McGwire Hits 56th & 57th HRs

Mark McGwire homered twice, raising his season total to 57 and breaking Hack Wilson's 68-year-old NL record with an electrifying performance that led the St. Louis Cardinals over the Florida Marlins 7-1 Tuesday night.

"It's a pretty awesome feat," McGwire said. "I'm totally excited."

McGwire homered against Livan Hernandez leading off the seventh inning, sending a 1-1 pitch an estimated 450 feet over the center-field wall.

"It hung up there so long, I wondered if it was ever going to come down," McGwire said.

Two innings later, he hit the first pitch from Donn Pall to almost the same spot. This time the estimated distance was 472 feet.

"They look like pingpong balls going out," Marlins manager Jim Leyland said. "I haven't seen anything like it."

The balls were retrieved on the tarp beyond center field by an 11-year-old and a 17-year-old. They turned the souvenirs in to the Cardinals in exchange for balls, bats, jerseys, tickets and a chance to meet McGwire.

It was McGwire's seventh multihomer game this season and the 50th of his career, leaving him four short of Roger Maris' record with 24 games left. He began the night tied with Sammy Sosa at 55 homers in their race to break Maris' 37-year-old record.

It took a while for both of McGwire's blasts to land Tuesday night. (AP)

McGwire is on a pace to finish with 67 homers.

"This is a great thing happening in baseball," he said. "We don't know if it'll ever happen again."

No. 56 landed on a tarp beyond the wall, and several boys scrambled for the souvenir as the crowd of 37,014 gave McGwire a standing ovation. He touched the plate with a big grin and playfully punched teammate Ron Gant in the stomach before returning to the dugout.

When the cheers continued, McGwire responded with a curtain call before the next batter stepped to the plate.

"It's a magical moment, what's happening with him and Sammy," Hernandez said. "All you could do was watch it and be part of the moment."

With one out and none on in the ninth, more than a dozen youngsters gathered on the tarp in anticipation of a homer -- and that's where McGwire hit it. There was another frenzied ovation, and another curtain call.

"Two curtain calls is an unbelievable feeling for an athlete," McGwire said. "It means a lot."

Pall said McGwire connected on a split-finger fastball.

"I don't want to be part of history," Pall said. "It means nothing to me. I don't care what number it is. I'll hold my head up high because I went after him with my best stuff."

Wilson's NL record of 56 homers was set in 1930 for the Chicago Cubs. He also had 190 RBI that season, still the major-league record. McGwire has driven in 121 runs.

Hack Wilson's mark is history. (AP)

Before his latest homers, McGwire was batting just .222 this season against the Marlins, who have the worst pitching staff in the league.

But McGwire hit a 545-footer, his longest of the season, against Hernandez in St. Louis on May 16.

"Two home runs, one mile," Hernandez joked.

The Marlins right-hander has allowed 31 homers this season -- third-most in the NL.

McGwire flied out to center in the first, and the crowd booed when he singled in the third. It was his 52nd single of the year.

As McGwire stepped to the plate leading off the fifth, the scoreboard briefly displayed an erroneous message saying Sosa had hit his 56th homer. McGwire then grounded out to second.

Matt Morris (5-4) allowed one run In seven innings. Gant hit his 22nd homer and Ray Lankford hit his 25th for the Cardinals.

St. Louis went ahead in the second on a two-out, two-run single by Delino DeShields. Placido Polanco's two-out RB single made the score 3-0 in the third, and Gant homered with the bases empty in the fifth.

Hernandez singled home the only run for the Marlins, who lost their sixth game straight.

Notes