Who's home runs record did Mark McGwire break in the 1998 season?
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Home run Mark McGwire 1998 in baseball
In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR, also "homer", "dinger", "bomb", "blast", or "four-bagger") is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home 
safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process. In modern baseball, the feat is typically achieved by hitting the ball over the outfield fence between the foul poles (or making contact with either foul pole) without first touching the ground,  resulting in an automatic home run.  There is also the "inside-the-park" home run, increasingly rare in modern baseball, where the batter reaches home safely while the baseball is in play on the field. When a home run is scored, the batter is also credited with a hit and a run scored, and an RBI for each runner that scores, including himself. Likewise, the pitcher is recorded as having given up a hit, and a run for each runner that scores including the batter.

Homeruns are among the most popular aspects of baseball and, as a result, prolific home run hitters are usually the most popular among fans and consequently the highest paid by teams—hence the old saying, variously attributed to slugger Ralph Kiner, or to a teammate talking about Kiner, "Home run hitters drive Cadillacs, and singles hitters drive Fords." 

Types of home runs

Out of the park

The most common type of home run is hitting the ball over the outfield fence, or above a line on the outfield fence specifically designed to indicate a home run, in flight, in fair territory, without it being caught or deflected back by an outfielder into the playing field. This is sometimes called a home run "out of the ballpark", although that term is frequently used to indicate a blow that completely clears any outfield seating, as a home run is usually automatically assumed to have left the field of play unless otherwise indicated. A batted ball that hits the ground (in fair territory) and bounces out of play is not a home run, but an "automatic double" in most stadiums (colloquially called a ground rule double). It is also possible to hit a grand slam, which is a home run with a runner on each base.

A batted ball is also considered a home run if the ball touches any of the following while in flight, even if the ball subsequently rebounds back onto the playing field:
* Foul pole or attached screen
* Any fixed object where a particular ballpark's ground rules specifically state that a batted ball striking that object is a home run. This usually applies to objects such as scoreboards or architectural features which are beyond the outfield fence in fair territory, but are located such that it is difficult for an umpire to quickly judge their position in relation to the field from several hundred feet away.
* Glove, hat, or any equipment or apparel deliberately thrown by a fielder in an attempt to stop or deflect a fair ball that, in the umpires' judgment, would have otherwise been a home run. 

A home run accomplished in any of the above manners is an automatic home run. The ball is considered dead, and the batter and any preceding runners cannot be put out at any time while running the bases. However, if one or more runners fail to touch a base or one runner passes another before reaching home plate, that runner or runners can be called out on appeal, though in the case of not touching a base a runner can go back and touch it if doing so won't cause them to be passed by another preceding runner and they have not yet touched the next base (or home plate in the case of missing third base). This stipulation is in Approved Ruling (2) of Rule 7.10(b).

Inside-the-park home run

An inside-the-park home run occurs when a batter hits the ball into play and is able to circle the bases before the fielders can put him out. Unlike with an outside-the-park home run, the batter-runner and all preceding runners are liable to be put out by the defensive team at any time while running the bases. This can only happen if the ball does not leave the ballfield.

In the early days of baseball, outfields were relatively much more spacious, reducing the likelihood of an over-the-fence home run, while increasing the likelihood of an inside-the-park home run, as a ball getting past an outfielder had more distance that it could roll before a fielder could track it down.

With outfields much less spacious and more uniformly designed than in the game's early days, inside-the-park home runs are now a rarity. They are usually the result of a ball being hit by a very fast runner, coupled with an outfielder either misjudging the flight of the ball (e.g., diving and missing) or the ball taking an unexpected bounce. Either way, this sends the ball into open space in the outfield and thereby allows the batter-runner to circle the bases before the defensive team can put him out. The speed of the runner is crucial as even triples are relatively rare in most modern ballparks.

If any defensive play on an inside-the-park home run is labeled an error by the official scorer, a home run is not scored; instead, it is scored as a single, double, or triple, and the batter-runner and any applicable preceding runners are said to have taken all additional bases on error. All runs scored on such a play, however, still count.

An example of an unexpected bounce occurred during the 2007 Major League Baseball All-Star Game at AT&T Park in San Francisco on July 10, 2007. Ichiro Suzuki of the American League team hit a fly ball off the right-center field wall, which caromed in the opposite direction from where National League right fielder Ken Griffey, Jr. was expecting it to go. By the time the ball was relayed, Ichiro had already crossed the plate standing up. This was the first inside-the-park home run in All-Star Game history, and led to Suzuki being named the game's Most Valuable Player.

Number of runs batted in

Home runs are often characterized by the number of runners on base at the time. A home run hit with the bases empty is seldom called a "one-run homer", but rather a solo home run, solo homer, or "solo shot". With one runner on base, two runs are scored (the baserunner and the batter) and thus the home run is often called a two-run homer or two-run shot. Similarly, a home runs with two runners on base is a three-run homer or three-run shot.

The term "four-run homer" is seldom used; instead, it is nearly always called a "grand slam". Hitting a grand slam is the best possible result for the batter's turn at bat and the worst possible result for the pitcher and his team.

Grand slam

A grand slam occurs when the bases are "loaded" (that is, there are base runners standing at first, second, and third base) and the batter hits a home run. According to The Dickson Baseball Dictionary, the term originated in the card game of contract bridge. An inside-the-park grand slam is a grand slam that is also an inside-the-park home run, a home run without the ball leaving the field, and it is very rare, due to the relative rarity of loading the bases along with the significant rarity (nowadays) of inside-the-park home runs.

On July 25, 1956, Roberto Clemente became the only MLB player to have ever scored a walk-off inside-the-park grand slam in a 9–8 Pittsburgh Pirates win over the Chicago Cubs, at Forbes Field.

On April 23, 1999, Fernando Tatís made history by hitting two grand slams in one inning, both against Chan Ho Park of the Los Angeles Dodgers. With this feat, Tatís also set a Major League record with 8 RBI in one inning.

On July 29, 2003 against the Texas Rangers, Bill Mueller of the Boston Red Sox became the only player in major league history to hit two grand slams in one game from opposite sides of the plate. In fact, he hit three home runs in that game, and his two grand slams were in consecutive at-bats.

On August 25, 2011 the New York Yankees became the first team to hit three grand slams in one game vs the Oakland A's. The Yankees eventually went on to win the game 22–9, after trailing 7–1.

Specific situation home runs

These types of home runs are characterized by the specific game situation in which they occur, and can theoretically occur on either an outside-the-park or inside-the-park home run.

Walk-off home run

A walk-off home run is a home run hit by the home team in the bottom of the ninth inning, any extra inning, or other scheduled final inning, which gives the home team the lead and thereby ends the game. The term is attributed to Hall of Fame relief pitcher Dennis Eckersley,  so named because after the run is scored, the players can "walk off" the field.

Two World Series have ended via the "walk-off" home run. The first was the 1960 World Series when Bill Mazeroski of the Pittsburgh Pirates hit a 9th inning solo home run in the 7th game of the series off New York Yankees pitcher Ralph Terry to give the Pirates the World Championship. The second time was the 1993 World Series when Joe Carter of the Toronto Blue Jays hit a 9th inning 3-run home run off Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Mitch Williams in Game 6 of the series, to help the Toronto Blue Jays capture their second World Series Championship in a row.

Such a home run can also be called a "sudden death" or "sudden victory" home run. That usage has lessened as "walk-off home run" has gained favor. Along with Mazeroski's 1960 shot, the most famous walk-off or sudden-death homer would probably be the "Shot Heard 'Round the World" hit by Bobby Thomson to win the 1951 National League pennant for the New York Giants.

A walk-off home run over the fence is an exception to baseball's one-run rule. Normally if the home team is tied or behind in the ninth or extra innings the game ends as soon as the home team scores enough runs to achieve a lead. If the home team has two outs in the inning, and the game is tied, the game will officially end either the moment the batter successfully reaches 1st base or the moment the runner touches home plate—whichever happens last. However, this is superseded by the "ground rule", which provides automatic doubles (when a ball-in-play hits the ground first then leaves the playing field) and home runs (when a ball-in-play leaves the playing field without ever touching the ground). In the latter case, all base runners including the batter are allowed to cross the plate.

Lead-off home run

A lead-off home run is a home run hit by the first batter of a team, the leadoff hitter of the first inning of the game. In MLB, Rickey Henderson holds the record with 81 lead-off home runs. Craig Biggio holds the National League record with 53, second overall to Henderson. 

In 1996, Brady Anderson set a Major League record by hitting a lead-off home run in four consecutive games.

Back-to-back

When two consecutive batters each hit a home run, this is described as back-to-back home runs. It is still considered back-to-back even if both batters hit their home runs off different pitchers. A third batter hitting a home run is commonly referred to as back-to-back-to-back, the most recent occurrence on opening day, April 4, 2016 when Denard Span, Joe Panik and Buster Posey of the San Francisco Giants hit back-to-back-to-back home runs off Ariel Pena of the Milwaukee Brewers.

Four home runs in a row by consecutive batters has only occurred eight times in the history of Major League Baseball. Following convention, this is called back-to-back-to-back-to-back. The most recent occurrence was on August 11, 2010, when the Arizona Diamondbacks hit four in a row against the Milwaukee Brewers in Miller Park as Adam LaRoche, Miguel Montero, Mark Reynolds and Stephen Drew homered off pitcher Dave Bush. Bush became the third pitcher to surrender back-to-back-to-back-to-back home runs, following Paul Foytack on July 31, 1963 and Chase Wright on April 22, 2007.

