When the epic HR race between Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa breathed life into America's favorite pastime

The 1998 season was special for both St. Louis Cardinals star Mark McGwire and Chicago Cubs player Sammy Sosa. The long-standing and highly sought-after single-season home run record (61), established by Roger Maris in 1961, was being chased by the two legends during the Major League Baseball (MLB) season of 1998.

The home run race between McGwire and Sosa sparked a renaissance for baseball and it breathed life into America's favorite pastime.

John McDonough, vice president of marketing and broadcasting for the Cubs, said:

"I'm not sure we'll see anything like this for many, many years. We love Sammy. He's a great ambassador for baseball. The best thing Sammy has is that he's very, very genuine."

We couldn't agree more with McDonough's thoughts.

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Sammy Sosa once reminisced about his iconic home run rivalry with Mark McGwire

In his career, seven-time All-Star Sammy Sosa has hit 609 home runs. Sosa had three seasons with the Chicago Cubs in which he hit 60 or more home runs. He became a legend among MLB players and especially among Cubs supporters.

Mark McGwire #25

Sosa spoke about his feud with Mark McGwire and how it affected baseball during an interview with NBC Sports in 2018. Sosa acknowledged the rivalry in an interview and said this in reference to his 66th home run with the Cubs.

He stated:

"To have that great year that I have in '98, changed everything,"

Sosa continued with:

"I mean Mark (McGwire) and I shocked the world."

Compared to Sosa, McGwire was unable to hit as many home runs. His total of 583 home runs is outstanding in and of itself. Even though Sosa was last on the ballot in 2022, he is still regarded as a legendary player despite never being inducted into the Hall of Fame.