McGwire hits No. 65; Umpire deletes No. 66

Monday, September 21, 1998

MILWAUKEE (AP) - Mark McGwire's home run total might need an asterisk, after all.

McGwire hit No. 65 to extend his record, then had an apparent No. 66 taken away by an umpire's ruling in the St. Louis Cardinals' 11-6 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers.

McGwire moved two homers ahead of Sammy Sosa with a first-inning shot off Scott Karl.

Everybody but second-base umpire Bob Davidson thought McGwire had No. 66 in the fifth inning, when he sent a line drive deep to left-center field off rookie Rod Henderson.

But Davidson, a member of the NL staff since 1983, ruled that a fan had interfered by reaching over the yellow railing at the 392-foot sign and pulling the ball in.

McGwire was forced to stop at second with a double - he rounded the bag, looking for a signal - as the crowd of 52,831 jeered and Cardinals manager Tony La Russa protested briefly.

TV replays were inconclusive, but a fan in the left-field bleachers said the ball cleared the wall.

''It was over by a good foot,'' said Dave Ernst, 30, of Dousman, Wis. ''The guy made it look bad. It rolled up his arm and he missed it.''

The fan who interfered was kicked out of the stadium and cited for disorderly conduct, Brewers spokesman Jon Greenberg said. The County Sheriff's Department didn't release the man's name.

The yellow pipe was installed about 18 inches above the outfield wall padding after the 1982 World Series, when a fan reached down and snatched a ball from Ben Oglivie's grasp.

It has been the source of several disputes since, mostly because there's a chain-link fence between the padding and the yellow rail, making it difficult for umpires to tell for certain whether a ball clears the rail, hits right in front of it and bounces over or even if a fan reaches over.

Before Roger Maris set his record of 61 homers in 1961, commissioner Ford Frick declared any record would carry a ''distinctive mark'' if it did not beat Babe Ruth's mark of 60 in 154 games. McGwire surpassed Maris on Sept. 8 in is 145th game.

But now Mighty Mac has a footnote of his own. And for now and forever, fans will wonder whether his total should have been one higher.

As is usually the case, there was no doubt about McGwire's 65th homer.

McGwire, who struck out four times Saturday night, gave St. Louis a 2-0 lead with a 423-foot shot in the first

On a 2-1 pitch, McGwire sent a drive into the left-field bleachers, setting off a scramble for the ball. Charles Dombrowski, 21, of Wisconsin Rapids, came up with it.

He said he'd give it back to McGwire: ''It's the right thing to do.''

McGwire skipped batting practice Sunday before connecting for his 451st career homer, tying him with Carl Yastrzemski for 20th on the career list.