Mac Hits No. 65 In Cards Win

The fan who interfered was kicked out of the stadium and cited for disorderly conduct, Brewers spokesman Jon Greenberg said. The County Sheriff's Department didn't release the man's name.

The yellow pipe was installed about 18 inches above the outfield wall padding after the 1982 World Series, when a fan reached down and snatched a ball from Ben Oglivie's grasp.

It has been the source of several disputes since, mostly because there's a chain-link fence between the padding and the yellow rail, making it difficult for umpires to tell for certain whether a ball clears the rail, hits right in front of it and bounces over or even if a fan reaches over.

Before Roger Maris set his record of 61 homers in 1961, commissioner Ford Frick declared any record would carry a "distinctive mark" if it did not beat Babe Ruth's mark of 60 in 154 games. McGwire surpassed Maris on Sept. 8 in is 145th game.

But now mighty Mac has a footnote of his own. And for now and forever, fans will wonder whether his total should have been one higher.

As is usually the case, there was no doubt about McGwire's 65th homer.

McGwire, who struck out four times Saturday night, gave St. Louis a 2-0 lead with a 423-foot shot in the first following a single by Fernando Tatis.

On a 2-1 pitch, McGwire sent a drive into the left-field bleachers, setting off a scramble for the ball. Charles Dombrowski, 21, of Wisconsin Rapids, came up with it.

He said he'd give it back to McGwire: "It's the right thing to do."

Dombrowski bought his ticket six weeks ago but almost didn't use it.

"We wanted to watch the Packers on TV," he explained.

McGwire went 3-for-4 with a walk. Needing a triple to hit for the cycle - his last triple came in 1988 - he struck out in the seventh inning and walked in the ninth.

Karl (9-11) also gave up homers to Pat Kelly, Ron Gant and pitcher Manny Aybar (6-6) before leaving the game after three innings trailing 6-0.

McGwire's last two homers have come at County Stadium, the ballpark where Hank Aaron hit his final home run for the career record of 755.

McGwire, who broke a tie for the home run lead Friday with a 417-foot two-run homer off Milwaukee rookie Rafael Roque, skipped batting practice Sunday before connecting for his 451st career homer, tying him with Carl Yastrzemski for 20th on the career list.

Although most of his teammates took regular batting practice, McGwire hit in the batting cage beneath County Stadium. La Russa said he had no doubt his slugger would bounce right back after his first four-whiff game of the year.

"If you're talking about the mental aspect of the game, you never have to worry about Mark," La Russa said. "He's been very strong mentally. He's been the same every day, all year."

McGwire's homer was his fourth against Milwaukee pitching, which has surrendered 10 homers to Sosa.

The Cardinals, who swept the three-game series with the Brewers, have six games to go, all at home, where McGwire has homered a record 33 times.

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