Mark McGwire Becomes the First Player to Hit 50 Home Runs in Three Straight Seasons

On August 20, 1998, Mark McGwire of the St. Louis Cardinals blasted his 50th home run of the season in a 2-0 victory over the New York Mets. The solo shot in the seventh inning made McGwire the first player in major league history to hit 50 home runs in three consecutive seasons. No one had done it twice in a row before McGwire strung together 52 in 1996, 58 in 1997, and now 50 by late August of 1998.

McGwire was in the middle of the most famous home run chase in baseball history. He and Chicago Cubs outfielder Sammy Sosa were both pursuing Roger Maris's single-season record of 61 home runs, set in 1961. The race had captivated the country, filling stadiums and dominating sports coverage. McGwire's 50th was almost a footnote in a season that would end with him hitting 70.

The home run came at Shea Stadium in New York. McGwire drove a pitch deep for his milestone blast, and the Cardinals held on for the shutout. At 6-foot-5 and 245 pounds, McGwire generated extraordinary bat speed and power. His swing produced towering drives that traveled distances rarely seen in major league parks. When he connected, the sound was different from other hitters, a concussive crack that announced the ball's exit.

The three-year stretch of 50-homer seasons reflected a period of offensive explosion across baseball. Balls flew out of parks at unprecedented rates, and McGwire stood at the center of it. He would add a fourth consecutive 50-homer season in 1999, hitting 65.

Years later, McGwire admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs throughout this era, complicating the legacy of the records he set. But on August 20, 1998, the crowd at Shea and the viewers watching at home saw only a man doing something no one had done before, reaching 50 home runs with six weeks still left in the season.