I remember the home run chase between McGwire and Sosa 25 years later
USA TODAY Sports’ Bob Nightengale looks back at the historic 1998 home run chase between Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa.
SportsPulse, USA TODAY
HOUSTON − It was as if Hollywood had dreamed up another sequel to “Back to the Future,” this time with the Baltimore Orioles pondering what the baseball gods have in mind for the next generation.
OK, at least for the next 10 years.
When the Orioles and Houston Astros met in a three-game series at Minute Maid Park this week, it was as if they were looking at themselves in the mirror.
The Orioles, the laughing stock of baseball just two years ago, watched the Astros and knew they used to be the Astros.
“You look at them,” said Astros veteran catcher Martin Maldonado, “and that’s exactly how we’re built. It is frightening.”
The Astros were the worst team in baseball before the Orioles even knew how to spell TANK. They lost 106, 107 and 111 games in three straight seasons from 2011 to 2013, collected a number of top picks and then built a legacy as one of the industry’s elite franchises. The Astros have two World Series titles, four pennants and six consecutive American League Championship Series appearances to prove it.
The Orioles, who reached the postseason for the first time since 2016 just two years after losing 110 games in the biggest two-year turnaround in baseball history, are the baby Astros and are threatening to have one of their own for the next decade to found a dynasty.
“Their organization is really outstanding,” two-time Astros World Series champion Justin Verlander told USA TODAY Sports. “There’s a lot of young people over there and you’re like, ‘Oh [expletive], Where do you come from? Nobody really expected them to win the division. In this department, everyone talked about everyone else.
“But if you look at them, they have some really young, good players and they are hitting. Have you ever met? You play the game right, this game will reward you and they play the game right.”
The Orioles won two of the three games in the series, and as the two teams said their goodbyes, they had the faint feeling that they would see each other again.
Yes, in the American League Championship Series – if not sooner.
“The way these races are going, we could even see them in the Division Series,” said Orioles starter Kyle Gibson. “That does not matter. To get where we want to go, you have to beat the best.” And they were the best.”
While these may be uncharted waters for the Orioles, this is the Astros’ season.
Here they thrive.
When these guys get to the postseason, they’re here to stay.
“I don’t know if you would call it confidence, because you just know what to expect,” Verlander said. “Playoff baseball is just different baseball. You are prepared for it. And with the clubhouse culture we’ve created, we’re prepared.”
There are people like Alex Bregman, the Astros’ third baseman, who don’t know much else. And he expects to be in the World Series every year he wears a uniform.
You ask him if he expected this glorious success when he broke into the big leagues, and he doesn’t hesitate.
“Well,” he says, bursting into laughter. “I did, I really did. I saw the boys in the room. I’ve seen how everyone here goes about their business. I saw how the guys were unhappy and continued to do so. “I want to get better every year.
“Sure, I knew it was hard to do what we did, but damn, you have to commit to this goal.”
The Astros have definitely accepted that team people still love to hate and are bubbling over their cheating scandal in 2017, when in reality there were plenty of teams that did egregious things themselves but didn’t have a whistleblower to let the baseball world know about it.
The Astros insist they didn’t have to bang on any garbage cans to win the title this year, and have now spent the last five years proving it by winning year after year after year after year.
“The longer it goes on, the more appreciation you feel,” says Astros reliever Kendall Graveman. “These guys have learned how to be champions. And now the boys have the burden of being a champion.”
“We’re trying to build a legacy and cement a dynasty.”
The high expectations almost brought the Astros to their knees this season. They lost All-Star second baseman Jose Altuve for 43 games when he broke his hand during the WBC. All-Star outfielder Yordan Alvarez missed 39 games with a muscle strain. Outfielder Michael Brantley was out for most of the season. Award-winning starter Luis Garcia underwent Tommy John surgery in May and veteran starter Lance McCullers missed the entire year after flexor tendon surgery.
It’s a testament to future Hall of Fame manager Dusty Baker that they somehow survived, but here they are, telling people the party won’t stop until they’re the ones to turn out the lights.
“It was an incredible run,” Astros outfielder Chas McCormick said. “I remember thinking when I was in the lower leagues, will the window be closed when I get promoted in 2020/21? Will it be like this?” about?