On August 14, 2008, the Chicago White Sox defeated the Kansas City Royals 9-2. In this game, Jim Thome, Paul Konerko, Alexei Ramírez, and Juan Uribe hit back-to-back-to-back-to-back home runs in that order. Thome, Konerko, and Ramirez blasted their homers off of Joel Peralta, while Uribe did it off of Rob Tejeda. The next batter, veteran backstop Toby Hall, tried aimlessly to hit the ball as far as possible, but his effort resulted in a strike out.

On April 22, 2007 the Boston Red Sox were trailing the New York Yankees 3–0 when Manny Ramirez, J. D. Drew, Mike Lowell and Jason Varitek hit back-to-back-to-back-to-back home runs to put them up 4–3. They eventually went on to win the game 7–6 after a three-run home run by Mike Lowell in the bottom of the 7th inning. On September 18, 2006 trailing 9–5 to the San Diego Padres in the 9th inning, Jeff Kent, J. D. Drew, Russell Martin, and Marlon Anderson of the Los Angeles Dodgers hit back-to-back-to-back-to-back home runs to tie the game. After giving up a run in the top of the 10th, the Dodgers won the game in the bottom of the 10th, on a walk-off two run home run by Nomar Garciaparra. J. D. Drew has been part of two different sets of back-to-back-to-back-to-back home runs. In both occurrences, his homer was the second of the four.

On September 30, 1997, in the sixth inning of Game One of the American League Division Series between the New York Yankees and Cleveland Indians, Tim Raines, Derek Jeter and Paul O'Neill hit back-to-back-to-back home runs for the Yankees. Raines' home run tied the game. New York went on to win 8–6. This was the first occurrence of three home runs in a row ever in postseason play. The Boston Red Sox repeated the feat in Game Four of the 2007 American League Championship Series, also against the Indians.

Twice in MLB history have two brothers hit back-to-back home runs. On April 23, 2013, brothers Melvin Upton, Jr. (formerly B.J. Upton) and Justin Upton hit back-to-back home runs.  The first time was on September 15, 1938, when Lloyd Waner and Paul Waner performed the feat. 

Simple back-to-back home runs are a relatively frequent occurrence. If a pitcher gives up a homer, he might have his concentration broken and might alter his normal approach in an attempt to "make up for it" by striking out the next batter with some fastballs. Sometimes the next batter will be expecting that and will capitalize on it. A notable back-to-back home run of that type in World Series play involved "Babe Ruth's called shot" in 1932, which was accompanied by various Ruthian theatrics, yet the pitcher, Charlie Root, was allowed to stay in the game. He delivered just one more pitch, which Lou Gehrig drilled out of the park for a back-to-back shot, after which Root was removed from the game.

In Game 3 of the 1976 NLCS, George Foster and Johnny Bench hit back-to-back homers in the last of the ninth off Ron Reed to tie the game. The Series-winning run was scored later in the inning.

Another notable pair of back-to-back home runs occurred on September 14, 1990, when Ken Griffey, Sr. and Ken Griffey, Jr. hit back-to-back home runs, off Kirk McCaskill, the only father-and-son duo to do so in Major League history.

On May 2, 2002, Bret Boone and Mike Cameron of the Seattle Mariners hit back-to-back home runs off of starter Jon Rauch in the first inning of a game against the Chicago White Sox. The Mariners batted around in the inning, and Boone and Cameron came up to bat against reliever Jim Parque with two outs, again hitting back-to-back home runs and becoming the only pair of teammates to hit back-to-back home runs twice in the same inning. 

On June 19, 2012, José Bautista and Colby Rasmus hit back-to-back home runs and back-to-back-to-back home runs with Edwin Encarnación for a lead change in each instance.

Consecutive home runs by one batter

The occurrence of individuals hitting home runs in consecutive at-bats is not unusual, but three or more is rare. If a player hits three home runs in a game, it is termed a hat-trick (which is also used for a player getting three strikeouts in a game). The record for consecutive home runs by a batter under any circumstances is 4. Of the sixteen players (through 2012) who have hit 4 in one game, six have hit them consecutively. Twenty-eight other batters have hit four consecutive across two games.

Bases on balls do not count as at-bats, and Ted Williams holds the record for consecutive home runs across the most games, 4 in four games played, during September 17–22, 1957, for the Red Sox.  Williams hit a pinch-hit homer on the 17th; walked as a pinch-hitter on the 18th; there was no game on the 19th; hit another pinch-homer on the 20th; homered and then was lifted for a pinch-runner after at least one walk, on the 21st; and homered after at least one walk on the 22nd. All in all, he had 4 walks interspersed among his 4 homers.

In World Series play, Reggie Jackson hit a record three in one Series game, the final game (Game 6) in 1977. But those three were a part of a much more impressive feat. He walked on four pitches in the second inning of game 6. Then he hit his three home runs on the first pitch of his next three at bats, off of three different pitchers (4th inning- Hooten, 5th inning- Sosa, 8th inning- Hough). He had also hit one in his last at bat of the previous game, giving him four home runs on four consecutive swings. (His home run in game 5 was also hit on the first pitch, although this did not add to any significant streak.) The four in a row set the record for consecutive homers across two Series games.

In Game 3 of the World Series in 2011, Albert Pujols hit three home runs to tie the record with Babe Ruth and Reggie Jackson. The St. Louis Cardinals went on to win the World Series in Game 7 at Busch Stadium.  In Game 1 of the World Series in 2012, Pablo Sandoval of the San Francisco Giants hit three home runs on his first three at-bats of the Series, also tying the record with Pujols, Jackson, and Ruth.

Nomar Garciaparra holds the record for consecutive home runs in the shortest time in terms of innings: 3 homers in 2 innings, on July 23, 2002, for the Boston Red Sox.

Home run cycle

An offshoot of hitting for the cycle, a "home run cycle" is where a player hits a solo, 2-run, 3-run, and grand slam home run all in one game. This is an extremely rare feat, as it requires the batter to not only hit four home runs in a game (which itself has only occurred 16 times in the Major Leagues[http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/history/rare_feats/index.jsp?feature=four_homer_game The Official Site of Major League Baseball: History: Rare Feats]), but also to hit those home runs with the specific number of runners already on base. Although it is a rare accomplishment, it is largely dependent on circumstances outside the player's control, such as his preceding teammates' ability to get on base, as well as the order in which he comes to bat in any particular inning.

Another variant of the home run cycle would be the "natural home run cycle", which would require a batter to hit a solo, 2-run, 3-run, and grand slam home run in that order.

Though multiple home run cycles have been recorded in collegiate baseball,   the only home run cycle in a professional baseball game belongs to Tyrone Horne, who stroked four long balls for the minor league, Double-A Arkansas Travelers in a game against the San Antonio Missions on July 27, 1998. 

On May 20, 1998, the Triple-A Indianapolis Indians performed a feat possibly never before duplicated in professional baseball. In the fifth inning of a game against the Pawtucket Red Sox, Indianapolis players hit for a "Homer Cycle". Pete Rose, Jr. opened the inning with a solo home run, Jason Williams connected for a 3-run shot, Glenn Murray slugged a grand slam, and Guillermo Garcia finished the scoring with a 2-run blast. The Indians won the game 11–4.

A major league player has come close to hitting for the home run cycle several times. Recent examples include:
*April 2, 1997, Tino Martinez of the New York Yankees, was a grand slam away from accomplishing this feat against his former team, the Seattle Mariners. He hit a 3-run home run in the first inning, a 2-run home run in the third inning and a solo shot in the fifth inning; all off starting pitcher Scott Sanders. 
*April 26, 2005 Alex Rodriguez of the New York Yankees hit 3 home runs off Los Angeles Angels pitcher Bartolo Colón. Rodriguez hit a 3-run home run, 2-run home run, and a grand slam in the first, third, and fourth innings, respectively. 
*May 16, 2008 Jayson Werth of the Philadelphia Phillies hit 3 home runs off Toronto Blue Jays pitchers David Purcey and Jesse Litsch. Werth hit a 3-run home run, a grand slam, and a solo home run in the second, third, and fifth innings, respectively. 
*June 26, 2009, Andre Ethier of Los Angeles Dodgers hit a three-run home run off Jason Vargas in the second, a two-run home run off Roy Corcoran in the sixth, and a solo home run off Miguel Batista in the eighth inning in a game against Seattle Mariners. 
*July 7, 2009, Paul Konerko of the Chicago White Sox hit a solo home run in the second inning off Cleveland Indians pitcher Jeremy Sowers, a grand slam in the sixth inning off reliever Chris Perez, and a two-run home run in the seventh inning off reliever Winston Abreu. 
*August 1, 2009, Andrew McCutchen of the Pittsburgh Pirates hit a solo home run in the first inning, a two run home run in the fourth inning, and a three run home run in the sixth inning of a game against the Washington Nationals. 
*September 17, 2010, Shin-Soo Choo of the Cleveland Indians, hit three home runs against the Kansas City Royals. Choo hit a 2-run homer in the fourth inning, a Grand Slam in the sixth inning and a solo home run in the eighth inning. 
*June 21, 2015, J.D. Martinez of the Detroit Tigers, hit three home runs against the New York Yankees. Martinez hit a 2-run homer in the first inning, a solo home run in the fifth inning and a 3-run homer in the sixth inning 
*August 21, 2015, Yoenis Céspedes of the New York Mets, hit three home runs against the Colorado Rockies: a grand slam in the second inning, a solo home run in the fourth inning, and a two-run home run in the sixth inning. 
*August 29, 2015, Edwin Encarnación of the Toronto Blue Jays hit three home runs against the Detroit Tigers: a 3-run home run in the first inning, a 2-run home run in the sixth inning, and a grand slam in the seventh inning. 
*September 26, 2015, Jarrett Parker of the San Francisco Giants hit three home runs against the Oakland Athletics: a solo home run in the second inning, a 2-run home run in the seventh inning, and a grand slam in the eighth inning. 

