Displayed is a pair of historic 1998 Mark McGwire game used baseballs, from the St. Louis Cardinals slugger's 60th and 62nd home run games during the electrifying season when "Big Mac" broke the single-season home run record of 61 set by Roger Maris in '61. It was a season, not long after the prolonged baseball strike in '94, in which McGwire and the Chicago Cubs' Sammy Sosa raced towards Maris's record, bringing back many fans to baseball and creating myriad new aficionados. McGwire's '98 MLB season was a significant span in baseball history, as it marked the first time since Roger Maris in 1961 that a player had hit 60 or more home runs in a single season. McGwire wound up the '98 season with a then-record 70 home runs, and Sosa finished the year with 66 round-trippers. Both of the aforementioned game used baseballs were gifted by McGwire to the St. Louis batting coach at that time, Dave Parker. A former teammate of McGwire on the Oakland Athletics, Parker personally signed and inscribed each ball. 1) McGwire hit his 60th home run on the 1998 season on September 5th, and the historic home run came against Cincinnati Reds pitcher Dennys Reyes at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. Presented is an Official National League Ball (Coleman) used in the game and gifted to Dave Parker, who played in the Major Leagues from 1973-91. The outfielder/first baseman is mainly remembered for his play with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Oakland Athletics. Parker knew what he was talking about as McGwire's batting coach, since Parker was no hitting slouch himself, batting a career .290 with 339 homers.

The ball shows great game use, with bat marks, various scrapes, and very small stains. Signed and inscribed by Parker on a side panel in neat, blue ballpoint pen, "9-5-98, Game Used Ball, Big Mac HR #60." Also included is a ticket stub from the game at Busch Stadium. The ticket stub measures 1.5x3.25", and reads, in part, "St. Louis Cardinals Saturday SEP 05 1998/GAME No. 70/11.00." In addition, there is a signed LOA by Parker on Cardinals letterhead. Also included is an 8x10" color photo of McGwire in his follow-through a split second after hitting home run #60. Please note this is not the actual 60th home run ball, but it was used in the game. Also included is a ticket stub from the game. The 1.75x3.25" stub reads, in part, "St. Louis Cardinals/SATURDAY 12:15 PM/SEP 05 1998 GAME NO. 70/T RES 11.00 REDS." The ticket stub is in EXCELLENT condition. This McGwire 60th home run ball comes with a LOA from PSA. 2) In addition, the offering includes a game used baseball from McGwire's 62nd home run game that season. McGwire had hit his 61st home run of the season, off the Chicago Cubs' Mike Morgan, to tie Maris at 61 at St. Louis on September 7th. In the next game, at St. Louis against the Cubs on Sept. 8th, McGwire broke the single-season homer mark when he hit Number 62 off the Cubs' Steve Trachsel with none on and two out in the 4th frame, a shot down the left field line. As with the game ball used in the contest when McGwire hit his 60th homer, Parker signed and inscribed the ball in neat, blue ballpoint ink, inscribing "9-8-98/Game/Used Ball/Big Mac HR #62/Dave Parker." This 62nd game used ball shows great use. Please note that this ball is not the actual home run #62 ball, but it was used in the game. Also, included is a ticket stub from the game. Measuring 1.75x3.75", the stub reads, in part, "St. Louis Cardinals/Tuesday SEP 08 1998/7:10 PM/Busch Stadium/GAME NO. 73/Upr Tier 6:00/CUBS." This ticket stub is in EXCELLENT condition. In addition, the signed and inscribed ball comes with an LOA by Parker on Cardinals letterhead. Please remember that only one of the Dave Parker LOAs comes with a PSA LOA, and that is for the 60th home run ball. The offering makes a great remembrance for McGwire's record-breaking season.