Sosa Rips No. 63 In Cubs Win

Sammy Sosa tied Mark McGwire in grand style.

Sosa hit his 63rd home run, a tiebreaking grand slam in the eighth inning Wednesday night for the Chicago Cubs against San Diego.

With flashbulbs popping and most of the crowd of 49,891 on its feet, Sosa drove a 1-0 pitch from Brian Boehringer 434 feet into the second deck in left field, highlighting a 6-3 victory.

Sosa and McGwire, tied for the most home runs in a season, each have nine games left. In Sosa's previous at-bat, he hit a two-run double.

"I think 62, 63 are pretty good for me," Sosa said. "Now I want to take my team to the playoffs."

"Right now, I feel great," he said. "The game tonight was unbelievable."

Sosa had tied McGwire at 62 Sunday when he connected twice in a stunning performance at Wrigley Field. That gave him four homers in three days.

McGwire went back ahead when he hit his 63rd when he pinch-hit for the Cardinals in the ninth inning of the first game of a doubleheader Tuesday night.

Sosa's bases-loaded double in the seventh inning gave the Cubs a 2-0 lead over the Padres.

The slam was Sosa's 22nd career homer against the Padres, the most against any opponent. He went 1-for-9 with six strikeouts in the first two games of this four-game series.

Sosa made a strong case for MVP after hitting No. 63. (AP)

Before the game, Sosa was relaxed as he met with the media on the field. He had been holding pregame news conferences in the Chargers' locker room at Qualcomm Stadium, but wanted a change of scenery after striking out four times Monday night and twice while going 1-for-5 on Tuesday.

He said he spoke with his mother by telephone from the Dominican Republic on Tuesday night and she told him: "It's OK. Don't worry. Tomorrow is another day. Be patient. Take your time."

When reporters ran out of questions, Sosa said: "Don't go -- you have any more questions?"

Someone asked Sosa what question he might have for the media. He thought for a minute, looking up at the sky at one point, and said: "I know -- what did Mark McGwire do today? Did he get 64?"

He didn't, so the two are tied. Sosa will have a chance to jump ahead on Thursday when he faces rookie Stan Spencer. The Cardinals are off Thursday.

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