History of the home run

In the early days of the game, when the ball was less lively and the ballparks generally had very large outfields, most home runs were of the inside-the-park variety. The first home run ever hit in the National League was by Ross Barnes of the Chicago White Stockings (now known as the Chicago Cubs), in 1876. The home "run" was literally descriptive. Home runs over the fence were rare, and only in ballparks where a fence was fairly close. Hitters were discouraged from trying to hit home runs, with the conventional wisdom being that if they tried to do so they would simply fly out. This was a serious concern in the 19th century, because in baseball's early days a ball caught after one bounce was still an out. The emphasis was on place-hitting and what is now called "manufacturing runs" or "small ball".

The home run's place in baseball changed dramatically when the live-ball era began after World War I. First, the materials and manufacturing processes improved significantly, making the now-mass-produced, cork-centered ball somewhat more lively. Batters such as Babe Ruth and Rogers Hornsby took full advantage of rules changes that were instituted during the 1920s, particularly prohibition of the spitball, and the requirement that balls be replaced when worn or dirty. These changes resulted in the baseball being easier to see and hit, and easier to hit out of the park. Meanwhile, as the game's popularity boomed, more outfield seating was built, shrinking the size of the outfield and increasing the chances of a long fly ball resulting in a home run. The teams with the sluggers, typified by the New York Yankees, became the championship teams, and other teams had to change their focus from the "inside game" to the "power game" in order to keep up.

Before 1931, a ball that bounced over an outfield fence during a major league game was considered a home run. The rule was changed to require the ball to clear the fence on the fly, and balls that reached the seats on a bounce became ground rule doubles in most parks. A carryover of the old rule is that if a player deflects a ball over the outfield fence without it touching the ground, it is a home run.

Also, until approximately that time, the ball had to not only go over the fence in fair territory, but to land in the bleachers in fair territory or to still be visibly fair when disappearing behind a wall. The rule stipulated "fair when last seen" by the umpires. Photos from that era in ballparks, such as the Polo Grounds and Yankee Stadium, show ropes strung from the foul poles to the back of the bleachers, or a second "foul pole" at the back of the bleachers, in a straight line with the foul line, as a visual aid for the umpire. Ballparks still use a visual aid much like the ropes; a net or screen attached to the foul poles on the fair side has replaced ropes. As with American football, where a touchdown once required a literal "touch down" of the ball in the end zone but now only requires the "breaking of the [vertical] plane" of the goal line, in baseball the ball need only "break the plane" of the fence in fair territory (unless the ball is caught by a player who is in play, in which case the batter is called out).

Babe Ruth's 60th home run in 1927 was somewhat controversial, because it landed barely in fair territory in the stands down the right field line. Ruth lost a number of home runs in his career due to the when-last-seen rule. Bill Jenkinson, in The Year Babe Ruth Hit 104 Home Runs, estimates that Ruth lost at least 50 and as many as 78 in his career due to this rule.

Further, the rules once stipulated that an over-the-fence home run in a sudden-victory situation would only count for as many bases as was necessary to "force" the winning run home. For example, if a team trailed by two runs with the bases loaded, and the batter hit a fair ball over the fence, it only counted as a triple, because the runner immediately ahead of him had technically already scored the game-winning run. That rule was changed in the 1920s as home runs became increasingly frequent and popular. Babe Ruth's career total of 714 would have been one higher had that rule not been in effect in the early part of his career.

Major League Baseball keeps running totals of all-time home runs by team, including teams no longer active (prior to 1900) as well as by individual players. Gary Sheffield hit the 250,000th home run in MLB history with a grand slam on September 8, 2008.  Sheffield had hit MLB's 249,999th home run against Gio Gonzalez in his previous at-bat.

The all-time, verified professional baseball record for career home runs for one player, excluding the U. S. Negro Leagues during the era of segregation, is held by Sadaharu Oh. Oh spent his entire career playing for the Yomiuri Giants in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball, later managing the Giants, the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks and the 2006 World Baseball Classic Japanese team. Oh holds the all-time home run world record, having hit 868 home runs in his career.

In Major League Baseball, the career record is 762, held by Barry Bonds, who broke Hank Aaron's record on August 7, 2007, when he hit his 756th home run at AT&T Park off pitcher Mike Bacsik.  Only seven other major league players have hit as many as 600: Hank Aaron (755), Babe Ruth (714), Alex Rodriguez (active player) (696), Willie Mays (660), Ken Griffey, Jr. (630), Jim Thome (612) and Sammy Sosa (609).

The single season record is 73, set by Barry Bonds in 2001.  Other notable single season records were achieved by Babe Ruth who hit 60 in 1927, Roger Maris, with 61 home runs in 1961, and Mark McGwire, who hit 70 in 1998.

Negro League slugger Josh Gibson's Baseball Hall of Fame plaque says he hit "almost 800" home runs in his career. The Guinness Book of World Records lists Gibson's lifetime home run total at 800. Ken Burns' award-winning series, Baseball, states that his actual total may have been as high as 950. Gibson's true total is not known, in part due to inconsistent record keeping in the Negro Leagues. The 1993 edition of the MacMillan Baseball Encyclopedia attempted to compile a set of Negro League records, and subsequent work has expanded on that effort. Those records demonstrate that Gibson and Ruth were of comparable power. The 1993 book had Gibson hitting 146 home runs in the 501 "official" Negro League games they were able to account for in his 17-year career, about 1 homer every 3.4 games. Babe Ruth, in 22 seasons (several of them in the dead-ball era), hit 714 in 2503 games, or 1 homer every 3.5 games. The large gap in the numbers for Gibson reflect the fact that Negro League clubs played relatively far fewer league games and many more "barnstorming" or exhibition games during the course of a season, than did the major league clubs of that era.

Other legendary home run hitters include Jimmie Foxx, Mel Ott, Ted Williams, Mickey Mantle (who on September 10, 1960, mythically hit "the longest home run ever" at an estimated distance of 643 ft, although this was measured after the ball stopped rolling ), Reggie Jackson, Harmon Killebrew, Ernie Banks, Mike Schmidt, Dave Kingman, Sammy Sosa (who hit 60 or more home runs in a season 3 times), Ken Griffey, Jr. and Eddie Mathews.   In 1987, Joey Meyer of the Denver Zephyrs hit the longest verifiable home run in professional baseball history.    The home run was measured at a distance of 582 ft and was hit inside Denver's Mile High Stadium.   Major League Baseball's longest verifiable home run distance is about 575 ft, by Babe Ruth, to straightaway center field at Tiger Stadium (then called Navin Field and before the double-deck), which landed nearly across the intersection of Trumbull and Cherry.

The location of where Hank Aaron's record 755th home run landed has been monumented in Milwaukee.  The hallowed spot sits outside Miller Park, where the Milwaukee Brewers currently play. Similarly, the point where Aaron's 715th homer landed, upon breaking Ruth's career record in 1974, is marked in the Turner Field parking lot. A red-painted seat in Fenway Park marks the landing place of the 502-ft home run Ted Williams hit in 1946, the longest measured homer in Fenway's history; a red stadium seat mounted on the wall of the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota, marks the landing spot of Harmon Killebrew's record 520-foot shot in old Metropolitan Stadium.

Instant replay

Replays "to get the call right" have been used extremely sporadically in the past, but the use of instant replay to determine "boundary calls"—home runs and foul balls—was not officially allowed until 2008.

In a game on May 31, 1999, involving the St. Louis Cardinals and Florida Marlins, a hit by Cliff Floyd of the Marlins was initially ruled a double, then a home run, then was changed back to a double when umpire Frank Pulli decided to review video of the play. The Marlins protested that video replay was not allowed, but while the National League office agreed that replay was not to be used in future games, it declined the protest on the grounds it was a judgment call, and the play stood.  

In November 2007, the general managers of Major League Baseball voted in favor of implementing instant replay reviews on boundary home run calls.[http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3096923 ESPN – GMs vote 25–5 to use replay to aid home run decisions – MLB] The proposal limited the use of instant replay to determining whether a boundary/home run call is:
* A fair (home run) or foul ball
* A live ball (ball hit fence and rebounded onto the field), ground rule double (ball hit fence before leaving the field), or home run (ball hit some object beyond the fence while in flight)
* Spectator interference or home run (spectator touched ball after it broke the plane of the fence).

On August 28, 2008, instant replay review became available in MLB for reviewing calls in accordance with the above proposal. It was first utilized on September 3, 2008 in a game between the New York Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field.  Alex Rodriguez of the Yankees hit what appeared to be a home run, but the ball hit a catwalk behind the foul pole. It was at first called a home run, until Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon argued the call, and the umpires decided to review the play. After 2 minutes and 15 seconds, the umpires came back and ruled it a home run.

About two weeks later, on September 19, also at Tropicana Field, a boundary call was overturned for the first time. In this case, Carlos Peña of the Rays was given a ground rule double in a game against the Minnesota Twins after an umpire believed a fan reached into the field of play to catch a fly ball in right field. The umpires reviewed the play, determined the fan did not reach over the fence, and reversed the call, awarding Peña a home run.

