Mark David McGwire (born October 1, 1963), nicknamed Big Mac, is an American former professional baseball first baseman.
In it, he wrote positively about steroids and made various claims—among them, that McGwire had used performance-enhancing drugs since the 1980s and that Canseco had personally injected him with them. In 2005, McGwire and Canseco were among 11 baseball players and executives subpoenaed to testify at a congressional hearing on steroids.
He was drafted by the Montreal Expos in the 1981 amateur draft but did not sign.
Olympic team, the Oakland Athletics drafted McGwire tenth overall in the 1984 Major League Baseball draft. McGwire debuted in the major leagues in August 1986, hitting three [run]s and nine runs batted in in 18 games. ====Rookie home run record and major league leader (1987)==== Retaining his rookie status in 1987, McGwire took center stage in baseball with his home runs.
He was generally regarded as a good fielder in his early years, even winning a Gold Glove Award in 1990 – the only one that New York Yankees legend Don Mattingly would not win between 1985 and 1994.
His Major League Baseball (MLB) playing career spanned from 1986 to 2001 while playing for the Oakland Athletics and the St.
Olympic team, the Oakland Athletics drafted McGwire tenth overall in the 1984 Major League Baseball draft. McGwire debuted in the major leagues in August 1986, hitting three [run]s and nine runs batted in in 18 games. ====Rookie home run record and major league leader (1987)==== Retaining his rookie status in 1987, McGwire took center stage in baseball with his home runs.
One of the most prolific [run] hitters in baseball history, McGwire holds the major league career record for at bats per home run ratio (10.6), and is the former record holder for both home runs in a single season (70 in 1998) and home runs hit by rookie (49 in 1987). He ranks 11th all time in [run]s with 583, and led the major leagues in home runs in five different seasons, while establishing the major league record for home runs hit in a four-season period from 1996 to 1999 with 245.
Olympic team, the Oakland Athletics drafted McGwire tenth overall in the 1984 Major League Baseball draft. McGwire debuted in the major leagues in August 1986, hitting three [run]s and nine runs batted in in 18 games. ====Rookie home run record and major league leader (1987)==== Retaining his rookie status in 1987, McGwire took center stage in baseball with his home runs.
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. Not only did he lead the AL in home runs in 1987, but he also tied for the major league lead with Chicago Cubs right fielder Andre Dawson.
He was selected or voted to nine American League All-Star Teams while playing for the A's, including six consecutive appearances from 1987 through 1992.
He led all MLB in home runs in five different seasons, including 1987 and each season from 1996 to 1999.
He was also the first player to hit 49 or more home runs five times, including his rookie-season record of 49 in 1987.
He was thus a unanimous choice for the AL Rookie of the Year Award and finished sixth overall in the AL Most Valuable Player Award voting. ====More All-Star appearances (1988–1991)==== From 1988 to 1990, McGwire followed with 32, 33, and 39 home runs, respectively, becoming the first Major Leaguer to hit 30+ home runs in each of his first four full seasons.
On July 3 and 4, 1988, he hit game-winning home runs in the 16th inning of both games.
Through May 2009, McGwire was tied for third all-time with Joe DiMaggio in home runs over his first two calendar years in the major leagues (71), behind Chuck Klein (83) and Ryan Braun (79). McGwire's most famous home run with the A's was likely his game-winning solo shot in the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 3 of the 1988 World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers and former A's closer Jay Howell.
McGwire's game-winner brought the A's their only victory in the 1988 World Series, which they lost in five games; however, McGwire and his fellow Bash Brother, José Canseco, played a large part in the 1989 championship club that defeated the San Francisco Giants in the famous "Earthquake Series". Working diligently on his defense at first base, McGwire bristled at the notion that he was a one-dimensional player.
In later years, his mobility decreased and, with it, his defense; however, McGwire's batting averages after his rookie season plummeted to .260, .231, and .235 from 1988 to 1990.
Louis Cardinals, winning one World Series championship each, with Oakland as a player in 1989 and with St.
