A biography of Mark McGwire, one of baseball's hottest sluggers, following his quest for the all-time single-season home run record. The powerhouse player who's revolutionizing the game... In 1998, Mark McGwire made baseball history by breaking the legendary 61-home-run record set by Roger Maris in 1961. Not only did the outstanding Cardinals player break Maris' mark, he surpassed it by hitting 70 in one season! Find out all the facts on McGwire, from his childhood in Southern California to his time with the Oakland A's, to his major league comeback with the St. Louis Cardinals. Learn what it takes to make baseball superstardom-and how to hit a home run on all of life's playing fields. With eight pages of photos, plus new information on McGwire's record-breaking season!

Meet baseball's greatest kings of swing--back to back--in this fabulous, all-in-one flip book filled with facts, superstar stats, and an eight-page souvenir photo insert.

Presents a homer-by-homer review of the St. Louis Cardinal slugger's single-season home run record.

The 1998 major league baseball season was truly one for the ages, complete with record-breaking individual and team performances. In HOME RUN HEROES, the writers of SPORTS ILLUSTRATED chronicle Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa's epic march to and beyond Babe Ruth's 60 and Roger Maris's 61 home runs, depicting the drama of the race that captivated fans the world over. HOME RUN HEROES relives every thrilling moment in perhaps the greatest home run dual of all time between Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire. McGwire set the pace as he broke Mari's record with his shortest home run of the year, missing first base during his home run trot and finally reaching home plate whereupon he joyfully lifted his baby son into the air. Sammy Sosa then ran from rightfield to congratulate his friend and competitor. Sosa then made a little history of his own when a few nights later, at Wrigley Field against the Milwaukee Brewers, he dropped Maris and Ruth to numbers three and four on the all time single-season home run list. It was a close thing, but Sosa finished the season with 66 home runs, McGwire finished with 70.

After Babe Ruth erased Buck Freeman's record in 1919, the new mark stood for 34 years before Maris bettered it, defying as he did an incredulous sporting public. And just as fans' anger grew old and Maris was grudgingly credited--or discredited--with an unrepeatable hot streak, along came Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa, two goliaths who in 1998 and the years just after proved fans wrong again. But when in 2001, only three years after McGwire seemed to put the record beyond reach, Barry Bonds topped him by three. This time fans were staunch in their disbelief, and while many celebrated Bonds' achievement, others questioned its significance. This revised edition of Bill McNeil's Ruth, Maris, McGwire, and Sosa ("libraries especially will want this"--Library Journal) reviews the careers of each home run titan, with special attention to the record-breaking seasons. The cultural and social changes that may have affected both the players' season totals and fan reception are also considered.

Providing an inside look at his reclusive older brother, baseball slugger Mark McGwire, Jay McGwire also reveals the missing piece to baseball's steroids puzzle--revelations that will forever change the way baseball and its fans view Mark's accomplishments. color photo insert.

Home Run: The Year the Records Fell chronicles the record-setting home run chase of 1998 and features every home run by Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa. This attractive hardcover book is filled with interesting sidebars and loaded with color graphics and pictures. Some highlights include features on Ruth and Maris, McGwire's son Matt, Sosa's 20-homer month in June, statistics, notes, quotes, the All-Star Game home run contest, plus much more.

The legacy of power baseball.

Limited Leatherbound Edition. Limited to 1000 copies. Signed by Ozzie Smith and Rob Rains. Includes certificate of authenticity. Ozzie Smith has lived a legendary life of baseball, capped by the ultimate honor - induction into Cooperstown. The Wizard of Oz, best known for his on-field acrobatics and his ability to make the impossible play from shortstop, played in the major leagues for 19 years, the final 15 in St. Louis. He retired in 1996, was voted into the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility, ans was named to the All-Century team as one of the 100 best players in the 20th century. The brilliant, full-color photography in this book is the perfect complement to Ozzie Smith's sensational and colorful career.

Three of baseball's biggest heroes are profiled in this reader: Mark McGwire and his 500-plus career homeruns; Sammy Sosa's rise from poverty to international superstardom; and Ken Griffey, Jr.'s out-of-the-park record-breaking career. Illustrations.