Aside from the two aforementioned reviews at Tampa Bay, replay was used four more times in the 2008 MLB regular season: twice at Houston, once at Seattle, and once at San Francisco. The San Francisco incident is perhaps the most unusual. Bengie Molina, the Giants' catcher, hit what was first called a single. Molina then was replaced in the game by Emmanuel Burriss, a pinch-runner, before the umpires re-evaluated the call and ruled it a home run. In this instance though, Molina was not allowed to return to the game to complete the run, as he had already been replaced. Molina was credited with the home run, and two RBIs, but not for the run scored which went to Burriss instead.

On October 31, 2009, in the fourth inning of Game 3 of the World Series, Alex Rodriguez hit a long fly ball that appeared to hit a camera protruding over the wall and into the field of play in deep left field.  The ball ricocheted off the camera and re-entered the field, initially ruled a double.  However, after the umpires consulted with each other after watching the instant replay, the hit was ruled a home run, marking the first time an instant replay home run was hit in a playoff game. Mark David "Big Mac" McGwire (born October 1, 1963), is an American former professional baseball player and currently a bench coach  in Major League Baseball (MLB). As a first baseman, his MLB career spanned from 1986 to 2001 while playing for the Oakland Athletics and the St. Louis Cardinals. He quickly grabbed media attention in 1987 as a rookie with the Athletics by hitting 33 home runs before the All-Star break, and would lead the major leagues in home runs that year with 49, setting the single-season rookie record. He appeared in six straight All-Star Games from 1987 to 1992 despite a brief career decline related to injuries. Another string of six consecutive All-Star appearances followed from 1995 to 2001. Each season from 1996 to 1999, he again led the major leagues in home runs.

A part of the 1998 Major League Baseball home run record chase of Roger Maris' 61 with the Cardinals, McGwire set the major league single-season home run record with 70,  which Barry Bonds broke three years later with 73.   McGwire also led the league in runs batted in, twice in bases on balls and on-base percentage, and four times in slugging percentage. Injuries significantly cut into his playing time in 2000 and 2001 before factoring into his retirement. He finished with 583 home runs, which was fifth all-time when he retired.

For his career, McGwire averaged a home run once every 10.61 at bats, the best at bats per home run ratio in baseball history (Babe Ruth is second at 11.76). McGwire also holds the distinction of being the fastest player to hit 500 home runs, in only 5,487 at-bats.  In 2010, McGwire publicly admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs during a large portion of his career.

Early years

McGwire was born in Pomona, California. His father was a dentist. He attended Damien High School in La Verne, California, where he played baseball, golf, and basketball. He played college baseball at the University of Southern California (where he was a teammate of Randy Johnson) under coach Rod Dedeaux.

Playing career (1984–2001)

Oakland Athletics (1984–1997)

After three years at Southern California and a stint on the 1984 U.S. Olympic team, the Oakland Athletics drafted McGwire tenth overall in the 1984 Major League Baseball draft.

In a short cameo, McGwire debuted in the major leagues in August 1986, hitting three home runs and nine runs batted in in 18 games.

Rookie home run record and major league leader (1987)

Retaining his rookie status in 1987, McGwire took center stage in baseball with his home runs. He hit just four in the month of April, but followed in May with 15, and another nine in June. Before the All-Star break arrived, he totaled 33 HR and earned a spot on the American League (AL) All-Star team. On August 11, he broke Al Rosen's AL rookie record of 37 home runs.   Three days later, McGwire broke the major league record of 38, which Frank Robinson and Wally Berger jointly held. In September, McGwire hit nine more home runs while posting monthly personal bests of a .351 batting average, .419 on-base percentage (OBP) and 11 doubles (2B). With 49 HR and two games remaining in the regular season, he chose to sit them out with an opportunity for 50 home runs to be present for the birth of his first child. McGwire also totaled 118 runs batted in (RBI), .289 batting average, 97 runs scored, 28 doubles, a .618 slugging percentage and a .370 on-base percentage (OBP).

Not only did he lead the AL in home runs in 1987, but he tied for the major league lead with Chicago Cubs right fielder Andre Dawson. McGwire also led the major leagues in SLG, finished second in the AL in adjusted on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS+, 164) total bases (344), third in RBI and on-base plus slugging (OPS, .987). He was thus a unanimous choice for the AL Rookie of the Year Award and finished sixth overall in the AL Most Valuable Player Award voting.

More All-Star appearances (1988–91)

From 1988 to 1990, McGwire followed with 32, 33, and 39 home runs, respectively, becoming the first Major Leaguer to hit 30+ home runs in each of his first four full seasons.   On July 3 and 4, 1988, he hit game-winning home runs in the 16th inning of both games.    Through May 2009, McGwire was tied for third all-time with Joe DiMaggio in home runs over his first two calendar years in the major leagues (71), behind Chuck Klein (83) and Ryan Braun (79). 

McGwire's most famous home run with the A's was likely his game-winning solo shot in the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 3 of the 1988 World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers and former A's closer Jay Howell.   McGwire's game-winner brought the A's their only victory in the 1988 World Series, which they lost in five games. However, Big Mac and his fellow Bash Brother, José Canseco, played a large part in the 1989 championship club that defeated the San Francisco Giants in the famous "Earthquake Series". 

Working diligently on his defense at first base, McGwire bristled at the notion that he was a one-dimensional player. He was generally regarded as a good fielder in his early years, even winning a Gold Glove Award in 1990 – the only one that New York Yankees legend Don Mattingly would not win between 1985 and 1994. In later years, his mobility decreased and, with it, his defense.

However, McGwire's batting averages after his rookie season plummeted to .260, .231, and .235 from 1988–90. In 1991, he bottomed out with a .201 average and 22 homers. Manager Tony La Russa sat him out the final game of the season to avoid allowing his batting average to dip below .200. Despite the declining averages during this time of his career, his high bases on balls totals allowed him to maintain acceptable OBPs. In fact, when he hit .201, his OPS+ was 103, or just over league average.

McGwire stated in an interview with Sports Illustrated that 1991 was the "worst year" of his life, with his on-field performance and marriage difficulties, and that he "didn't lift a weight" that entire season. With all that behind him, McGwire re-dedicated himself to working out harder than ever and received visual therapy from a sports vision specialist.  

Career resurgence (1992–97)

The "new look" McGwire hit 42 homers and batted .268 in 1992, with an outstanding OPS+ of 175 (the highest of his career to that point), and put on a home run hitting show at the Home Run Derby during the 1992 All-Star break. His performance propelled the A's to the American League West Division title in 1992, their fourth in five seasons. The A's lost in the playoffs to the eventual World Series champion, the Toronto Blue Jays.

Foot injuries limited McGwire to a total of 74 games in 1993 and 1994, and just 9 home runs in each of the two seasons. He played just 104 games in 1995, but his proportional totals were much improved: 39 home runs in 317 at-bats. In 1996, McGwire belted a major league leading 52 homers in 423 at-bats. He also hit a career high .312 average, and led the league in both slugging percentage and on-base percentage.

McGwire's total of 363 home runs with the Athletics surpassed the previous franchise record. He was selected or voted to nine American League All-Star Teams while playing for the A's, including six consecutive appearances from 1987 through 1992. He was one of only four players to hit a ball over the roof in the left field of Tiger Stadium. 

St. Louis Cardinals (1997–2001)

On July 31, having already amassed 34 home runs to this point in the 1997 season, McGwire was traded from the Oakland Athletics to the St. Louis Cardinals for T. J. Mathews, Eric Ludwick and Blake Stein.  Despite playing just two-thirds of the season in the American League, he finished ninth in HR. With 24 more HR following his trade to the Cardinals, McGwire led the majors with 58 home runs in 1997. He also finished third in the major leagues in slugging percentage (.646), fourth in OPS (1.039), fifth in OPS+ (170), tenth in RBI (123), and ninth in walks (101). He placed 16th in the NL MVP voting.

It was the last year of his contract, so there was speculation that McGwire would play for the Cardinals only for the remainder of the season, then seek a long-term deal, possibly in Southern California, where he still lives. However, McGwire signed a contract to stay in St. Louis instead. It is also believed that McGwire later encouraged Jim Edmonds, another Southern California resident who was traded to St. Louis, to forgo free agency and sign a contract with the Cardinals in 2000.

Single-season home run record chase (1998)

As the 1998 season progressed, it became clear that McGwire, Seattle Mariners outfielder Ken Griffey Jr., and Chicago Cubs outfielder Sammy Sosa were all on track to break Roger Maris' single-season home run record. The race to break the record first attracted media attention as the home run leader changed often throughout the season. On August 19, Sosa hit his 48th home run to move ahead of McGwire. However, later that day McGwire hit his 48th and 49th home runs to regain the lead.

On September 8, 1998, McGwire hit a pitch by the Cubs' Steve Trachsel over the left field wall for his record-breaking 62nd home run, setting off massive celebrations at Busch Stadium. The fact that the game was against the Cubs meant that Sosa was able to congratulate McGwire personally on his achievement. Members of Maris' family were also present at the game. The ball was freely, albeit controversially, given to McGwire in a ceremony on the field by the stadium worker who found it.

McGwire finished the 1998 season with 70 home runs (including five in his last three games), four ahead of Sosa's 66, a record that was broken three seasons later in 2001 by Barry Bonds with 73.

McGwire was honored with the inaugural Babe Ruth Home Run Award for leading MLB in home runs. Although McGwire had the prestige of the home run record, Sammy Sosa (who had fewer HR but more RBI and stolen bases) won the 1998 NL MVP award, as his contributions helped propel the Cubs to the playoffs (the Cardinals in 1998 finished third in the NL Central). Many credited the Sosa-McGwire home run chase in 1998 with "saving baseball", by both bringing in new, younger fans and bringing back old fans soured by the 1994–95 Major League Baseball strike . 

