With Two Blasts, Sosa Draws Even in Race

Sosa watches No. 64 take flight. (Blake Sell - Reuters)

By Ric Bucher
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, September 24, 1998; Page C1

MILWAUKEE, Sept. 23 – Sammy Sosa erupted. The Chicago Cubs suffered a meltdown.

Sosa, scrutinizing every pitch like a jeweler coolly inspecting a diamond, drew three walks and banged his 64th and 65th home runs to end an 0-for-21 hitless streak in dramatic fashion and pull even with Mark McGwire in their historic home run race. But whatever thrill the Cubs got from Sosa breaking out of his slump was swallowed by left fielder Brant Brown dropping Geoff Jenkins's two-out ninth-inning fly ball that completed the Milwaukee Brewers' comeback from a seven-run deficit for an 8-7 win this afternoon at County Stadium.

"What happened to Brownie can happen to anyone who plays this game," Sosa said.

"I just felt like when the ball was hit it was going to be a tough play," said Cubs Manager Jim Riggleman. "We win as a team, we lose as a team. It's one unfortunate play that is going to make one guy feel pretty badly tonight."

The loss dropped the Cubs – at least temporarily – a half-game behind the New York Mets in the National League wild-card race. The Mets faced the Montreal Expos later tonight. The Cubs will complete the season with a three-game series in Houston against the Astros.

"No wind, no sun, no shadow," said Brown, who started backward on the slicing drive and then hurried forward only to have the ball hit off the heel of his glove. "I didn't go blind, I didn't panic. All I did was drop the ball."

Sosa, meanwhile, one day after conceding the home run title to McGwire, walked in his first two at-bats, then hit his first opposite-field home run in nearly two weeks. He followed that with a 410-foot full-count drive to dead center field. He splattered his name all over the record books in the process. Aside from tying – again, at least temporarily – McGwire for the most home runs hit in a season, the two home runs gave Sosa 11 multihomer games this season, tying Hank Greenberg's record set in 1938. The two home runs also gave him 156 RBI for the season, the fourth-highest total in major league history.

Although the home run race is tied, Sosa maintained he won't win. "Because, myself, I have to give up and sacrifice myself to be on base because of the situation I'm in," he said. "Mark doesn't have to do that. When you're swinging for the fence, you're swinging in a different way."

That Sosa did such damage against the Brewers is hardly a surprise, having collected six home runs in his last five games against them and having tattooed the Milwaukee staff for a season-high 12 home runs in all. Certain Brewers also have tried to be equally gracious to Sosa and McGwire. Rookie left-hander Rafael Roque, who served up Sosa's first home run, has the distinction of having given up home run No. 64 to both McGwire and Sosa; reliever Rod Henderson, who gave up the second home run, served up the ball that McGwire drove to the fence only to have second-base umpire Bob Davidson call it a ground-rule double (instead of home run No. 66) because of fan interference.

"I have to say, this is my lucky team," Sosa said.

Credit a small part of Sosa's opening two walks to his commitment to being more disciplined at the plate in light of the slump he brought into the game, but the larger share goes to Roque for throwing ball fours not remotely worthy of a swing. With runners on first and third and one out, Sosa faced a full count when Roque forced him to take ball four, throwing a pitch so far inside Sosa had to pull back to avoid getting hit.

Roque got out of the bases-loaded jam when Glenallen Hill grounded into an inning-ending double play, but he wasn't quite as fortunate the next time around, issuing four second-inning walks to provide one Cubs run and balking in a second with two outs and an 0-2 count on Mark Grace. The next inning Roque walked Sosa for the second time, on five pitches, and Sosa scored the Cubs' third run when Jenkins misplayed a sharp single by Gary Gaetti, picking up an error and allowing Sosa to come around from first.

Sosa came up in the top of the eighth to face Brewers reliever Eric Plunk – who served up Sosa's 62nd home run 10 days ago – with a chance to take the lead in the home run race for the first time this season. But after falling behind 0-2 in the count, Sosa looked at four balls in a row for his third free pass of the afternoon.

"That's a good sign," said Sosa of his three walks. "I was real concentrated at the plate. I was patient and when I'm like that I have much better opportunity to make contact."