In 1973, the year I pulled up one homer short of Babe Ruth's 714 career homers, I accomplished something else no other hitter had managed: I hit 40 homers in 392 at-bats, becoming the first hitter to hit 40 with fewer than 400 trips to the plate. In 1996, Mark McGwire hit 39 homers in just 317 at-bats. He was ahead of my pace but not healthy enough to finish the job.