Later playing career (1999–2001)

McGwire kept his high level of offensive production from 1998 going in 1999 while setting or extending several significant records. For the fourth consecutive season, he led MLB in HR with 65. It was also his fourth consecutive season with at least 50 HR, extending his own major league record. Sosa, who hit 63 HR in 1999, again trailed McGwire. Thus, they became the first – and still only – players in major league history to hit 60 or more home runs in consecutive seasons. McGwire also set a record from 1998 to 1999 for home runs in a two-season period with 135. Further, he owned the highest four-season HR total, with 245 from 1996 to 1999. In 1999, he drove in an NL-leading 147 runs while only having 145 hits, the highest RBI-per-hit tally for a season in baseball history.

Statistically in 2000 and 2001, McGwire's numbers declined relative to previous years as McGwire struggled to avoid injury (32 HR in 89 games, and 29 HR in 97 games, respectively). He retired after the 2001 season. 

Coaching career (2010–present)

After his playing career ended, McGwire demonstrated coaching ability, personally assisting players such as Matt Holliday, Bobby Crosby and Skip Schumaker before accepting an official role as hitting coach with a MLB team. On October 26, 2009, Tony La Russa, then manager of the Cardinals, confirmed that McGwire would become the club's fifth hitting coach of his tenure with the Cardinals, replacing Hal McRae.   McGwire received a standing ovation prior to the Cardinals home opener on April 12, 2010.  In his three seasons as Cardinals hitting coach, they featured a prolific offense that led the National League in hitting and on-base percentage, and were second in runs. 

In early November, 2012, McGwire rejected a contract extension to return as Cardinals hitting coach for the 2013 season. Instead, he accepted an offer for the same position with the Los Angeles Dodgers,  in order to be closer to his wife and five children. 

On June 11, 2013, McGwire was ejected for the first time as a coach during a bench-clearing brawl with the Arizona Diamondbacks.   He was suspended for two games starting the next day.

On December 2, 2015, he was named the new bench coach for the San Diego Padres.

Honors, records and achievements

Probably best known as one of the top sluggers of his era, McGwire ended his career with 583 home runs, which was fifth-most in history when he retired. When he hit his 500th career home run in 1999, he did so in 5,487 career at bats, the fewest in major league history.  He led all MLB in home runs in five different seasons, including 1987 and each season from 1996 to 1999. Totaling 245 home runs from 1996−99, it was the highest four-season home run output in major league history. Further, in each of those four seasons, he exceeded 50 home runs, becoming the first player to do so. He was also the first player to hit 49 or more home runs five times, including his rookie-season record of 49 in 1987. With a career average of one home every 10.6 at-bats, he is the leader in major league history for frequency of home runs.

As of 2015, McGwire owned three of the four lowest single-season AB/HR ratios in MLB history, which covered his 1996, 1998 and 1999 seasons. They were actually the top three seasons in MLB history until Bonds broke his single-season HR record in 2001. McGwire's 1997 season ranked 13th.   Considered one of the slowest running players in the game, McGwire had the fewest career triples (six) of any player with 5,000 or more at-bats, and had just 12 stolen bases while being caught stealing eight times.

Honors and distinctions

In 1999, The Sporting News released a list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, ranking McGwire at number 91. The list had been compiled during the 1998 season and included statistics through the 1997 season. That year, he was elected to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team. In 2005, The Sporting News published an update of their list, and McGwire had been moved up to Number 84.

McGwire's performance in the Hall of Fame voting has experienced a regressive trend, however, since first becoming eligible in 2007. For election a player needs to be listed on 75% of ballots cast; falling under 5% removes a player from future consideration. Between 2007 and 2010 McGwire's performance held steady, receiving 128 votes (23.5%) in 2007, 128 votes (23.6%) in 2008, 118 votes (21.9%) in 2009, and 128 votes (23.7%) in 2010. The subsequent ballot in 2011 showed the first sub-20% total of 115 votes (19.8%). While McGwire's total has not reversed trend (112 votes (19.5%) in 2012, 96 votes (16.9%) in 2013, 63 votes (11.0%) in 2014, and 55 votes (10.0%) in 2015), he has continued to receive sufficient support and will return for his final time on the 2016 ballot.

A portion of Interstate 70 (see also: Interstate 70 in Missouri) in St. Louis and near Busch Stadium was named "Mark McGwire Highway" to honor his 70 home run achievement, along with his various good works for the city. In May 2010, St. Louis politicians succeeded in passing a state bill to change the name of "Mark McGwire Highway", a 5-mile stretch of Interstate 70, to "Mark Twain Highway". 

Pairings with Canseco, Sosa and Bonds

McGwire became famously paired with other prominent sluggers at different periods of his playing career, most notably with José Canseco, Sammy Sosa, and Barry Bonds. As teammates with the Oakland Athletics, Canseco and McGwire, who played together from 1986 to until Canseco's trade to the Texas Rangers in 1992, became nationally publicized as the "Bash Brothers."  Forming the power-hitting core of a potent Athletics lineup, they won back-to-back American Rookie of the Year Awards from 1986–87, combined for 11 All-Star appearances (McGwire six appearances, Canseco five), three major league home run titles (Canseco twice, McGwire once), and led the American League in slugging percentage three times (McGwire twice, Canseco once). They also combined for four 40-home run seasons, ten 30-HR seasons, eight 100-RBI seasons, five seasons with an OPS over .900, and seven with an OPS+ of 140 or higher.

Besides their outstanding home run power, they were even more dangerous with McGwire's strike zone discipline and Canseco's speed on the basepaths. In each full season from 1987 to 1992, McGwire walked no fewer than 71 times, including leading the major leagues with 110 in 1990. Meanwhile, Canseco famously became the first member of the 40–40 club in 1988, stealing 40 bases while hitting 42 home runs. He also garnered 15 or more stolen bases four other seasons in his years playing with McGwire. The A's appeared in three straight ALCS from 1988–90 and won four AL West division titles in all seasons with the pair on the team. They both won their first World Series rings in 1989 when the A's defeated the Giants.

Already staged by the historic Cubs–Cardinals rivalry, one of the greatest rivalries of individual hitters in major league history commenced in 1998 with Sosa's and McGwire's chase of Maris' home runs record. Along with the home run chase, they combined for several other notable major league records and achievements. Not only were McGwire and Sosa the top two National League home run hitters in both 1998 and 1999, but there were also top two in all Major League Baseball in those two years. Further, they put on the two greatest two-season and four-season home run outputs in major league history. In 1998 and 1999, McGwire hit 135 while Sosa had 129. Although McGwire hit 245 home runs from 1996 to 1999, Sosa's four-year total from 1998 to 2001 was closer at 243.

So far, McGwire and Sosa are the only hitters with four 50 home runs seasons, and also the only ones with five of 49 or more. Although McGwire has two 60-HR season, Sosa holds the distinction of being the only major leaguer with three (1998, 1999 and 2001). Sosa won the 1998 NL MVP in 1998 while McGwire finished runner-up. The offensive surges helped to translate to moderate playoff success for both clubs. The Cubs won the NL wild card in 1998 for their only appearance in that period. The Cardinals were more successful, appearing in the playoffs in 2000 and 2001, and advancing to the NLCS in 2000. However, neither club won the World Series in this time, and 2000–01 were also the last two seasons of McGwire's playing career. Due in part to injuries, he was much less effective than in years past.

Bonds' rivalry with McGwire was a two-part rivalry, but less directly competitive than was McGwire's rivalry with Sosa. It was more of formality when it commenced with Bonds signing as a free agent with the Giants prior to the 1993 season, thus joining the Bay Bridge rivaly involving the A's and the Giants. Both were considered the prime power hitters of their respective teams, and thus, of the Bay Area. Their Bay Area connection endured until McGwire was traded to the Cardinals in 1997. Four years later, the last season of McGwire's career, Bonds took center stage in the baseball world as he broke McGwire's single-season home run record. At this point, McGwire was unable to effectively participate in another home run chase due to injury and appeared in just 97 games. In spite of the 1989 World Series featuring the A's and Giants, McGwire's and Bonds' teams never faced each other in the playoffs, as Bonds played for the Pittsburgh Pirates that year. The closest playoff implication for the pair was in 2001 when the Cardinals finished three games ahead of the Giants for the NL wild card, eliminating the Giants from playoff contention just before the end of the season.

Records

† – tied with Sammy Sosa

Playing career totals

In 16 seasons playing major league baseball (1986–2001), McGwire accumulated the following career totals:

* G 1,874
* ABs 6,187
* Runs 1,167
* Hits 1,626
* Doubles 252
* Triples 6
* HR 583
* RBI 1,414
* GIDP 147
* BB 1,317
* IBB 150

* HBP 75
* SH 3
* SF 78
* Strikeouts 1,596
* SBs 12
* CS 8
* BA .263
* OBP .394
* SLG .588
* OPS .982
* OPS+ 162

Steroid use

In a 1998 article by Associated Press writer Steve Wilstein, McGwire confessed to taking androstenedione,  an over-the-counter muscle enhancement product that had already been banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency, the NFL, and the IOC. At the time, however, use of the substance was not prohibited by Major League Baseball and it was not federally classified as an anabolic steroid in the United States until 2004. 

Jose Canseco released a book, Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant 'Roids, Smash Hits & How Baseball Got Big, in 2005. In it, he wrote positively about steroids and made various claims—among them, that McGwire had used performance-enhancing drugs since the 1980s and that Canseco had personally injected him with them.

