May 22, 1999, may well be the reason the Los Angeles Dodgers would one day hire Mark McGwire as their hitting coach. McGwire sent the ball thrown by then-rookie Jamie Arnold in the eighth inning 483 feet to left-center field for his second homer of the night. The ball bounced off the top of the…
Fernando Tatis of the St. Louis Cardinals becomes the first player in major league history to hit two grand slams in one inning. Tatis connects both times in the 11-run 3rd inning against pitcher Chan Ho Park to lead the Cardinals to a 12 – 5 rout of the Los Angeles Dodgers. He simultaneously sets a record with eight RBI in one inning. Park becomes the first pitcher in the 20th century, and only the second ever, to surrender two slams in a single frame, joining Bill Phillips of the 1890 Pittsburgh Alleghenys.
St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Mark McGwire is named by the Associated Press as the Male Athlete of the Year.
At Milwaukee’s County Stadium, Cardinals’ first baseman Mark McGwire extends his home run record to 65 and should have had his 66th homer of the season, but his fly ball to center field is ruled a ground rule double due to fan interference, which video replays clearly show as the wrong call. Big Mac’s first inning round-tripper, his 32nd hit as a visiting player, breaks George Foster’s 1977 National League and ties 1927 Babe Ruth’s records for home runs hit on the road.
At Shea Stadium, Cardinal first baseman Mark McGwire becomes the first player in major league history to hit 50 home runs in three consecutive seasons. Mac’s 7th-inning solo shot helps to defeat the Mets, 2 – 0.
1998 – Mark McGwire hits a home run in his fourth consecutive game to start the season to tie the mark set by Willie Mays in 1971. McGwire’s home run helps lead the Cardinalspast the Padres, 8 – 6, and also ties another league mark as it is his seventh long ball in a six-game stretch, dating back to 1997.
In a 7-6 loss to the Giants, Cardinal Mark McGwire becomes only the second player in major league history to hit 50 home runs in consecutive seasons. Babe Ruth accomplished the feat twice, in the 1920-21 and 1927-28 seasons.
On April 19, 1997, a major league game is played in Hawaii for the first time. The St. Louis Cardinals and San Diego Padres play a doubleheader at Aloha Stadium, with the Cardinals winning both games, 1-0 and 2-1.
Gary Gaetti hits a grand slam off Greg Maddux to lead the St. Louis Cardinals to an 8 – 3 win over the Atlanta Braves and a tie of the NLCS. Todd Stottlemyre gets the victory.
At Riverfront Stadium, in a game that is not embraced by the local fans or Cincinnati owner Marge Schott, the new season begins with the first Sunday night opener ever played in major league history. On a frigid Easter Sunday evening, the Cardinals beat the Reds in the controversial contest, 6-4, in front of the smallest opening day crowd in the ballpark’s 24-year history.
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