The New York Yankees win their 100th game of the season, defeating the Chicago White Sox 11–6, reaching that mark five days faster than the 1906 Chicago Cubs and the 1954 Cleveland Indians. September 5 – Mark McGwire becomes the third player in major league history to reach 60 home runs, as the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Cincinnati Reds 7–0. Additionally, McGwire joins Babe Ruth and Roger Maris with 60 home runs in a single season. September 6 – Atlanta Braves outfielder Andruw Jones hits his 50th career home run in a 4–0 win over the New York Mets. At 21 age, Jones becomes the third–youngest player in major league history to reach that level. Only Mel Ott and Tony Conigliaro did so at a younger age. September 7 : Mark McGwire hits his 61st home run of the season, tying Roger Maris' single-season home run record. Ken Griffey Jr. hits his fiftieth home run of the season, joining Babe Ruth and Mark McGwire as the only players to hit 50 or more home runs in consecutive seasons. September 8 – Mark McGwire breaks Roger Maris' 37-year-old, 61-home run record, lining historic No. 62 just over the wall in left field with two outs in the fourth inning. McGwire's solo shot off the Chicago Cubs' Steve Trachsel—among the shortest he would hit all year—sets off a wild celebration at Busch Stadium. The Cubs' Sammy Sosa, who hit his 58th home run earlier in the game, is on the field to congratulate McGwire, creating an iconic image of the 1998 home run race. In the sixth inning of the same game, the Cardinals' J. D. Drew makes his major league debut pinch-hitting for pitcher Kent Mercker. September 11 – The Florida Marlins lose to the Atlanta Braves 8–2, to become the first World Series champion in history to lose 100 games the next season. September 15 – Ken Griffey Jr. hits homer #52 and drives in the 1,000th run of his career in the Mariners 12–7 win over the Twins. He becomes the fourth-youngest player in history to reach the milestone, after Mel Ott, Jimmie Foxx and Lou Gehrig. A day later, Griffey would collect his 20th stolen base of the season to become just the third player in major league history to record at least 50 homers and 20 steals in the same season; Willie Mays (1955) and Brady