In 2005, McGwire and Canseco were among 11 baseball players and executives subpoenaed to testify at a congressional hearing on steroids. During his testimony on March 17, 2005, McGwire declined to answer questions under oath when he appeared before the House Government Reform Committee. In a tearful opening statement, McGwire said:

On January 11, 2010, McGwire admitted to using steroids on and off for a decade and said, "I wish I had never touched steroids. It was foolish and it was a mistake. I truly apologize. Looking back, I wish I had never played during the steroid era."  He admitted using them in the 1989/90 offseason and then after he was injured in 1993. He admitted using them on occasion throughout the 1990s, including during the 1998 season. McGwire said that he used steroids to recover from injuries. 

McGwire's decision to admit using steroids was prompted by his decision to become hitting coach of the St. Louis Cardinals. According to McGwire, he took steroids for health reasons rather than to improve performance; however, a drug dealer who claimed to have provided steroids to McGwire asserted that his use was to improve his size and strength, rather than to just maintain his health. 

Personal life

McGwire's brother Dan McGwire was a quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks and Miami Dolphins of the NFL in the early 1990s, and was a first-round draft choice out of San Diego State University. He has another brother, Jay McGwire, who wrote a book in 2010 detailing their shared steroid use. 

McGwire married Stephanie Slemer — a former pharmaceutical sales representative from the St. Louis area — in Las Vegas on April 20, 2002. On June 1, 2010, their triplet girls were born: Monet Rose, Marlo Rose, and Monroe Rose. They join brothers Max and Mason. They reside in a gated community in Shady Canyon Irvine, California.  Together they created the Mark McGwire Foundation for Children to support agencies that help children who have been sexually and physically abused come to terms with a difficult childhood. Mark has a son, Matthew b.1987, from a previous marriage (1984–1990, divorced) to Kathleen Hughes.

Prior to admitting to using steroids, McGwire avoided the media and spent much of his free time playing golf.  He also worked as a hitting coach for Major League players Matt Holliday, Bobby Crosby, Chris Duncan and Skip Schumaker. 

McGwire appeared as himself in season 7, episode 13 of the sitcom Mad About You. 

McGwire provided his voice for an episode of The Simpsons titled "Brother's Little Helper", where he played himself. Headline events of the year

*Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Ken Griffey, Jr. and Greg Vaughn all hit 30 home runs before the All-Star break (the first time four players had done so in the same season) and engage in a historic chase for Roger Maris's single-season record of 61 home runs.  While Griffey (56) and Vaughn (50) would fall short of the record, both Sosa (66) and McGwire (70) shattered Maris's record in an exciting late-season chase that culminated in a final week that saw record-setting performances by McGwire, Sosa, Tom Gordon, Dennis Eckersley, Trevor Hoffman and Jason Kendall. The New York Yankees won a major league record 125 games (114 regular season games and 11 postseason games).

Champions

Major League Baseball

*World Series: New York Yankees over San Diego Padres (4-0); Scott Brosius, MVP

*American League Championship Series MVP: David Wells
**American League Division Series
*National League Championship Series MVP: Sterling Hitchcock
**National League Division Series
*All-Star Game, July 7 at Coors Field: American League, 13-8; Roberto Alomar, MVP

Other champions

*Caribbean World Series: Águilas Cibaeñas (Dominican Republic)
*College World Series: USC
*Cuban National Series: Pinar del Río over Santiago de Cuba
*Japan Series: Yokohama BayStars over Seibu Lions (4-2)
*Korean Series: Hyundai Unicorns over LG Twins
*Little League World Series: Toms River, New Jersey

Awards and honors

*Most Valuable Player
**Juan González, Texas Rangers, OF (AL)
**Sammy Sosa, Chicago Cubs, OF (NL)
*Cy Young Award
**Roger Clemens, Toronto Blue Jays (AL)
**Tom Glavine, Atlanta Braves (NL)
*Rookie of the Year
**Ben Grieve, Oakland Athletics, OF (AL)
**Kerry Wood, Chicago Cubs, P (NL)
*Manager of the Year Award
**Joe Torre, New York Yankees (AL)
**Larry Dierker, Houston Astros (NL)
*Woman Executive of the Year (major or minor league): Lois Schneider, Cincinnati Reds, National League

MLB statistical leaders

Major league baseball final standings

* The asterisk denotes the club that won the wild card for its respective league. The Chicago Cubs defeated the San Francisco Giants 5-3 in a one-game playoff to determine the NL wild card.

Events

January–March

*January 5 – Don Sutton, a 324-game winner, is elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame on his fifth try. Sutton, who missed election by nine votes in 1997, is named on 81.6% of the ballots.
*February 2 – New York Yankees general manager Bob Watson announces his resignation. He is replaced by 30-year-old Brian Cashman.
*March 3 – Larry Doby, Lee MacPhail, George Davis and Bullet Joe Rogan are elected to the Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee.
*March 31 – The Tampa Bay Devil Rays lose to the Detroit Tigers 11–6, in their first game ever. Pitcher Wilson Álvarez takes the loss for Tampa while third baseman Wade Boggs hit the first home run in team history and drives in three runs.
*March 31 – The Arizona Diamondbacks drop a 9–2 decision to the Colorado Rockies in their first game ever. Andy Benes is tagged with the loss, and rookies Travis Lee, who gets three hits, and Karim García hit home runs. Vinny Castilla drives in five runs for Colorado.
*March 31 – The New York Mets beat rival Philadelphia Phillies 1-0 in the longest scoreless opening day game in the National League and the longest one in MLB since  (when the Washington Senators beat the Philadelphia Athletics 1-0 in 15 innings) when backup catcher Alberto Castillo delivered a full-count, two-out, pinch-hit single to right with the bases loaded off Philadelphia closer Ricky Bottalico.
*March 31 – The Milwaukee Brewers, in their National League debut, fall 2-1 at Turner Field in Atlanta to the team that preceded them in Milwaukee, the Atlanta Braves, the Braves winning in walk-off fashion following an errant throw to second base by catcher Mike Matheny which allowed Gerald Williams to score from third base. Bob Wickman took the loss in relief. The Brewers had played for 29 years in the American League, debuting in 1969 as the Seattle Pilots before moving to Milwaukee in 1970 and becoming the Brewers.

April–May

*April 1 – The expansion Tampa Bay Devil Rays win their first game in franchise history, beating the Tigers 11–8. Fred McGriff has four RBI on three hits.
*April 2 – By hitting a home run in Colorado's 6–4 win over Arizona at Bank One Ballpark, Rockies outfielder Ellis Burks sets a major league record by having homered in 33 different stadiums.
*April 2 – The Milwaukee Brewers win for the first time as a National League team with an 8-6 win over the Atlanta Braves in 11 innings at Turner Field in Atlanta. Jeromy Burnitz homers twice, including a tie-breaking grand slam off Atlanta reliever Brian Edmondson in the 11th inning. Mike Myers picked up the win in relief.
*April 5 – The Arizona Diamondbacks win their first game in franchise history 3–2, over the San Francisco Giants. Andy Benes gets the win for the 1-5 Diamondbacks.
*April 7 – In the first National League game in Milwaukee since September 22, 1965, the Brewers defeat the Montreal Expos 6-4 at County Stadium. Starter Scott Karl gets the win, Doug Jones gets the save, and Jeromy Burnitz and José Valentín both contribute with home runs.
*April 10 – The Los Angeles Dodgers' Mike Piazza becomes the fifth NL player in history to hit grand slams in consecutive games by homering in a 7–2 win over the Houston Astros. Piazza also homered with the bags full, while driving in six runs, in the prior night's 7–2 win over Arizona. He would hit another on April 24 to tie the major-league record for slams in a month.
*April 13 – The Seattle Mariners' Ken Griffey, Jr. slugs two home runs in a 6–5 loss to the Cleveland Indians. In doing so, he becomes the second–youngest player in big league history to reach 300 homers for his career, at 28 years and 143 days. Jimmie Foxx, at 27 years 328 days, was younger.
*May 3 – The Seattle Mariners' Dan Wilson becomes just the seventh catcher in major league history to hit an inside-the-park grand slam, as Seattle defeats Detroit 10–6. It's a first for the Mariners and the first in the AL since Mike Greenwell did it on September 1, .
*May 6 – In one of the finest pitching efforts ever, Chicago Cubs rookie right-hander Kerry Wood fans 20 Houston Astros in a 2–0, one-hit victory to tie the major league mark for strikeouts in a 9-inning game. The 20-year-old ties the record held by Roger Clemens, who performed the feat twice. He also eclipses Bill Gullickson's single-game rookie record of 18 strikeouts in . The only Houston baserunners come from an infield single to Ricky Gutiérrez in the 3rd inning and a hit batter.  Wood also becomes the second pitcher in baseball history to record a single-game strikeout total equal to his age (in , 17-year-old Bob Feller struck out 17 batters). Wood strikes out the first five batters of the game, and seven in a row between the 7th and 9th innings, tying Jamie Moyer's Cubs record for most consecutive strikeouts.
*May 11 – In a 4-2 win over Arizona, Kerry Wood strikes out 13 Diamondbacks in seven innings. By doing so, Wood sets a major league record with 33 strikeouts over two consecutive games.
*May 13 – The Atlanta Braves set an NL record by homering in their 25th straight game, a 10–2 win over the St. Louis Cardinals. This ties the major league mark held by the 1941 Yankees and the 1994 Tigers. The streak will be stopped by the Cardinals the next day.
*May 15 – In one of the biggest trades in recent years, the Dodgers send All-Star catcher Mike Piazza and third baseman Todd Zeile to the Florida Marlins in exchange for outfielders Gary Sheffield and Jim Eisenreich, catcher Charles Johnson, third baseman Bobby Bonilla, and pitcher Manuel Barrios. On May 22, the Mets will acquire Piazza from the Marlins in exchange for outfielder Preston Wilson, pitcher Ed Yarnall and a minor league player.
*May 17 – Yankees pitcher David Wells hurls the 15th perfect game in modern major league history with a 4–0 win over the Minnesota Twins. Wells fans 11 batters in his masterpiece. Bernie Williams strokes three hits for New York, including a home run.
*May 18 – The Oakland Athletics' Mike Blowers hits for the cycle and drives home four runs in the A's 14–0 win over the White Sox. Blowers becomes only the 2nd player in franchise history to accomplish the feat.
*May 19 – 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 Philadelphia 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 any other player in history.
*May 20 – The Triple-A Indianapolis Indians perform a feat possibly never before duplicated in professional baseball. In the 5th inning of a game against the Pawtucket Red Sox, Indianapolis players hit for a "Homer Cycle". Pete Rose, Jr. opens the inning with a solo home run, Jason Williams connects for a 3–run shot, Glenn Murray slugs a grand slam, and Guillermo Garcia finishes the scoring with a 2–run blast. The Indians win the game 11–4.
*May 25 – Cleveland's David Bell becomes the third player in major league history to play against a team managed by his father. Bell's 2–run double brings home the go–ahead run in the Indians 7–4 win over Buddy Bell's Detroit Tigers. Bump Wills and Moisés Alou are the only other players to appear in games against their fathers (Maury Wills and Felipe Alou, respectively).
*May 28 – With Arizona leading the Giants, 8–6, in the bottom of the 9th with the bases loaded, manager Buck Showalter orders reliever Gregg Olson to intentionally walk Barry Bonds to bring home the Giants' 7th run. It is only the 4th bases–loaded intentional walk in major league history, and the first since Bill "Swish" Nicholson on July 23, .