McGwire's game-winner brought the A's their only victory in the 1988 World Series, which they lost in five games; however, McGwire and his fellow Bash Brother, José Canseco, played a large part in the 1989 championship club that defeated the San Francisco Giants in the famous "Earthquake Series". Working diligently on his defense at first base, McGwire bristled at the notion that he was a one-dimensional player.
Looking back, I wish I had never played during the steroid era." He admitted using them in the 1989/90 offseason and then after he was injured in 1993.
He was thus a unanimous choice for the AL Rookie of the Year Award and finished sixth overall in the AL Most Valuable Player Award voting. ====More All-Star appearances (1988–1991)==== From 1988 to 1990, McGwire followed with 32, 33, and 39 home runs, respectively, becoming the first Major Leaguer to hit 30+ home runs in each of his first four full seasons.
He was generally regarded as a good fielder in his early years, even winning a Gold Glove Award in 1990 – the only one that New York Yankees legend Don Mattingly would not win between 1985 and 1994.
In later years, his mobility decreased and, with it, his defense; however, McGwire's batting averages after his rookie season plummeted to .260, .231, and .235 from 1988 to 1990.
He admitted using them on occasion throughout the 1990s, including during the 1998 season.
According to McGwire, he took steroids for health reasons rather than to improve performance. ==Personal life== McGwire's brother Dan McGwire was a quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks and Miami Dolphins of the NFL in the early 1990s, and was a first-round draft choice out of San Diego State University.
In 1991, he bottomed out with a .201 average and 22 homers.
In fact, when he hit .201, his OPS+ was 103, or just over league average. McGwire stated in an interview with Sports Illustrated that 1991 was the "worst year" of his life, with his on-field performance and marriage difficulties, and that he "didn't lift a weight" that entire season.
With all that behind him, McGwire re-dedicated himself to working out harder than ever and received visual therapy from a sports vision specialist. ====Career resurgence (1992–1997)==== The "new look" McGwire hit 42 homers and batted .268 in 1992, with an outstanding OPS+ of 175 (the highest of his career to that point), and put on a home run hitting show at the Home Run Derby during the 1992 All-Star break.
His performance propelled the A's to the American League West Division title in 1992, their fourth in five seasons.
He was selected or voted to nine American League All-Star Teams while playing for the A's, including six consecutive appearances from 1987 through 1992.
The A's lost in the playoffs to the eventual World Series champion, the Toronto Blue Jays. Foot injuries limited McGwire to a total of 74 games in 1993 and 1994, and just 9 home runs in each of the two seasons.
Looking back, I wish I had never played during the steroid era." He admitted using them in the 1989/90 offseason and then after he was injured in 1993.
He was generally regarded as a good fielder in his early years, even winning a Gold Glove Award in 1990 – the only one that New York Yankees legend Don Mattingly would not win between 1985 and 1994.
The A's lost in the playoffs to the eventual World Series champion, the Toronto Blue Jays. Foot injuries limited McGwire to a total of 74 games in 1993 and 1994, and just 9 home runs in each of the two seasons.
Many credited the Sosa-McGwire home run chase in 1998 with "saving baseball", by both bringing in new, younger fans and bringing back old fans soured by the 1994–95 Major League Baseball strike. ====Later playing career (1999–2001)==== McGwire kept his high level of offensive production from 1998 going in 1999 while setting or extending several significant records.
He played just 104 games in 1995, but his proportional totals were much improved: 39 home runs in 317 at-bats.
One of the most prolific [run] hitters in baseball history, McGwire holds the major league career record for at bats per home run ratio (10.6), and is the former record holder for both home runs in a single season (70 in 1998) and home runs hit by rookie (49 in 1987). He ranks 11th all time in [run]s with 583, and led the major leagues in home runs in five different seasons, while establishing the major league record for home runs hit in a four-season period from 1996 to 1999 with 245.
In 1996, McGwire belted a major league leading 52 homers in 423 at-bats.
Further, he owned the highest four-season home run total, with 245 from 1996 to 1999.
He led all MLB in home runs in five different seasons, including 1987 and each season from 1996 to 1999.
Totaling 245 home runs from 1996−1999, it was the highest four-season home run output in major league history.
