On May 22, 1999, Mark McGwire became the third player to hit a home run out of Dodger Stadium. McGwire began his day with a solo shot off Darren Dreifort in the first inning to give the St. Louis Cardinals an early 1-0 lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Dodgers, however, would respond with a five-spot in the bottom half of the inning. They went on to win, 10-7, despite a big offensive performance from McGwire.
The 12-time All-Star went 3-for-4 with three RBI and reached base a fourth time via walk. He ended his night with a towering 483-foot home run off Jamie Arnold in the eighth inning that cleared the left-center field pavilion.
McGwire’s majestic blast had all of Dodger Stadium stunned and impressed by the power display.
McGwire finished the 1999 season with a .278/.424/.697 batting line, hitting an MLB-best 65 home runs and 147 RBI in 153 games. In 16 career seasons with the Cardinals and Oakland Athletics, he batted .263/.394/.588 with 583 home runs and 1,414 RBI across 1,874 games.
After his playing career ended, McGwire served as the Cardinals hitting coach from 2010-12. He then took on the same role with the Dodgers, a position he held from 2013-15.
McGwire was named the San Diego Padres bench coach at the end of the 2015 season and remained in the role through 2018. He
History of players to hit home run out of Dodger Stadium
McGwire is one of only five players to ever hit a home run out of Dodger Stadium.
The rest of the group includes Fernando Tatís Jr. (2021), Giancarlo Stanton (2015), Mike Piazza (1997) and Willie Stargell, who accomplished the feat twice (1969, 1973).
Of the players to accomplish the feat, only Piazza did so while wearing a Dodgers uniform.
Are you following Dodger Blue on Instagram? It’s the best way to see exclusive coverage from games and events, get your questions answered, and more!
