McGwire Is Home Run King For 2nd Straight Year

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Mark McGwire is still The Man.

The St. Louis Cardinals' slugger edged Sammy Sosa of the Chicago Cubs in the home run chase for the second straight season, becoming the first National Leaguer to win in back-to-back years since Dale Murphy of Atlanta in 1984 and 1985.

The Cardinals won a rain-shortened 9-5 decision from the Cubs at Busch Stadium Sunday as McGwire hit his 65th in the first inning and Sosa belted his 63rd two innings later. It marked the fifth time they homered in the same game.

Their chase, however, clearly lacked the drama and attention of their epic chase a year ago, when each broke the single-season record of 61 set by Roger Maris in 1961. McGwire finished with an astonishing 70 in 1998, four more than Sosa.