⚾
NO STAT IS SAFE. NO ERA IS FORGOTTEN.
VOL. 1, NO. 36 · NOVEMBER 2, 2026 · EVERY MONDAY
ISSUE #036 · STEROID ERA
McGwire vs Sosa — The
Summer That Saved Baseball
And The Lie Inside It
On September 8, 1998, Mark McGwire hit home run #62, breaking Roger Maris's 37-year-old record before
📅 THIS DATE IN
BASEBALL 43,688 fans at Busch Stadium.
THE STAT THAT SHOULDN'T EXIST 01
BASEBALL WAS DYING AFTER THE 1994 STRIKE. THE 1998 HOME RUN CHASE BROUGHT IT BACK. THE PRICE WAS HIGH.
McGwire 70. Sosa 66. Roger Maris 61. Both Were
Indicted By The Mitchell Report.
MARK MCGWIRE 1998 SAMMY SOSA 1998 ROGER MARIS 1961
60 73 Not
BABE RUTH 1927 BARRY BONDS 2001 inducted
BOTH PLAYERS HOF
Mark McGwire hit 70 home runs in 1998. Sammy Sosa hit 66. Both surpassed Roger Maris's 37-year-old
record of 61. The dual chase captivated the country and healed the wound from the 1994 strike. Both
players were later associated with PED use. Neither is in the Hall of Fame. The summer was real. What
was behind it is complicated.
THE GAME YOU FORGOT 02
VS Chicago Cubs SEPTEMBER 8, 1998
4th Steve Trachsel 58 W 6-3
HR # INNING PITCHER SAMMY SOSA'S HR THAT DAY RESULT
Home Run 62
MCGWIRE BREAKS MARIS'S 37-YEAR RECORD AGAINST SOSA'S CUBS
McGwire hit home run #62 off Steve Trachsel of the Cubs on September 8, 1998 — breaking Roger Maris's
record of 61 that had stood since 1961. After touching home plate, McGwire ran into the stands and hugged
his son. Sammy Sosa — who was competing for the same record on the opposing team — ran in from right
field and embraced him. The Busch Stadium crowd gave a 20-minute ovation. The most remarkable thing:
the two men cheering each other was completely genuine.
ERA VS ERA 03
Did The 1998 Home Run Chase Save Baseball — Or Damage It?
IT SAVED BASEBALL IT DAMAGED BASEBALL
TV RATINGS BOTH PLAYERS
+100% vs 1997 Associated with PED use
ATTENDANCE VS HOF OUTCOME
Record high Neither inducted
MLB REVENUE LEGACY
~$2.5B — record Tainted era narrative
Both are true. The chase genuinely revived national interest in baseball after the 1994 strike nearly killed it. The
mechanism that produced the home runs was, at minimum, suspect. Baseball knew and looked away. The fans
knew and looked away. The summer of 1998 was the most joyful lie baseball ever told itself.
Did the 1998 home run chase help or hurt baseball?
HELPED — SAVED THE SPORT AFTER THE STRIKE HURT — BUILT ON PEDS AND A LIE
BOTH — THE JOY WAS REAL, THE METHOD WASN'T THE GAME WOULD HAVE RECOVERED WITHOUT IT
THE COLDEST MOMENT 04
1998-2005 · THE ERA OF LOOKING AWAY
Baseball's Commissioner Later Said The League
Knew About Steroids During The Chase. They Said
Nothing.
Bud Selig, MLB's Commissioner during the 1998 season, later testified that he was not aware of
widespread PED use. The Mitchell Report (2007) named 89 players. Independent reporting
suggested the league's testing was intentionally weak during the record-breaking years. The
players gave baseball back its audience. Baseball gave them enhanced chemistry and a silent
agreement to keep the gate receipts going.
I deeply regret that the steroids era happened on my watch.
— BUD SELIG, 2014
THE STAT VAULT 05
MCGWIRE HR IN 1998 SOSA HR IN 1998
Stood as the record until Barry Bonds hit First player to hit 60+ HR in three different
73 in 2001. seasons (1998, 1999, 2001).
DAYS SOSA LED MCGWIRE IN 1998
THE RECORD-BREAKING HR DATE
9 Sosa briefly held the record lead in June. 62
September 8, 1998. Off Steve Trachsel,
McGwire passed him in August and never
4th inning, Busch Stadium.
looked back.
0 HALL OF FAME PLAQUES FOR EITHER PLAYER
McGwire received a peak vote of 23.7%. Sosa's peak was 17.6%. Neither reached 75%.
THE FORGOTTEN MAN 06
OVERLOOKED · UNDERRATED · DESERVES MORE
Kevin Mitchell
SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS · 1984-1998
1989 NL MVP · .291 BA · 234 HR
1989 NL MVP. Hit .291 With 47 HR. Completely Erased From History.
Kevin Mitchell won the 1989 NL MVP with 47 HR and 125 RBI — the most complete offensive season by a
corner outfielder since Willie Mays. He never replicated it. Injuries, weight, and circumstance made 1989 feel
like an aberration. He's rarely mentioned in any discussion of 1980s-90s power hitters.
THE CONNECTION:
Mitchell's 1989 MVP season came one year before Bonds arrived in San Francisco. He was already
declining when the steroid era accelerated everyone else. His peak was legitimate and largely
forgotten.
COMING NEXT MONDAY
Next Monday: Pedro Martinez in 2000 had a 291 ERA+. He was more dominant relative to his era than anyone
in baseball history.
Who's Your Forgotten Man?
Reply with a player from any era who deserves more credit. Best answer gets featured next Monday.
All Eras. All Stats. No Debate.
Every Monday. No exceptions.