Sosa Hits 61 And Cubs Win

Sammy Sosa's not slowing down. Not after reaching 60 homers again. Certainly not with Mark McGwire coming to town.

"I'm looking forward to having a great series. Just wait and see what happens tomorrow," Sosa said after hitting his 61st homer Sunday and then scoring the winning run in the 10th as the Chicago Cubs beat the Milwaukee Brewers 8-7.

Sosa, the first man to reach 60 twice, leads McGwire by three after the Cardinals' slugger hit two Sunday against Houston. The Cubs and St. Louis begin a three-game series Monday at Wrigley Field.

Before last year, Roger Maris had been the only player in history to hit 61 home runs. McGwire finished with 70 last season to Sosa's 66.

How badly does Sosa want to win the home-run title after falling four short a year ago?

"If it is there for me, it's going to happen. But if it doesn't, I'm still a happy man," Sosa said.

The Cubs tied Sunday's game on Glenallen Hill's pinch-hit, two-run homer off Mike Myers in the bottom of the ninth.

In the bottom of the 10th, Sosa led off with a single to right off Hector Ramirez (1-2) and raced to third when Mark Grace's grounder went through first baseman Mark Loretta's legs for a two-base error. After an intentional walk to Shane Andrews loaded the bases, Benito Santiago hit drive over Jeromy Burnitz's head in right.

"I just wanted to get on base. Because I have hit so many home runs, people forget that we can win the game with a base hit too or a walk," Sosa said.

"Sometimes they think I'm only going to go up there and hit it for the fence. No way."

Sosa, who on Saturday became the first player to twice reach 60, connected for a two-run shot in the first. It came with a 16 mph wind blowing out and landed on a side street outside of Wrigley Field, hit a car windshield on the bounce and ended up in a yard with fans chasing the souvenir.

"It's one of the farthest balls I've ever seen. If I didn't know Sammy, I'd think there was cork in the bat," joked Milwaukee manager Jim Lefebvre, Sosa's first manager with the Cubs.

"That was something to behold. It was more like a $3 cab ride. Tell him I'm sorry I had to see it."

Two batters later, Andrews hit a solo shot to make it 3-0 off Hideo Nomo.

Jeff Cirillo hit a two-run homer in the second and added an RBI single off Cubs starter Kyle Farnsworth's left foot to tie it in the third.

Roosevelt Brown doubled in the third and scored when Mark Grace tripled to make it 4-3.

Milwaukee tied it in the fifth on Loretta's double and Burnitz's RBI grounder.

The Cubs took a 5-4 lead in the sixth as Jeff Reed singled, took second on left fielder Geoff Jenkins' error and later scored on Nomo's wild pitch.

Milwaukee was on its way to another win Sunday when Kevin Barker hit a three-run homer off Terry Adams in the seventh to give the Brewers a 7-5 lead. But Hill tied it in the bottom of the ninth with his 19th homer.

Rick Aguilera (6-3) pitched the 10th for the win.

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