BIG MAC'S MARK: 70! MCGWIRE GOES OUT WITH 2 BANGS.

Byline: Ben Walker Associated Press 

Pitch by pitch, batter by batter, baseball history was changing Sunday.

Mark McGwire hit No. 69, then homered again to set a number that might stand for another generation - 70.

The Cubs lost at the Astrodome, then got a second chance a minute later when the Giants lost at Colorado. It'll be Chicago vs. San Francisco at Wrigley Field today in a one-game playoff for the National League wild-card spot.

Bernie Williams won the American League batting title over Mo Vaughn, barely. A rookie came within one out of a no-hitter. The New York Yankees finished with an AL record 114 victories.

What a day!

And there was even more on the final day of the regular season.

Paul Molitor got his 3,319th - and perhaps last - hit in the big leagues. The Cincinnati Reds assembled the majors' first all-brother infield - a pair of Larkins, a pair of Boones. Ruben Amaro Jr. got the winning hit in his final major league game, then left to become Philadelphia's assistant general manager.

Rookie Roy Halladay started the rush, nearly pitching a no-hitter in just his second major league game. The 21-year-old Toronto right-hander lost his bid when Detroit pinch-hitter Bobby Higginson homered with two outs in the ninth inning at Toronto's SkyDome.

Dave Stieb, the only Toronto pitcher to throw a no-hitter, caught Higginson's ball after it bounced off a wall in the Blue Jays bullpen.

``Stieb told me congratulations,'' Halladay said. ``To have him acknowledge something like that made me feel good, and hopefully somewhere down the road I'll get a chance to do it again.''

Then it was McGwire's turn to make more history. The slugger who hit a grand slam on opening day ended his season with a smash - two of them, that is.

McGwire connected twice in the St. Louis Cardinals' game against Montreal, a startling finish to a race in which he and Sammy Sosa of the Cubs spent the year chasing Roger Maris' 37-year-old record of 61 home runs.

``I've never even thought about it, dreamed about it,'' he said. ``It's absolutely amazing! It blows me away!''

Baseball actually spilled over into football when, across town, the announcement of McGwire's home run cost the St. Louis Rams a 5-yard penalty. A huge cheer erupted at the Trans World Dome and seemed to disrupt the Rams' play calling, leading to an illegal motion penalty.

``Did the Rams win?'' McGwire asked. Told they lost 20-17 to Arizona, he said, ``Oh, I hope I didn't cause a loss.''

The Cubs, Giants and the New York Mets all lost chances Sunday. While the Mets fell out of contention, Chicago and San Francisco will meet in the NL's first one-game playoff since Houston beat Los Angeles in 1980.

Chicago was beaten 4-3 in 11 innings at Houston. But as some of the Cubs were walking off the field, they heard the result from Colorado - Rockies 9, Giants 8, on a home run by Neifi Perez.

``I'm halfway up the stairs coming to the clubhouse, and people were in here celebrating,'' said Cubs closer Rod Beck. ``I knew it wasn't because we did good. People were jumping up and down shouting, There's a tomorrow! There's a tomorrow!''

CAPTION(S):

4 photos

PHOTO (1 -- color) St. Louis Cardinals slugger Mark McGwire enjoys the moment Sunday after his season-ending 70th home run against the Montreal Expos.

Mary Butkus/Associated Press

(2 -- color) Mark McGwire exults as he rounds the bases after clouting his 70th home run in the seventh inning Sunday at Busch Stadium in St. Louis.

Amy Sancetta/Associated Press

(3 -- color) Sammy Sosa, left, and the Cubs lost to Houston on Sunday, forcing a tie-breaker game with the San Francisco Giants today for N.L. Wild Card spot.

(4 -- color) no caption (McGwire swings at ball)

John Gaps III/Associated Press