June–July

*June 6 – Hall of Fame second baseman Joe Morgan has his uniform number 8 retired by the Cincinnati Reds in a ceremony at Cinergy Field.
*June 7 – At Camden Yards, Hall of Famer Eddie Murray has his uniform number 33 retired by the Baltimore Orioles.
*June 10 – Colorado's Dante Bichette becomes the first Rockies player ever to hit for the cycle and the first player to ever hit for the cycle in an interleague game in the team's 9–8, 10–inning victory over the Rangers.
*June 10 – NY Yankee Tim Raines steals the 800th base of his career in NY's 6–2 win over the Montreal Expos, his former team. He is the fifth player in history to reach the milestone.
*June 15 – Sammy Sosa hits 3 home runs helping Chicago Cubs beat the Milwaukee Brewers 6-5.
*June 20 – The Cleveland Indians retire Bob Feller's uniform number 19 prior to the team's 5–3 loss to the Yankees.
*June 29 – Uniquely, no major league games are scheduled today: all 30 teams are off.
*June 30 – The Chicago Cubs' Sammy Sosa hits his 33rd home run of the season in a game against the Arizona Diamondbacks.  Sosa's 20th home run in the month of June is a new MLB record for most home runs in one month.
*July 5 – Roger Clemens of the Toronto Blue Jays records his 3000th career strikeout.
*July 7 – The American League defeats the National League 13–8, in the 69th All–Star Game at Coors Field in Denver, Colorado. Baltimore's Roberto Alomar is named the game's MVP, going 3–for–4 with a home run, one RBI, one stolen base and two runs scored.
*July 9 – Bud Selig is elected as the 9th Commissioner of Baseball by a vote of club owners.
*July 17 – Rafael Palmeiro hits his 300th career home run, helping Baltimore Orioles beat Anaheim Angels 4-1.
*July 26 – Trevor Hoffman's bid to set a major league record with 42 straight saves ended when the San Diego closer gave up a home run to Moisés Alou on his first delivery in the ninth inning, tying the game. The Padres wound up beating Houston 5-4 in the 10th.

August–September

*August 4 – Carlos Delgado of the Toronto Blue Jays hits 3 home runs.
*August 9 – Dennis Martínez of the Atlanta Braves defeats the San Francisco Giants 7–5, for his 244th career victory, to set the record for most wins by a Latin American pitcher. Juan Marichal held the old mark. Chipper Jones backs Martínez' pitching with four hits and four RBIs.
*August 10 – At Qualcomm Stadium, the Wendelstedts become the first father and son duo to umpire in the same Major League game. Harry, umpiring in his final Major League season, serves as home plate umpire while his son Hunter, working in his first as a vacation substitute, serves as second base umpire in the Florida Marlins' 3-2 victory over the San Diego Padres. 
*August 13 – Harold Baines of the Baltimore Orioles becomes the all–time leader in RBI by a designated hitter when he drives in his 824th in a 7–4 win over the Indians. Hal McRae was the previous record–holder.
*August 14 – Baltimore catcher Chris Hoiles becomes the ninth player — and first catcher — to hit two grand slams in a single game, doing so in a 15–3 win over the Cleveland Indians.
*August 23 – Barry Bonds hits his 400th career home run.
*August 25 – The Toronto Blue Jays' Roger Clemens strikes out 18 in a 3–0 victory over the Kansas City Royals. He becomes the first pitcher ever to record three games of 18 or more strikeouts. Clemens allows only three hits and does not walk a batter.
*August 31 – Oakland's Rickey Henderson scores the 2,000th run of his career in the Athletics' 15–6 loss to Cleveland. He joins Ty Cobb, Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Pete Rose and Willie Mays as the only players to reach the milestone.
*September 1 – Mark McGwire hits his 56th and 57th home runs of the season, breaking Hack Wilson's National League record of 56 in 1930.
*September 4 – The New York Yankees win their 100th game of the season, defeating the Chicago White Sox 11–6, reaching that mark five days faster than the  Chicago Cubs and  Cleveland Indians.
*September 5 – Mark McGwire becomes the third player in major league history to reach 60 home runs, as the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Cincinnati Reds 7-0. McGwire joins Babe Ruth and Roger Maris with 60 home runs in a single season.
*September 6 – Atlanta's Andruw Jones hits his 50th career home run in a 4–0 win over the New York Mets. He becomes the 3rd–youngest player in history to reach that level; only Mel Ott and Tony Conigliaro did so at a younger age.
*September 7 – Ken Griffey, Jr. hits his fiftieth home run of the season, becoming the third player (Babe Ruth and Mark McGwire) to hit 50 or more home runs in consecutive seasons.
*September 8 – Mark McGwire breaks Roger Maris' 37-year-old home run record, lining historic No. 62 just over the wall in left field with two outs in the fourth inning. McGwire's solo shot off the Chicago Cubs' Steve Trachsel—among the shortest he would hit all year—sets off a wild celebration at Busch Stadium.  The Cubs' Sammy Sosa, who hit his 58th home run earlier in the game, is on the field to congratulate McGwire, creating an iconic image of the 1998 home run race.  In the sixth inning of the same game, the Cardinals' J. D. Drew makes his major league debut pinch-hitting for pitcher Kent Mercker.
*September 11 – The Florida Marlins lose to the Atlanta Braves 8–2, to become the first World Series champion in history to lose 100 games the next season.
*September 15 – Ken Griffey, Jr. hits homer #52 and drives in the 1,000th run of his career in the Mariners 12–7 win over the Twins. He becomes the fourth-youngest player in history to reach the milestone, after Mel Ott, Jimmie Foxx and Lou Gehrig. A day later, Griffey would collect his 20th stolen base of the season to become just the third player in major league history to record at least 50 homers and 20 steals in the same season; Willie Mays and Brady Anderson are the others.
*September 16 – Mike Piazza hits his 200th career home run helping the New York Mets beat the Houston Astros 4-3.
*September 17 – Denny Neagle puts the Atlanta Braves pitching staff into the baseball record books as he limits the Arizona Diamondbacks to four hits in six innings for a 1-0 win. Neagle improves to 15-11, making the Braves the first major league team with five 15-game winners since the  Washington Senators. Neagle joins Tom Glavine, Greg Maddux, John Smoltz and Kevin Millwood.
*September 19 – Alex Rodriguez of the Seattle Mariners hits his 40th home run of the season and becomes the third player (José Canseco and Barry Bonds) to join the 40–40 club.
*September 20 – Cal Ripken, Jr. of the Baltimore Orioles takes himself out of the lineup prior to the game with the New York Yankees to end his major league record consecutive game streak at 2,632. The Orioles lose the historic game by a score of 5–4. Ryan Minor, Ripken's replacement at 3B, gets one hit in four at bats.
*September 21 – Jason Kendall of the Pittsburgh Pirates steals his 26th base of the season to set a new NL record for catchers. The previous mark was set by John Stearns in .
*September 23 – At Milwaukee County Stadium, Sammy Sosa hits his 64th and 65th home runs as the Chicago Cubs jump out to a 7-0 lead against the Milwaukee Brewers. However, the Brewers erase the deficit by scoring eight runs in the last three innings, the last three coming when Brant Brown drops a Geoff Jenkins fly ball with two out in the ninth inning; the error allows Mark Loretta, Jeff Cirillo and Jeromy Burnitz to score. The Cubs stay tied with the San Francisco Giants for the wildcard lead when they could have led by one game with three games left. Ironically, the error comes 90 years to the day of "Merkle's Boner", which led to the Cubs ultimately winning the National League pennant and, to date, their last World Series title.
*September 24 – Boston Red Sox pitcher Tom Gordon records his 42nd consecutive save of the year for a new major league mark as Boston defeats the Baltimore Orioles 9–6. Rod Beck and Trevor Hoffman shared the old mark.
*September 25 – Just hours after Sammy Sosa hits his league-leading 66th home run, pulling ahead of Mark McGwire for the first time all season, McGwire hits his 66th in a game against the Montreal Expos.
*September 26 – Dennis Eckersley gets a standing ovation from the Fenway Park crowd as he appears in his 1,071st game, breaking Hoyt Wilhelm's record for most appearances by a pitcher.
*September 26 – The St. Louis Cardinals' Mark McGwire hits his 67th and 68th home runs against the Montreal Expos, pulling two ahead of the Chicago Cubs' Sammy Sosa, who goes 2-for-4 but fails to homer against the Houston Astros.
*September 27 – The Cincinnati Reds defeat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 4–1. Cincinnati uses a pair of brothers in the  infield: Bret Boone (2B) and his brother Aaron (3B);  Barry Larkin (SS) and his brother Stephen (1B).
*September 27 – In the St. Louis Cardinals' final game of the season, Mark McGwire hits two home runs against the Montreal Expos for the second straight night, establishing a new MLB record with 70 home runs in a season.  Sammy Sosa fails to hit a home run in the Cubs' 4-3 loss to the Houston Astros, leaving him at 66 homers.  However, the Cubs loss forces a one-game playoff with the San Francisco Giants for the National League wild card, giving Sosa one final chance to reach McGwire.
*September 27 – In the San Diego Padres' final regular season game, left fielder Greg Vaughn hits his 50th home run of the season, a career high and a San Diego Padres record for home runs in a season.  This marks the first time in major league history that four players – Vaughn (50), Griffey (56), Sosa (66) and McGwire (70) – hit at least 50 home runs in the same season.  Also during this game, Trevor Hoffman records his 53rd save of the season, tying the National League record set by the Cubs' Randy Myers in 1993.
*September 27 – The New York Yankees win their seventh-straight game, defeating the Tampa Bay Devil Rays 8-3.  The Yankees finish the season with an American League record 114 wins.
*September 27 – In recording his first-ever Major League win, a 2-1 decision over the Detroit Tigers at the SkyDome, Roy Halladay of the Toronto Blue Jays, a week removed from his Major League debut, has what would have been the second no-hitter in Blue Jay history broken up by a Bobby Higginson home run with two out in the ninth, the only hit he will allow. The no-hitter also would have been the third to be pitched on the final day of a regular season, joining the combination of Vida Blue, Glenn Abbott, Paul Lindblad and Rollie Fingers in  and Mike Witt's perfect game in . The home run ball is caught, ironically, by Dave Stieb—himself a three-time victim of a no-hitter being broken up with two out in the ninth (his last two starts of the  season and a perfect game bid in ) before finally pitching the Blue Jays' only no-hitter to date, in .
*September 28 – In a one-game playoff, the Chicago Cubs defeat the San Francisco Giants 5-3 to secure the final playoff spot in the National League.  For the third game in a row, the Cubs' Sammy Sosa gets two hits, but no home runs, leaving him at 66 home runs for the season; four fewer than Mark McGwire, who pulled ahead of Sosa with five home runs in his final three games.

