Even casual sports fans in North America know that Mark McGwire, in the 1998 regular season, hit 70 home runs and smashed Roger Maris' record of 61 homers in a single season.

But St. Louis Sports Online readers were among the first to be made aware of the fact that McGwire, in 1998, managed only 61 singles.

Meaning that McGwire, in 1998, duplicated a feat (more homers than singles, in a given season) that had been accomplished only once previously.

The first player to hit more homers than singles in a single season?

Well, that was McGwire, too.

In his injury-plagued 1995 season, Mark McGwire had 35 homers and 31 singles.

And through July 25, 1999, Big Mac is playing the same exciting game: 35 homers and 36 singles.

Also exciting, in 1999, is McGwire's long and steady march to the 500 mark in career home runs.

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Assuming good health, Mark McGwire seems to be a lock to reach 500 in 1999...quite a feat considering that he surpassed the 400 mark during the previous 1998 campaign.

But there's one facet of Mac's 1998 season that is worth re-examining.

But first, a question.

How many of Mac's 1998 homers came when the count was three balls and no strikes?

As shown in the Table below, the answer is zero.

That's right. Mark McGwire, in 1998, did not hit a single home run when the count was 3-and-0.

Surely, among the factors are at play here include the notion that pitchers falling behind Mac simply choose to pitch around him (or were pitching around him from the start).

But don't downplay McGwire's selectivity at the plate, either.

Especially since Tony La Russa, McGwire's manager, has stated over and over again that McGwire's best hitting results when he plays the game "the way it is supposed to be played". And any Little Leaguer knows you take a pitch on 3-and-0, right?

A few additional tid-bits from the "70 HRs in '98--The Count Summary" table:

• while 3-and-0 was not a "homer hitters count" for Mac in '98, the first pitch (eleven round trippers, more than any other count) was his favorite
• in 1998, McGwire was rather unselective as far as how many strikes he had, with 25, 24, and 21 homers with 0, 1, and 2 strikes, respectively
• except for the fact that only four of his 70 home runs came when he had a three ball count of any kind (3 and 0; 3 and 1; or 3 and 2), McGwire wasn't picky regarding the number of balls, either (20, 25, and 21 homers with 0, 1, and 2 balls, respectively)

In closing...weren't you surprised that none of Mac's 1998 homers came when the count was 3-and-0?