Cardinals History: Mark McGwire hits iconic 61st home run with emotional family connection

On September 7th, 1998, St. Louis Cardinals slugger Mark McGwire tied Roger Maris' single-season home run record by slugging his 61st home run of the season, a truly insane number to think about. While the home run itself was a special moment, the story behind it may get you emotional.

McGwire's record-tying home run happened to come on come on McGwire's dad's birthday, which just so happened to be his 61st birthday. That meant Big Mac hit number 61 on the day his father turned 61. Oh, and it was Labor Day, so the entire country was able to be glued to their televisions to watch that moment.

The significance wasn't lost on McGwire at all, who was quoted as saying, "What I kept thinking {throughout the game} was, What a great birthday present for my father."

That was the icing on the cake of what was already an incredible moment in baseball history, one that Cardinals fans will never forget.

The 1998 home run chase will live forever in Cardinals history

McGwire's battle with Sammy Sosa that year for the home run crown was truly special, and the fact that it came within the Cardinals-Cubs rivalry made it even sweeter. Big Mac would go on to hit 70 home runs that season, while Sosa would finish with "just" 66 home runs and take home the National League Most Valuable Player award.

The home run record is something that is a bit infamous in baseball history, regardless of how fun the home run chase was. McGwire would later admit to steroid use, while it's widely believed that Sosa did as well, but he continues to plead his innocence to this day. Barry Bonds would later break McGwire's record, but he too was using performance-enhancing drugs.

Still, McGwire goes down as one of the best power hitters in baseball history, slugging 583 homers in his career and being credited with helping save baseball in the late 1990s with that home run chase. The game is better because of McGwire, and he also helped usher in what would be a truly historic run of Cardinals baseball in the 2000s through the mid-2010s.

Now McGwire gets to be the proud father of a child in professional baseball, as his son, Mason, is a top prospect in the Los Angeles Angels organization.

Do yourself a favor. Hop on YouTube, pull up Mark McGwire highlights, and watch him hit home runs for a while. It does good for the soul!

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