Injuries Have Little Effect On Mcgwire Or Griffey

It is the year of the home run in major league baseball, and not even injuries have stopped two of the best in the game - Oakland’s Mark McGwire and Seattle’s Ken Griffey Jr. - from career seasons.

Griffey has insisted for years that he’s not a power hitter, though on Saturday, he hit his career-best 47th home run despite missing 20 games with a broken bone in his right hand.

McGwire has always been a power hitter - 49 home runs his rookie season - but injuries and labor disputes had gutted each of his last three years. After missing the first 18 games this year, and five more last month with a bad back, McGwire hit 50 home runs in fewer games (119) than any man in baseball history.

Griffey has averaged a homer every 11 at-bats this season, McGwire a home run for each eight at-bats.

In a season in which home run records have been broken - most homers by one team (Baltimore), most grand slams (Seattle) and most back-to-back homers (Seattle) - McGwire flirted with a pace that would have challenged Roger Maris’ all-time single season record of 61.

“I never took it too seriously,” McGwire said Saturday. “Pitchers have been working me so tough, I’m happy to get to 50. I might get one good pitch to drive a night, and I might foul it back.”

Winter ball for Davis

Third baseman Russ Davis, out since June 7 with a broken left leg, will fly to Arizona next week and begin working out with Seattle’s instructional league team in preparation for winter ball in Puerto Rico. “I’ve got to win a job next year,” Davis said, “and this has been a lost season for me.”