McGwire Smacks No. 61, Ties Maris

No. 61 flew off Mark McGwire's bat Monday, matching Roger Maris' home run record and leaving just one question: How soon will it be his alone?

History came quickly. McGwire launched Mike Morgan's pitch 430 feet to left field in the first inning, tying the hallowed mark that has stood for 37 years.

McGwire immediately threw his hands in the air after connecting and then, with a fist thrust high, began his triumphant trip around the bases.

Big Mac got a high five from Cubs first baseman Mark Grace as he rounded the bag and got another high five from former St. Louis teammate Gary Gaetti as he approached third.

The 50,530 roaring fans at Busch Stadium stood all the while, except for those in the midst of a wild scramble for the ball. Chicago's Sammy Sosa, whose 58 home runs have pushed McGwire down the stretch, joined the celebration by applauding his rival from right field.

Mark McGwire launces his 61st homer on a 1-1 pitch from Chicago's Mike Morgan. (AP)

McGwire's 10-year-old batboy son, Matt, was waiting at home plate where the Cardinals slugger ended his trek with a two-footed hop. McGwire hoisted his boy in a big hug, while groundskeepers rushed onto the field to replace the bases -- no doubt headed to the Hall of Fame.

The Cardinals spilled out of the dugout to mob McGwire ad it took him a few moments to make it to the bench. But he didn't stay there long, springing back out to salute Sosa and the Maris family, watching from seats on the first-base side.

In a touching tribute to the man he matched, McGwire acknowledged Maris' children by pointing his right index finger to the sky, tapping his heart three times and blowing a kiss.

McGwire reacts after hitting No. 61 in the first inning.(AP)

"He tapped his heart, like dad was in his heart," said Kevin Maris, a son of the former New York Yankees slugger.

McGwire homered in the Cardinals' 144th game and now has 19 left to become the home run champion. And when he does, certainly no asterisk will be needed.

Maris hit no. 61 on the last day of a 162-game schedule in 1961. Toward the end of that season, Commissioner Ford Frick declared that any record would have to carry a "distinctive mark" if it did not beat Babe Ruth's mark of 60 in 154 games.

In all, McGwire has homered 15 times in the last 20 days. This latest one came at 2:22 p.m. EDT, with much of America surely tuning in to ESPN to watch the chase at-bat by at-bat.

McGwire points to the sky gesturing to Roger Maris. (AP)

McGwire finished 2-for-4 in adding a later ground single -- he has 53 singles this season, compared to 61 homers -- while Sosa went 1-for-5 with a single. Sosa struck out with a runner on the third to end the game.

The landmark shot provided a nice present to McGwire's father, John. He was sitting in the stands celebrating his birthday -- No. 61, naturally.

It also made it a nice day for Mike Davidson, a 28-year-old fan from St. Louis who wound up with historic souvenir, which he planned to give to McGwire.

The Cardinals won 3-2, blunting the Cubs' bid to increase their lead in the NL wild-card race. Fittingly, all but one of the runs scored on homers, with Eli Marrero and Delino DeShields connecting for the Cardinals and Gaetti doing it for Chicago.

McGwire hugs his 10-year-old son Matthew after hitting No. 61.(AP)

The two teams play again Tuesday night, giving McGwire and Sosa another chance to highlight the greatest homer chase ever, topping even te race between Maris and Mickey Mantle in 1961.

McGwire and Sosa have homered on the same day 20 times this year, twice connecting in the same game.

It's easy to keep track of how they stand, too, by looking at the out-of-town scoreboard in center field. Right below an inning-by-inning listing of the Florida-Colorado game, there's a section where it's posted -- McGwire 61, Sosa 58.

Sammy Sosa hugs McGwire after reaching first base in the eighth inning.(AP)

McGwire and Sosa, who have become friends throughout their friendly rivalry, spent the early part of the morning holding a news conference together. Sitting bicep to bicep, they took turns praising each other.

"Wouldn't it be great if we just ended up tied," McGwire said. "I think it would be beautiful."

With how many homers, guys?

"Seventy would be a nice number," McGwire said.

After that, it was time to take care of business.

Looking more relaxed than the day before, when he went hitless, McGwire put on a dazzling display in batting practice, homering on 11 of 15 swings.

Sosa watched McGwire's show from next to the batting cage and then didn't do badly himself, hitting several balls out of the park.

The crowd in St. Louis was in the spirit, filled with Cards' fans wearing their No. 25 McGwire jerseys and many Cubs fans in town sporting their No. 21 Sosa shirts.

Cardinals fans gave Sosa a prolonged standing ovation when he batted in the first inning, and he responded by tipping his helmet and offering his own two-finger salute to McGwire at first.

Sosa then hit a foul pop that was caught, neatly enough, by McGwire.

When McGwire batted in the first, Cubs catcher Scott Servais tapped him in the chest when he walked into the batter's box. Three pitches later, on a 1-1 count, the whole baseball world joined in to cheer McGwire.

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