<P> The 1998 Major League Baseball home run chase in Major League Baseball was the race between first baseman Mark McGwire of the St. Louis Cardinals and right fielder Sammy Sosa of the Chicago Cubs that resulted in both players breaking Roger Maris's long - standing and highly coveted record of 61 home runs . McGwire broke Maris's record on September 8 against the Cubs and finished with 70 home runs . Sosa finished with 66 . </P> <P> Several players had come close to breaking Maris's record in the years before 1998 . Before the 1994 season was cut short by a labor dispute, Matt Williams of the San Francisco Giants and Ken Griffey, Jr. of the Seattle Mariners were both on a pace which threatened Maris's record: they hit 43 and 40 home runs respectively in a season which was shortened by approximately 50 of the scheduled 162 games . </P>

Who made the most home runs in 1998