A miss for Mac
McGwire shut out as Cards roll 4-0
Posted: Thursday September 17, 1998 01:26 AM
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Target 170: McGwire now is just 15 walks away from tying Babe Ruth's single-season record AP |
ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Jason
Christiansen barely avoided being forever known as the pitcher who gave
up homers 63 and 64 to Mark McGwire.
McGwire, who hit homer No. 63 off Christiansen on Tuesday, flied out to
the warning track in left against the Pittsburgh reliever Wednesday night
as the St. Louis
Cardinals beat the Pirates 4-0.
The way Christiansen saw it, there was never a doubt the ball would end
up in Turner
Ward's glove instead of the stands.
"I thought if that one went out, I was walking off the field,"
Christiansen said. "I didn't think there was any way it was going out."
Christiansen has allowed only two home runs in 63 2-3 innings.
"If he had gotten more of the plate, he would have hit it out," manager
Tony La Russa said. "You can see why Christiansen doesn't give very many
up, or hardly any at all."
Two pitchers have given up two homers to McGwire in his record-breaking
season. Jeff
Suppan of Arizona surrendered Nos. 5 and 6 on April 14, and Tyler Green of
Philadelphia gave up two May 19.
Christiansen got an autographed ball from McGwire after giving up No.
63, a pinch-hit shot in the ninth inning that ended a six-game, 18 at-bat
homerless drought. He was looking forward to getting another chance at the
home run king.
"I came right after him, all fastballs, no off-speed pitches,"
Christiansen said. "I was kind of hoping I would get that rematch with
him."
This time, McGwire hit a high fly ball that fell short for the final out
in the seventh, stranding two runners. He remained one home run ahead of
Chicago's Sammy
Sosa, who played later at San Diego.
Pirates manager Gene Lamont was happy to be done with McGwire for the
year.
"We like to play before a lot of people," Lamont said. "But it's
probably better to watch it on TV. Pretty much the whole baseball world,
the whole nation, is watching what's going on, so it puts more pressure on
people."
McGwire was 0-for-3 with a walk, his 155th of the season. He needs 15
walks in the final nine games to tie Babe Ruth's 1923 major league record.
McGwire walked in the first, took a called third strike in the third,
and also flied out to center in the sixth.
Eli Marrero's two-run double off Christiansen broke up a scoreless tie
in the seventh, and rookie Joe McEwing brought home another run with a
squeeze bunt as the Cardinals won for the 13th time in 17 games.
"More games are won with a little single and a sacrifice and another
base hit than there are with a dramatic home run," La Russa said.
Matt
Morris (6-5) allowed four hits in seven scoreless innings. Mike Busby worked
the eighth and Juan Acevedo
finished.
Pirates reliever Todd Van
Poppel (1-2) retired one of the three batters he faced in the seventh.
Pittsburgh has lost 16 of 20.
Like his teammates, McGwire had little luck against Pirates starter Chris Peters,
who allowed two hits in six scoreless innings. Peters retired 14 of the
last 15 batters he faced.
Morris retired the first nine batters, four on strikeouts. He walked
Peters to load the bases with one out in the fifth, but got out of the jam
by starting a home-to-first double play on Tony Womack.
The Cardinals added a run in the eighth on a passed ball.
Notes: Cardinals left-hander Kent Mercker
may miss his scheduled start Sunday at Milwaukee because of a blister on
the middle finger of his pitching hand. ... Womack set a major league
record for most plate appearances (980) without grounding into double play
earlier this year, but has four since August 5. ... Pirates catcher Jason Kendall
has 24 stolen bases, one shy of the league record set by John Stearns of
the New York Mets in
1978. John Wathan holds the major league record with 36 steals in 1982 for
Kansas City. ... Pirates first baseman Kevin Young
leaped into the stands to snare a foul pop by Brian Jordan in
the eighth.
Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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