“Well, we’re coming into the World Series my rookie season and winning the World Series last year. We’ve been through all this adversity this year, we’ve been hit in the bullseye and this is the first time we’ve gotten our asses kicked as hard as we have this year. But here we are again.”
It has certainly been a stressful and frustrating year. The Astros never thought they would struggle being a .500 team at home. This is the first time since 2016 that they were ahead by less than 2½ games in September. They’re already preparing their rotation for the playoffs and aren’t fighting for their lives just to get in the dance.
“There were more negatives than positives here,” Baker says. “There is negativity everywhere. There is negativity in the media. There is negativity in the stands. There are some negatives in the office. I mean, when you walk around, people are all nervous.”
“You have to focus on the positive, that’s the only chance you have. “Let’s see what kind of character we have.”
The Astros remain confident, even after watching younger versions of themselves post the best record in the American League this year. They have great respect for the Orioles, but are not afraid of them. They still believe they can be the first team since the Yankees more than 20 years ago to win back-to-back titles, but are not yet making plans for the World Series.
Not while the Orioles are still out there, perhaps too young and naive to realize that they shouldn’t make it look so easy.
“What’s impressive is how many good young players we have,” Gibson says, “and when you look at the Astros, you think this team is definitely capable of doing what it does. This is a core of players that will obviously do that. “We stay together for a while and the impressive thing is that they do all the little things right.
“It’s hard to imagine at this point that this team wouldn’t be selected as a postseason team next year or the year after, and to do it over and over again like these guys did.”
Astros closer Ryan Pressly said: “They have a really good team. They have a pretty elite bullpen. An elite cast. A good starting staff. “I have a feeling we’ll see her again.”
“If we see them in the postseason, we’ll have a lot of work to do, but believe me, we’ll be ready.”
Baseball tells us that the torch will eventually be passed.
Altuve, Bregman and Verlander are all free agents within a year of each other. They plan to keep Altuve, but may not have the money to keep Bregman around as well. At some point the new kids on the block take over.
The question is whether that time will come sooner than anyone imagined.
“We know these people [the Orioles] “We have a good ballclub,” Bregman said. “They are definitely one of the best teams in the league. And it looks like they’re going to stay that way for a long time.”
“Obviously we would have liked to have had a bigger lead and played better, but I still feel like we have a great team. I still believe we have a chance to win another World Series. The guys in this room have a track record of making things happen and winning when it counts.
“This is our time.”
The Orioles can wait.
Can not you?
St. Paul Saints changed Darry Strawberry’s life
It’s a wonderful documentary, “The Saint of Second Chances”, superbly written about the life of Mike Veeck, with the subplot of Darryl Strawberry’s dramatic return to baseball.
The St. Paul Saints, an independent baseball club, were the ones who turned to Strawberry after his baseball career fell apart. They offered him the opportunity to revive his career in 1996.
“I didn’t know how long I would be there or if I even wanted to be there,” Strawberry said, “but they opened their arms to me, my wife and my kids and made baseball fun again.”
“Really, they changed my life.”
Strawberry’s stay lasted 29 games, hitting .435 with 18 home runs, when Yankees owner George Steinbrenner reached out and offered him another chance. The next thing he knows, he’ll spend the next four years with the Yankees and win three more World Series championships.
But those who watch the Netflix documentary are missing the true story of redemption, according to Strawberry.
This is not a celebration of Strawberry’s return to Major League Baseball. He would have been fine never playing baseball again.
What the St. Paul Saints did was give Strawberry a second chance at life, open his eyes, heart and mind, and now do the same for others.
“I hear fans and writers all the time say, ‘Oh, look at what could have been, you could have been inducted into the Hall of Fame,'” Strawberry, a recovering drug and alcohol addict, tells USA TODAY Sports by phone Interview. “You know what, I don’t care. The Hall of Fame isn’t for everyone. The Hall of Fame does not define a person. Baseball doesn’t define me. What defines me is the legacy you live.”
