Mark McGwire's 70-home run season: A timeline of monster shots and memorable moments
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McGwire received a standing ovation prior to the Cardinals' home opener on April 12, 2010. In his three seasons as Cardinals hitting coach, the team's prolific offense led the National League in batting and on-base percentage, and the team finished second in runs scored. Working diligently on his defense at first base, McGwire bristled at the notion that he was a one-dimensional player. He was generally regarded as a good fielder in his early years, even winning a Gold Glove Award in 1990, the only one that the Yankees' Don Mattingly would not win between 1985 and 1994. In later years, his mobility decreased along with his defensive ability.
I had good years when I took steroids and I had bad years when I took steroids. But no matter what, I shouldn't have done it and for that I'm truly sorry. According to TMZ Sports, several sports memorabilia auction houses are estimating that McGwire's home run ball may currently be worth as little as $250,000. Justin Speier immediately knew he made a mistake as McGwire sent this beauty of a shot to straightaway center field. This triple-deck blast at Pro Player Stadium in Miami was hit off of Billy Wagner. Today (Oct. 1), on Mark McGwire's 53rd birthday, we look back at the 10 longest home runs of his career.
Oakland Athletics (1984–
The two faced a mass of media, as every eye in the country turned to see who would win the place in the record books. On September 8, McGwire did just that as he hit an 88 mile per hour fastball off of Steve Trachsel of the Chicago Cubs. Sosa was there to celebrate the milestone; he celebrated his own five days later.
When Sosa entered the league in 1989, he was a skinny outfielder. By the time the 1998 season rolled around, his physique was completely different, looking more like a bodybuilder than a typical major league player. When asked about the extra muscles he added, he said it was because he ate Flintstone vitamins. McGwire admitted to using steroids, although it took him a while to get there.
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Despite being one of nine players with more than 600 homers in major league history, Sosa received only 13.9 percent of the votes on the 2020 Hall of Fame Ballot. McGwire was never named on more than 24 percent of the ballots in his 10 years of eligibility that ended in 2016. I'm grateful to the Cardinals for bringing me back to baseball. I want to say thank you to Cardinals owner Mr. DeWitt, to my GM, John Mozeliak, and to my manager, Tony La Russa.
Shortly after McGwire launched that historic home run, comic book artist Todd McFarlane purchased the baseball for just over $3 million. Hit .333 in the ALCS vs. Boston with a homer and three RBI... Recorded one of his greatest career moments when he homered off Jay Howell in the ninth inning of Game 3 in the World Series... It was Oakland's only win in the Series and Mark's only hit in 17 at-bats. He hit consistently through the summer, jockeying for the National League lead with Sosa.
Mark McGwire
Olympic team, McGwire was drafted tenth overall in the 1984 Major League Baseball draft by the Oakland Athletics. Cleared payment cleared payment - opens in a new window or tab. When someone brings up the stats from that era, it always seems to be followed by "Yeah, but…" We’re left to wonder what could have been had McGwire not taken PEDs. I'm sure people will wonder if I could have hit all those home runs had I never taken steroids. I had good years when I didn't take any and I had bad years when I didn't take any.
McGwire's decision to admit using steroids was prompted by his decision to become hitting coach of the St. Louis Cardinals. According to McGwire, he took steroids for health reasons rather than to improve performance. McGwire was honored with the inaugural Babe Ruth Home Run Award for leading Major League Baseball in home runs. Although McGwire had the prestige of the home-run record, Sammy Sosa won the 1998 NL MVP award, as his contributions helped propel the Cubs to the playoffs . Many credited the Sosa-McGwire home run chase in 1998 with "saving baseball" by attracting new, younger fans and bringing back old fans soured by the 1994–95 Major League Baseball strike.
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La Russa held various positions in the MLB from 1963 to 2022. He previously served as the manager of the Chicago White Sox, Oakland Athletics, and St. Louis Cardinals. La Russa managed his clubs for 33 years, winning 13 division crowns, six league championships, and three World Series.
Amazingly, was the only A's regular not to homer in the Series vs. San Francisco. McGwire later admitted to using the steroid Androstenedione during his record setting year, among others. Since his retirement in 2001, McGwire has kept a low profile, marrying the following April. McGwire may have been known as Big Mac by his teammates, but during the 1998 season he was known as the Babe Ruth of the nineteen-nineties. On June 11, 2013, McGwire was ejected for the first time as a coach during a bench-clearing brawl with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
With 49 home runs and two games remaining in the regular season for him to reach 50 home runs, he missed the games in order to attend the birth of his first child. McGwire also totaled 118 runs batted in, a .289 batting average, 97 runs scored, 28 doubles, a .618 slugging percentage and a .370 on-base percentage . McGwire's 49 home runs as a rookie stood as a major league record until Aaron Judge hit 52 for the New York Yankees in 2017. On October 26, 2009, Cardinals manager Tony La Russa confirmed that McGwire would become the club's fifth hitting coach of La Russa's tenure with the Cardinals, replacing Hal McRae.
It looked like baseball was back but something seemed to be a little off. They would come out early to watch batting practice and marvel at the distance balls flew. If they couldn’t make it to the game in person, they would watch it on television. “If Wayne Gretzky breaks a goals scored record, he puts the puck in the net, ‘Time! ’ ,” McFarlane said on ESPN’s documentary, “Long Gone Summer,” that covered the McGwire and Sosa home run chase of 1998 and aired on Sunday night. Looking back, I wish I had never played during the steroid era.
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