Major League Baseball is filled with some of the best baseball talent in the world, including the world’s top home run hitters.  Despite the superstar talent that is flooded throughout the league, there are still accomplishments that most players will never reach.  One such accomplishment is hitting 70 home runs.

On this day, September 27th, in 1998, Mark McGwire became the first player to ever hit 70 home runs in a season.  McGwire had been on a hot slugging streak the entire season as he was in a close race with Sammy Sosa to surpass Roger Maris’s home run record.  After successfully taking the record a few weeks prior, McGwire ended the MLB season hitting five home runs in his last three games, bringing his total to a level never previously dreamed of in baseball.

As is the case with most records, Mark McGwire’s 70 home run mark was broken by Barry Bonds three years later.  One thing that cannot be taken from McGwire is the fact that he was the first player in history to ever reach 70 home runs, which will forever be one of the rarest accomplishments for any athlete.