Mac Attack Reaches 30

Wed, Jul 02, 1997 - SAN FRANCISCO (SCN/AP) - Trade him. Don't trade him. Do whatever the hell you want, just let the guy hit.

Wednesday, Mark McGwire won the race to 30 homers, cracking his 30th of the year in an 8-1 Oakland win over the San Francisco Giants. The two teams met for the first time since their earthquake-interrupted World Series encounter in 1989.

The ironic part about his 359th career homer was that it came on a good pitch from Kirk Reuter, and a bad swing from McGwire. At least, that's what he said. "It was a golf swing that would have been a shank," McGwire said. "When I hit it, it just got into the jet stream and took off."

McGwire set a new Athletics record by shanking 30 or more homers in eight seasons. He also passed Ken Griffey Jr. for the league lead.

Mac earned the respect of Giants manager Dusty Baker, who felt compelled to compare McGwire to the big lumberjack himself.

"He's as strong as Paul Bunyan. Only he and Paul Bunyan could do that," Baker said.