St. Louis Cardinals History: Mark McGwire Hits 500th Career Homer
It seemed like just a year ago when Mark McGwire hit his 400th career home run. On this day in 1999, he hit the next milestone, as the St. Louis Cardinals slugger belted his 500th career homer.
It is often stated that Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa saved baseball. During the 1998 campaign, their home run battle drew national attention, bringing disgruntled fans back to the game. The disastrous strike that had wiped out the 1994 World Series was forgotten, and baseball had returned to the national consciousness.
During that season, McGwire reached a personal milestone. Not only did he set a new major league record with 70 homers, but McGwire hit his 400th career long ball. That mark is impressive for a career, but the Cardinals slugging first baseman was not close to being done.
On this day in 1999, McGwire added another milestone to his impressive resume. With his third inning home run against Andy Ashby, McGwire became the 16th player in major league history to reach the 500 home run mark. He was also the fastest player to that milestone, leading to speculation that he could challenge the great Hank Aaron for the all time lead.
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McGwire was not done slugging that season. He led the National League with 65 homers, giving him an impressive 135 in a two year stretch. At just 35 years old, it seemed possible that McGwire could have a few more solid years left in the tank. Instead, injuries cropped up the following year, limiting the slugger to just 89 homers. While he was healthy the following year, McGwire was a shell of himself, hitting under .200 despite his 29 homers. And yet, he still came tantalizingly close to the 600 home run plateau.
Those accomplishments would be tarnished after his retirement. Jose Canseco repetitively accused McGwire of PED usage, which the former slugger initially denied. Finally, in 2010, he admitted to his PED usage, ending the speculation about his career.
Regardless of the circumstances, Mark McGwire was one of the great home run hitters in baseball history. On this day in 1999, he became the 16th member of the 500 home run club.