This time he came within sniffing distance of Maris .
Continuing his date with destiny , McGwire conjured Maris ' ghost once again in 1997 , hitting 24 home runs in his first 61 games .
This time McGwire came within sniffing distance of Maris .
Continuing his date with destiny , McGwire conjured Maris ' ghost once again in 1997 , hitting 24 home runs in his first 61 games .