Mac Daddy: McGwire Blasts No. 43

Mark McGwire hit his major-league-leading 43rd home run, tying the Cardinals' record for homers in a season, and Ray Lankford hit a grand slam as St. Louis beat San Diego 13-1 Monday night.

McGwire went 4-for-4, tying his career-high for hits, and extended his record for most homers by the end of July with a two-run shot into the second deck estimated at 458 feet. His 43 homers match the team record set by Johnny Mize in 1940.

San Diego's Greg Vaughn also homered into the second deck, a 433-shot in the second inning. It was Vaughn's 35th homer of the season and fifth in four games.

Prior to the game, only 19 homers had been hit into the second deck in 30 seasons.

Lankford hit his fourth career grand slam and 16th homer of the season in a five-run ninth that gave St. Louis its most lopsided victory and the Padres their worst loss of the year. San Diego had its five-game winning streak snapped.

After Mark Langston (3-3) allowed Lankford's single leading off the fifth, Brian Boehringer came on to face McGwire. He threw a 2-1 pitch right down the middle and McGwire muscled it out.

St. Louis' top three hitters went 9-for-13 with three homers, nine RBI and seven runs scored. Royce Clayton homered, tripled and scored twice, and Lankford was 3-for-5 with five RBI and three runs scored.

Clayton hit a solo homer in the third off Langston, and Gary Gaetti led off the eighth with a homer off Boehringer.

Cardinals starter Matt Morris allowed three hits, including Vaughn's homer, and relievers Lance Painer, John Frascatore and Jeff Brantley combined for 2 2/3 innings of hitless relief. Morris (1-0) struck out four and walked one in 6 1/3 innings in his third start since coming off the disabled list on July 10.

The Cardinals nearly hit for the cycle off Langston in the first inning, yet got only one run. Clayton tripled off the left-field wall and scored on Lankford's double. Lankford tried to score on McGwire's single to left, but was thrown out by Vaughn even though catcher Carlos Hernandez had the ball knocked out of his glove.

Jordan hit an RBI single in the third and Pat Kelly a sacrifice fly in the fourth.

Langston allowed five runs and eight hits in four-plus innings.

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