SOSA TURNS UP VOLUME; HE HITS NO. 57; MCGWIRE QUIET.Byline: Ben Walker Associated Press Associated Press: see news agency. Associated Press (AP) Cooperative news agency, the oldest and largest in the U.S. and long the largest in the world. A silent day, a silent night for Mark McGwire After skipping a pregame press conference called just for him, McGwire went 0 for 3 with a walk Friday as the St. Louis Cardinals For the National Football League team that played in St. Louis from 1960 to 1987, see . The St. Louis Cardinals (also referred to as "the Cards" or "the Redbirds") are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. lost to the Cincinnati Reds. While McGwire stayed stuck on 59 home runs, the chase for history got even closer. His rival for Roger Maris' record of 61, Sammy Sosa Samuel Sosa Peralta (born November 12 1968 in San Pedro de Macorís, Dominican Republic) is a designated hitter for the Texas Rangers of the American League. His Major League career began when he broke in with the Texas Rangers in 1989. , hit No. 57 for the Chicago Cubs in a 5-2 win at Pittsburgh. ``Yeah, I'm pulling for Mark. He's going to do it,'' said Sosa, who watched on the Three Rivers Stadium • • [ video board as McGwire's night was updated. ``I was ready to clap if I saw him do it.'' A season-high crowd of 48,076 at Busch Stadium This article is about the current sports venue in St. Louis, Missouri that opened in 2006. For the stadium in St. Louis that operated from 1966 to 2005, see Busch Memorial Stadium. For the ballpark known as "Busch Stadium" from 1953 to 1966, see Sportsman's Park. clearly came to see McGwire. Many fans headed for the concession stands and restrooms after he walked in the fifth inning - even though that loaded the bases for the Cardinals - and others left after he struck out in the seventh. No matter, everybody at the ballpark was talking about McGwire - except McGwire. When it came time for Friday afternoon's press gathering, McGwire was a no-show. Down the hallway from the pregame hustle, McGwire was sitting alone in the St. Louis clubhouse, reading the story about himself in the latest issue of Sports Illustrated Sports Illustrated is the largest weekly American sports magazine owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. It has over 3 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men, 19% of the adult males in the country. . McGwire went into his game on a tear, having hit 12 homers in 16 days, including two in each of his last two games. He now has 22 games left to break Maris' mark. Time and time again in the last month, McGwire showed a talent to top Sosa by hitting home runs on the same day as the Cubs star. ``I think it's coincidental,'' Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said. ``I also think it's a real healthy competition. It's much better for Player A if Player B and Player C are having great years.'' McGwire flied out to medium right field in the first inning, struck out swinging at a 93 mph fastball in the third and walked on a full-count pitch in the fifth against starter Pete Harnisch
The crowd in the lower deck Noun 1. lower deck - the deck below the main deck third deck deck - any of various platforms built into a vessel stood throughout McGwire's at-bats, and flashbulbs popped on each pitch. Surprisingly, there were some empty seats in the stands, even though the crowd was announced as a sellout. McGwire has hit a home run against every team in the NL this season except the Reds, going just 2-for-16 - both singles - with 12 walks, five of them intentional. Cincinnati is 7-0 against St. Louis this year. In Pittsburgh, Sosa broke Hack Wilson's Chicago Cubs record and drove in the go-ahead run. ``We got the win. I got the home run. I got the record. That's something there,'' Sosa said. Sosa, who has now homered against every NL team this season, hit a 2-0 pitch from Jason Schmidt Jason David Schmidt (born January 29, 1973 in Lewiston, Idaho) is a Major League Baseball pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers. On December 6, 2006 he, signed with the LA Dodgers,and received a three-year, $47 million contract. off a right-field auxiliary scoreboard in the first inning to break Wilson's 68-year-old record. His homer drew Homer Drew is the head coach of the Valparaiso University Crusader men's basketball team. His younger son, Bryce Drew, currently serves as an associate coach under him on the men's basketball team, and his elder son Scott Drew is the head coach of Baylor University's men's a curtain call from an enthusiastic crowd of 36,510 that passed up a western Pennsylvania tradition - the first night of the high school football season - to possibly see history. Sosa was 2-for-5 with a single, scored twice and reached base four times, the last two on errors. Today against Cincinnati, McGwire faces former Dodgers pitcher Dennis Reyes, with Brent Tomko working Sunday. Tomko recently said he wouldn't mind if he gave up the record-breaker, and he admitted his teammates ribbed him pretty good about the remark. ``If I did, looking back at it after a few years, you'd say you were a part of history,'' he said. ``It wouldn't be a disappointment.'' Besides, McGwire's pursuit has become the main topic in the Reds locker room. ``A lot of people are chattering about it,'' Tomko said. ``Like if you were playing third base and he hit it, would you give him a high-five?' '' CAPTION(S): 4 Photos PHOTO (1--Color) Sammy Sosa watches his first-inning home run - No. 57 - sail off Pittsburgh's Jason Schmidt. Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press (2) Mark McGwire's 0-for-3 night included this third-inning strikeout against Cincinnati's Pete Harnisch Friday night in St. Louis. John Gaps III/Associated Press (3--Color) MARK McGWIRE Today's opponent: Cincinnati Starting pitcher: Carlos Reyes Career vs. pitcher: 0 for 1 (4--Color) SAMMY SOSA Today's opponent: Pittsburgh Starting pitcher: Sean Lawrence Career vs. pitcher: Never faced |
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