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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Sammy Sosa reached 50 home runs for the third straight year Saturday, but the day belonged to Fernando Tatis.
|  | | Sammy Sosa crushes a sixth-inning home run Saturday, becoming only the second player to hit 50 homers in three consecutive seasons. |
"Today, I'm the man," Tatis said after homering twice and
driving in five runs in the St. Louis Cardinals' 7-6 win over the
Chicago Cubs on Saturday.
Tatis did express admiration for Sosa, who joined St. Louis'
Mark McGwire as the only players with 50 homers in three
consecutive seasons.
"It's great for him, it's amazing that he could do that, it's
unbelievable," Tatis said.
McGwire's string of four straight 50-homer seasons likely will end this season as Big Mac has been limited to 32 homers because of
a lingering knee injury.
Babe Ruth is the only other player with at least three seasons
of 50 or more homers, doing it four times.
"I feel great to be in the same group with Babe Ruth and Mark,
but the other side of this is that we lost the game," Sosa said.
"I feel great for the individual accomplishment but I would have
enjoyed it more if we had won the game."
Tatis missed 54 games with a groin injury earlier this year but
has started to peak down the stretch.
"We need him now and he's fearless with men on base," said
Cardinals manager Tony La Russa.
The win cut the Cardinals' magic number for clinching the NL
Central title to three. Cincinnati beat Milwaukee to remain 11
games behind the Cardinals.
The Cardinals have won 24 of their last 31 and 13 of their last
16, while the Cubs have lost four straight and 14 of 16.
Cubs manager Don Baylor said the Cubs allow too many home runs to win. They have given up 221 this year, tying the record they set
last year.
"We give them up at an alarming rate," he said. "We leave too
many pitches out over the plate and today we left two out to the
wrong guy."
Tatis hit a solo homer in the second and his fifth career grand slam in the third as the Cardinals jumped to a 6-2 lead. Tatis has
18 homers on the season and seven career multihomer games.
Sosa hit a two-run homer in the sixth inning off reliever Gene
Stechschulte to tie the score.
The Cardinals took a 7-6 lead in the sixth when Placido
Polanco singled off Jerry Spradlin (0-1) and scored on a pinch-hit
double by J.D. Drew.
Mike Timlin (3-1) pitched two scoreless innings for the win.
Dave Veres got two outs for his 27th save in 33 chances.
Cardinals starter Garrett Stephenson lasted only five innings
and allowed four runs on nine hits with three strikeouts and two
walks.
Cubs starter Daniel Garibay gave up six runs, six hits and three
walks in three innings.
The Cardinals were leading 2-1 in the third when Polanco and
Craig Paquette singled and Eric Davis walked. Tatis hit a 1-1 pitch
over the left-field wall to give the Cardinals a 6-2 lead.
The Cubs cut the lead to 6-4 in the fourth on Shane Andrews'
three-run homer.
Game notes
Sosa snapped an 0-for-22 streak at Busch Stadium with a
fifth-inning single. ... Grace needs two RBI for 1,000. ... Eric
Young, who has 26 straight steals, is day-to-day with tightness in
his right quadriceps. ... Shawon Dunston left the game after the
second inning with a strained left groin muscle. ... Polanco, who
had three hits and a walk, has hit safely in 15 of his last 20
starts.
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ALSO SEE
Baseball Scoreboard
Chicago Cubs Clubhouse
St. Louis Clubhouse
RECAPS
Boston 8
Detroit 5
Detroit 12
Boston 2
(2nd game)
NY Yankees 6
Cleveland 3
Oakland 5
Tampa Bay 2
Seattle 14
Baltimore 0
Chi. White Sox 6
Toronto 3
Anaheim 7
Minnesota 6
Kansas City 8
Texas 5
Cincinnati 7
Milwaukee 3
St. Louis 7
Chicago Cubs 6
Atlanta 12
Arizona 10
NY Mets 10
Montreal 4
Florida 3
Philadelphia 2
Houston 10
Pittsburgh 9
San Francisco 4
San Diego 3
Los Angeles 5
Colorado 4
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Sammy Sosa hopes for team success to go along with his personal success.
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