Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire during a 1998 press conference. USA Today
The 1998 home run race was an event that captivated the sports world for a season. In most MLB seasons, there is one player to watch a la Aaron Judge but the 1998 season featured two players that had an opportunity to break the home run record that stood at 61 at the time. Let’s take a look back on this memorable season.
1998 Home Run Race
The 1997 season was the primer for the next one. McGwire and Ken Griffey Jr. were on pace to break the record but ultimately did not, with the players hitting 58 home runs and 56 respectively. Major League Baseball took the opportunity to market the Sosa vs. McGwire race during spring training. After the shortened 1994 lockout season, interest in the sport had waned. This event is thought to have brought many people back to the sport.
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Captivating A Nation
Obviously, the sports world caught a hold of this and ran with it. Magazines ran cover stores leading up to the season. Sports card companies made special cards for the season. However, it wasn’t just the sports world. I have vivid memories of going to the local McDonald’s in Flint, Michigan and seeing posters advertising special cups for the 1998 home run race. Some of those cups are still kicking around eBay. Saturday Night Live even did a sketch on it with Will Ferrell playing McGwire and Tracy Morgan playing Sosa. The season lived up to the hype.
First Half Of The Season
McGwire hit the ground running. After the first month of the season, he already had 11 home runs whereas Sosa only had six. McGwire continued his hot start and accumulated 27 home runs by the end of May and took a commanding lead in the home run race. Sosa was still lagging behind and many wondered whether this home run was going to be a dud.
Sosa Catches Up In The 1998 Home Run Race
As the temperatures started to heat up, so did Sosa’s bat. Sosa began the month of June with only 13 home runs. He ended the month with 33 meaning he hit a whopping 20 home runs in that month alone. McGwire was more consistent ending the month with 37 but Sosa had now closed the gap. The race was on and for the rest of the season became a back-and-forth battle.
Back And Forth Battle
The race stayed close in the month of July with McGwire keeping a slim lead. Both players were smashing home runs and breaking the Roger Maris record seemed inevitable. Sosa took his first lead in the race on August 19th when he hit home run number 48 to take a one-dinger lead on McGwire. It didn’t take long for McGwire to take it back. On August 19-20, McGwire hit four home runs to bring his total up to 51 on the season.
Breaking The Record
You could not script it better. In early September, the Cubs and Cardinals met in a series with McGwire sitting at 60 home runs. On September 7th, he hit number 61 to tie the record. He followed it up the next day with number 62 to officially break the record. With almost a full month left in the season, McGwire had broken the record. The crazy thing is Sosa was not far behind and he would break Maris’ record handily as well.
Down To The Wire
Sosa heated up down the final stretch and briefly took a one home run lead on September 25 when he hit his 66th home run. However, that would be the last one he would hit for the season. McGwire hit five in one of the final series of the season to bring his total to 70. While McGwire won the 1998 home run race, it is hard to call Sosa a loser. Ultimately, the sport won. The fans won. To have two players that hit that many home runs in a season was truly special to watch.
Legacy Of The 1998 Home Run Race
The 1998 home run race has an interesting place in history. The mark of 70 home runs didn’t stand for long as Barry Bonds broke the record three years later. The steroid controversy also put a damper on the event and that is still an issue that baseball is dealing with today. Despite all of this, the race was truly something special and something that I hope we see again at some point in baseball.