“Going to the St. Paul Saints and then the Yankees may have brought a lot of joy to the fans, but for me it was life changing. It wasn’t about the legacy as a ballplayer, it was about the legacy as a man. The Hall of Fame wouldn’t get me into heaven. For me this is much bigger and different. “I get to do so many bigger things, mentor people, reach out to people and spread my faith.”
Strawberry, 61, has been a pastor for 23 years. He and his wife, Tracy, lead Strawberry Ministries across the country.
Without Veeck and the St. Paul Saints, Strawberry says he would never be the man he is today. He learned what second chances are all about. It was the turning point in his life.
“I think going to St. Paul was a really valuable lesson in my life,” Strawberry says. “When things aren’t going well, when things in life are challenging, how do you weather the storm? It has brought me to such an amazing place. I was saved by grace.
“My life today is much more exciting and rewarding than anything I have ever done on the baseball field. People know me from baseball, but I don’t want to be remembered by home runs or anything else I did on the field. I want to be remembered for what I have done through my service and helping others.
“This is my Hall of Fame.”
Around the base paths
≻ Despite widespread speculation, the Boston Red Sox will not sign Mike Hazen from the Arizona Diamondbacks. Hazen, executive vice president and GM of the D-Backs, is staying put.
He has a contract through 2024 with a club option through 2025, and D-Backs president Derrick Hall says the club would refuse permission if the Red Sox asked for an interview with Hazen. Preliminary discussions have already been held about an extension.
Hazen, who worked for the Red Sox before coming to Arizona in 2016, also has no interest in leaving the club. Hazen lost his wife Nicole to brain cancer last year and doesn’t want to uproot his four sons.
≻ Philadelphia Phillies GM Sam Fuld has emerged as a leading candidate to fill Chaim Bloom’s vacant position in Boston.
≻ A week ago we reported here that Craig Counsell, manager of the Milwaukee Brewers, was reconsidering resigning and canceling the year in 2024. Now Counsell’s thought process has expanded to definitive leadership in 2024.
Counsell, who is making $3.5 million in the final year of his contract, will become the top managerial free agent this winter and will likely receive a raise of about $2 million to become the highest-paid manager in the industry . Cleveland’s Terry Francona, who is retiring after the season, is the game’s highest-paid manager at about $5 million. Bruce Bochy was the game’s highest-paid manager at $6 million with the San Francisco Giants, but earns $4.5 million with the Texas Rangers.
≻ There are 10 managers making at least $3 million, with Washington Nationals manager Davey Martinez joining the list starting in 2024 with a salary of $3.6 million.
≻ Now that the Tampa Bay Rays’ stadium problems are close to being resolved with a new $1.3 billion stadium in St. Petersburg and the Oakland A’s head to Las Vegas, the MLB will have serious discussions next year with interested cities about an expansion could take place as early as the 2028 season.
Nashville remains the clear favorite for a team, while the second city remains wide open between Montreal, Salt Lake City, Oakland, Portland and Charlotte. Expansion costs are expected to be $2.1 billion to $2.2 billion.
≻ The San Diego Padres, who had the third-highest payroll in baseball on Opening Day, have no plans to bring back free agents Blake Snell or Josh Hader in 2024. They are still undecided whether to trade Juan Soto this offseason.
≻ The Cincinnati Reds have no intention of picking up the $20 million option in Joey Votto’s contract, but could still rework the contract. They still have to pay Votto a $7 million transfer fee for the contract.
≻ The New York Yankees, who debated whether a coaching change was necessary, are now expected to bring back coach Aaron Boone next season. “It’s ultimately not my decision,” Boone told reporters. “We’ll see.”
≻ Chicago Cubs starter Marcus Stroman, who had planned to opt out of the final year of his contract that will pay him $21 million next season, now expects to stay in Chicago without an extension.
≻ The qualifying offer for free agents this winter is expected to be around $20.5 million, confirming the New York Post report. Last winter it was $19.65 million.
≻ The Houston Astros made waiver claims on reliever Matt Moore twice and came up empty twice. Cleveland grabbed Moore when the Angels placed him on waivers, and then last week the Marlins swooped in to grab Moore.
≻ While there was a heated debate between Ronald Acuna Jr. and Mookie Betts over who should be the NL MVP, now that Acuna is the founding member of the 40 HR/60 stolen base club, the odds are heavily in favor of Atlanta’s first baseman Matt Olson is having a season for the ages.
