One Away From McGwire Dinger
Baseball fans will be on the edge of their bleachers Tuesday night when the St. Louis Cardinals play the Chicago Cubs. On Tuesday, some 50,000 people will cram into the St. Louis stadium hoping to see history made, CBS News Correspondent Bob McNamara reports.
On his father's 61st birthday, and with record hitter Roger Maris' family in the stands, Cardinals star Mark McGwire hit his home run number 61 Monday.
"Here it comes to McGwire," Cardinals broadcaster Jack Buck said as the ball came toward the plate. "Look at there! Look at there! Look at there! McGwire Number 61! Home run McGwire! History! Bedlam!"
McGwire's son, Matt, arrived from California just moments before his father made history. The slugger raised his 10-year-old son (who is also the Cardinal's batboy) into the air after the hit. The moment was also stirring for the Cubs' Sammy Sosa.
Sosa, who has 58 home runs and has been neck-in-neck with McGwire for the record, was in right field when Maris' record was tied.
He offered his congratulations, but was disappointed at his homerless game.
"It was just a tough day," he said. "You can't go up there every day and be the hero."
McGwire needed only 144 games to surpass Babe Ruth's 60 homers in 1927 and equal Maris' mark from 1961. McGwire's predecessors hit their dingers in the final games of their seasons. Ruth played when the schedule was 154 games, Maris under the current 162-game format.
"I don't think I'll ever let go of the moment," said McGwire. "I don't know if I'll ever be here again. The whole time I just thought, 'What a great birthday present for my father!' And that's all I thought."
"As soon as it left my bat, I put my hands up. I knew at that time and what a feeling it was, I'll tell ya," McGwire said.
The historic ball was recovered by Cardinal fan Mike Davidson of St. Louis.
"The ball hit the restaurant, came down, bounced off about five people's hands, rolled underneath my seat. I picked it up," Davidson said.
Davidson said McGwire could have the ball.
"I figured it would be more aggravation dealing with people that come out of the woodwork when people win the lottery than just giving the ball to mark McGwire for him to appreciate," Davidson said.
McGwire did not let the chance pass to pay tribute to the family of the man whose record he tied.
"I looked over to the left, saw the Marises over there, pointed upstairs and pointed to my heart and said, 'Roger's with me'."
"I admire everything that Roger has gone through," McGwire said. "'Cause I know what he's gone through now."
The hope here is that McGwire can homer Tuesday night, because Wednesday night the Cardinals go on to Cincinnati for a series and then Houston after that.
The St. Louis Cardinals is one of the most storied franchises in baseball history. They have had people like Dizzy Dean, Stan the Man, and now thy have Mark McGwire to add to that.