October–December

*World Series: New York Yankees win 4 games to 0 over the San Diego Padres. The Series MVP is Scott Brosius, Yankees third baseman.  The Yankees end the season with a major league record 125 combined regular season and postseason wins.
*Tom Glavine of the Atlanta Braves wins his second National League Cy Young Award in an extremely close vote over two San Diego Padres pitchers: Trevor Hoffman and Kevin Brown.  Glavine, who receives 11 first-place votes to Hoffman's 13 (Brown receives the remaining 8), becomes the first National League pitcher since the league instituted its four-vote system in 1970 to win the award despite receiving fewer first-place votes than another player.  Glavine tallied 99 points (Hoffman – 88, Brown – 76), with 5 points being awarded for each first place vote, 3 for each second-place vote, 2 for third, and 1 for fourth.  Another oddity is the fact that Hoffman, Brown, and Rod Beck (who did not receive a single point in the Cy Young Award voting) finished higher than Glavine in the MVP voting, despite Glavine's Braves finishing with the best record in the National League. 
*November 9 – It is revealed that Hall of Fame pitcher Jim "Catfish" Hunter is suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, the progressive, ultimately fatal neurological condition better known as Lou Gehrig's disease.
*November 30 – The Arizona Diamondbacks sign free agent Randy Johnson to a 4-year contract worth approximately $50 million. 
*December 12 – The Dodgers set the salary bar higher by signing free agent Kevin Brown to a 7-year, $105 million contract, the largest in the majors.

Movies

*Babe Ruth (TV)
* BASEketball
*Life and Times of Hank Greenberg, The
* Major League: Back to the Minors

Deaths

January–April

*January 11 – Joe Becker, 89, catcher for the Cleveland Indians from 1936–37, later a pitching coach for the Dodgers, Cardinals and Cubs
*January 29 – Anna Mae Hutchison, 72, two-time All-Star pitcher who posted several all-time and single-season records in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
*January 30 – Lucille Colacito, 76, AAGPBL catcher for the Kenosha Comets from 1944 through 1945
*February 5 – Marv Olson, 90, second baseman who played in the early 1930s for the Boston Red Sox
*February 8 – Betty Foss, 68, All-Star first woman and two-time champion bat in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
*February 11 – Mike Fornieles, 66, All-Star relief pitcher for four AL teams who led league in saves in 1960
*February 18 – Harry Caray, 83, beloved and much-parodied broadcaster for the Cardinals, White Sox and Cubs since 1945
*March 23 – Joseph Jessup, 83, pitcher in the Negro leagues from 1940 to 1948
*April 11 – Doris Tetzlaff, 77, infielder and coach during ten seasons in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
*April 26 – Gabe Paul, 88, general manager of the Cincinnati Reds, Houston Colt .45s, and Cleveland Indians from 1951 to 1973, later part owner of the Yankees
*April 27 – John Irvin Kennedy, 71, first black player in Philadelphia Phillies history

May–August

*May 9 – Ray Noble, 79, Cuban catcher in the Negro Leagues, later a reserve with the New York Giants
*May 16 – Rufino Linares, 47, Dominican left fielder for the Atlanta Braves who hit .298 for 1982 division champions
*June 4 – Shirley Povich, 92, sportswriter for The Washington Post since 1924
*June 7 – Tom Buskey, 51, relief pitcher who played from 1973 through 1980 for the New York Yankees, Cleveland Indians and Toronto Blue Jays.
*June 10 – Jim Hearn, 77, All-Star pitcher for the Cardinals and NY Giants who won 17 games for New York's 1951 pennant winners
*June 21 – Al Campanis, 81, general manager of the Dodgers from 1968 to 1987 who was fired after making racially controversial remarks in a 1987 TV interview; previously a scout for 18 years
*July 1 – Ed Connolly, 57, pitched in the 1960s for the Boston Red Sox and Cleveland Indians
*July 19 – Elmer Valo, 77, Czech right fielder who batted .300 five times for the Philadelphia and Kansas City Athletics; later a minor league manager and scout
*July 27 – Bill Tuttle, 69, center fielder for three AL teams who batted .300 for the 1959 Kansas City Athletics
*August 6 – Jack Brickhouse, 82, broadcaster for the Cubs from 1941–1981, also with the White Sox for over 20 years
*August 17 – Johnny Lipon, 75, shortstop for the Tigers who scored 104 runs in 1950; later a minor league manager
*August 17 – Jim Murray, 79, sportswriter for the Los Angeles Times since 1961 who won a Pulitzer Prize and was named the nation's best sportswriter 14 times

September–December

*September 17 – Chet Hoff, 107, pitcher for the New York Highlanders and St. Louis Browns who became the longest-lived major league player
*September 30 – Dan Quisenberry, 45, All-Star relief pitcher for the Kansas City Royals who led the AL in saves a record five times and posted the first 40-save season in history; held AL career record from 1987 to 1992 and was Cy Young runnerup twice
*October 2 – Gene Autry, 91, owner of the Angels since their formation in 1961 who hoped in vain for the team's first pennant, watching the team fall achingly short three times
*October 6 – Mark Belanger, 54, All-Star shortstop and eight-time Gold Glove winner for the Baltimore Orioles, later a players' union official
*October 10 – Strick Shofner, 79, third baseman for the 1947 Boston Red Sox
*October 14 – Denny Galehouse, 86, pitcher who won 109 games with the Indians, Red Sox and Browns, and Game 1 of 1944 World Series
*October 21 – Phil Haugstad, 74, pitcher for the Brooklyn Dodgers and Cincinnati Reds between 1947 and 1952
*October 30 – George Schmees, 74, first baseman/outfielder/pitcher for the St. Louis Browns and Boston Red Sox in the 1950s
*November 10 – Hal Newhouser, 77, Hall of Fame pitcher for the Detroit Tigers who won back-to-back MVP awards in 1944-45; led AL in wins four times and in ERA and strikeouts twice each; struck out 10 in Game 7 victory in 1945 World Series
*November 16 – Russ Meyer, 75, pitcher who won over 90 games for the Cubs, Phillies and Dodgers, known as the "Mad Monk" for his fiery temper
*November 20 – Dick Sisler, 78, All-Star first baseman and left fielder for three NL teams whose closing day home run brought the Phillies the 1950 pennant
*November 23 – Bob Betts, 70, public announcer at Milwaukee County Stadium for 23 seasons
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