He has already set the franchise record with 53 home runs and needed just four RBI entering Saturday to surpass Hall of Famer Eddie Mathews’ modern franchise record of 135 RBI set in 1953.
Incredibly, Olson has not missed a game since May 1, 2021 and has now played in 450 consecutive games, by far the longest active streak in baseball.
“I feel like we get paid to be on the field and of course crazy things are going to happen, crazy injuries,” Olson told reporters. “But you should spend the offseason preparing for the 162nd game and that’s something I’m trying to do. “I feel like you owe it to your team and the organization, everyone Do your best to be on the field every day.”
≻ St. Louis Cardinals pitcher great Adam Wainwright will go straight from the field to the Fox Sports broadcast booth to work the American League Division Series starting October 7th. He is scheduled to play 15 regular season games for Fox next season.
≻ Former Cardinals teammate Jack Flaherty was thrilled when Wainwright won his 200th game and was grateful it just wasn’t against his club, the Baltimore Orioles.
“It was great for him,” Flaherty says. “The last thing I wanted was for him to get 200 points against us and it sucks that he did that [No.] 199 against us but it was good to see him reach 200 because I know what that means to him.
“Really, it means a lot to everyone.”
≻ Houston Astros Cy Young winner Justin Verlander on his team, which is close to reaching the postseason for the seventh straight season:
“It’s not easy. It’s a testament to the depth of the organization. “They’ve done a really good job of recruiting young talent to fill roles and more importantly the culture they’re establishing in the locker room have.”
≻ The Cleveland Guardians will celebrate manager Terry Francona’s final game at Progressive Field on Wednesday by handing out “Thank You Tito” T-shirts to their fans. Francona is the winningest manager in franchise history.
≻ The Oakland A’s absolutely embarrassed themselves when they honored the career of future Detroit Tigers Hall of Famer Miguel Cabrera by giving him a $79.97 bottle of Caymus.
Really.
It’s bad enough that Cabrera is a recovering alcoholic, but it was easily the worst and cheapest gift he gave during his farewell tour this season.
≻ The only managers in baseball history with a higher winning percentage than Dave Roberts of the Dodgers at .630 percent are Bullet Rogan, Vic Harris and Rube Foster of the Negro Leagues. This could be Roberts’ fifth 100-win season.
≻ Wonderful book by MLB.com columnist Jonathan Mayo: “Smart, Wrong and Lucky,” which details the fascinating origins of baseball’s greatest unexpected stars (Joey Votto, Charlie Blackmon, Mookie Betts, Jacob deGrom and Lorenzo Cain) with a foreword by the Phillies future Hall of Fame manager Dave Dombrowski.
≻ Yankees slugger Aaron Judge needs three more home runs to become the first Yankee since Babe Ruth to hit 100 home runs in two seasons over multiple years.
≻ Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber could break Adam Dunn’s dubious record of lowest batting average by a hitter with 40 homers when he hit 41 homers with a .204 batting average in 2012. Schwarber is currently hitting .198 with 45 home runs entering Sunday.
≻ The Kansas City Royals are expected to announce this week that they have hired Brian Bridges as director of amateur scouting. During Bridges’ 12 years with Atlanta, they drafted All-Star third baseman Austin Riley along with pitchers AJ Minter, Kyle Wright and Ian Anderson.
≻ It’s hard to believe that the Yankees haven’t had a Cy Young winner since Roger Clemens in 2001, something that looks set to change in November when Gerrit Cole receives the prestigious award.
≻ Our condolences go out to the beautiful Kirby Puckett family as Tonya Puckett-Miller, the Hall of Famer’s ex-wife, died of brain cancer last week at the age of 58. Kirby Puckett died in 2006 after a massive stroke.
≻ Congratulations to top backup Sean Doolittle, who announced his retirement after the season with the Washington Nationals.
“Maybe I’m done with baseball, but I’m not sure I’m done with this,” he told reporters. “I still have a lot of energy and passion for baseball.”
Follow Nightengale on X, formerly Twitter: @Bnightengale