 1926-32. Mark McGwire has hit 338 homers from 1995 through this year.

» September 10, 2001: The Cardinals shut out the Brewers, 8–0, as Darryl Kile pitches six innings for the win. Mark McGwire hits his 24th homer. Jamey Wright is the loser and also fails to plunk any batters, ending his possible major-league record of hitting a batter in 10 straight games.

» October 4, 2001: The Giants defeat the Astros, 10-2, as Barry Bonds hits his 70th home run of the season to tie Mark McGwire's ML mark. Rookie P Wilfredo Rodriguez surrenders the historic blast.

» November 11, 2001: Cardinals' 1B Mark McGwire announces his retirement, saying "I am unable to perform at a level equal to the salary the orgainzation would be paying me." McGwire's 583 career home runs place him 5th on the all-time list.

» May 2, 2002: The Mariners rout the White Sox by a score of 15–4 as OF Mike Cameron becomes the 13th player in ML history to slug four home runs in a single game, all solo shots. Cameron is also hit by a pitch and flies out to deep right in a bid for a 5th homer. Cameron and 2B Bret Boone also become the first teammates in history to hit back–to–back home runs twice in the same inning, performing the feat in Seattle's 10–run 1st inning. The duo waste little time putting their names into the record book. After Ichiro Suzuki is hit by a pitch leading off, Boone homers. Cameron follows with a drive off Jon Rauch that barely cleared the center–field wall and a leaping Kenny Lofton. Two outs later, Boone again homers on the first pitch, this time off reliever Jim Parque. Cameron goes to a full count, then homers to center again. The Mariners also tie a team record with seven homers in the game. James Baldwin is the easy winner, with seven innings pitched. There had only been 39 previous occasions of a player hitting two home runs in an inning, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Eric Karros was last to do it, on August 22, 2000, for Los Angeles. Mark McGwire was the previous American League player to do it, on September 22, 1996, for Oakland.