With a career average of one home every 10.61 at-bats, he holds the MLB record for most home runs per at-bat by over a full at-bat more than second-place Babe Ruth (11.76). As of 2015, McGwire owned three of the four lowest single-season AB/HR ratios in MLB history, which covered his 1996, 1998 and 1999 seasons.
Louis Cardinals (1997–2001)=== On July 31, having already amassed 34 home runs to this point in the 1997 season, McGwire was traded from the Oakland Athletics to the St.
In 51 games with the Cardinals to finish the 1997 season, McGwire compiled a .253 batting average, 24 home runs, and 42 RBI.
Overall in 1997, McGwire led the majors with 58 home runs.
McGwire's 1997 season ranked 13th.
The list had been compiled during the 1998 season and included statistics through the 1997 season.
One of the most prolific [run] hitters in baseball history, McGwire holds the major league career record for at bats per home run ratio (10.6), and is the former record holder for both home runs in a single season (70 in 1998) and home runs hit by rookie (49 in 1987). He ranks 11th all time in [run]s with 583, and led the major leagues in home runs in five different seasons, while establishing the major league record for home runs hit in a four-season period from 1996 to 1999 with 245.
A right-handed batter and thrower, McGwire stood tall and weighed during his playing career. A part of the 1998 Major League Baseball home run record chase of Roger Maris' 61 with the Cardinals, McGwire set the major league single-season home run record with 70, which Barry Bonds broke three years later with 73.
Louis, to forgo free agency and sign a contract with the Cardinals in 2000. ====Single-season home run record chase (1998)==== As the 1998 season progressed, it became clear that McGwire, Seattle Mariners outfielder Ken Griffey Jr., and Chicago Cubs outfielder Sammy Sosa were all on track to break Roger Maris's single-season home run record.
On August 19, Sosa hit his 48th home run to move ahead of McGwire; however, later that day McGwire hit his 48th and 49th home runs to regain the lead. On September 8, 1998, McGwire hit a pitch by the Cubs' Steve Trachsel over the left field wall for his record-breaking 62nd home run, setting off massive celebrations at Busch Stadium.
The ball was given to McGwire in a ceremony on the field by the stadium worker who found it. McGwire finished the 1998 season with 70 home runs (including five in his last three games), four ahead of Sosa's 66, a record that was broken three seasons later in 2001 by Barry Bonds with 73. 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 (who had fewer home runs but more RBI and stolen bases) won the 1998 NL MVP award, as his contributions helped propel the Cubs to the playoffs (the Cardinals in 1998 finished third in the NL Central).
Many credited the Sosa-McGwire home run chase in 1998 with "saving baseball", by both bringing in new, younger fans and bringing back old fans soured by the 1994–95 Major League Baseball strike. ====Later playing career (1999–2001)==== McGwire kept his high level of offensive production from 1998 going in 1999 while setting or extending several significant records.
McGwire also set a record from 1998 to 1999 for home runs in a two-season period with 135.
With a career average of one home every 10.61 at-bats, he holds the MLB record for most home runs per at-bat by over a full at-bat more than second-place Babe Ruth (11.76). As of 2015, McGwire owned three of the four lowest single-season AB/HR ratios in MLB history, which covered his 1996, 1998 and 1999 seasons.
The list had been compiled during the 1998 season and included statistics through the 1997 season.
He admitted using them on occasion throughout the 1990s, including during the 1998 season.
One of the most prolific [run] hitters in baseball history, McGwire holds the major league career record for at bats per home run ratio (10.6), and is the former record holder for both home runs in a single season (70 in 1998) and home runs hit by rookie (49 in 1987). He ranks 11th all time in [run]s with 583, and led the major leagues in home runs in five different seasons, while establishing the major league record for home runs hit in a four-season period from 1996 to 1999 with 245.
Many credited the Sosa-McGwire home run chase in 1998 with "saving baseball", by both bringing in new, younger fans and bringing back old fans soured by the 1994–95 Major League Baseball strike. ====Later playing career (1999–2001)==== McGwire kept his high level of offensive production from 1998 going in 1999 while setting or extending several significant records.
Sosa, who hit 63 home runs in 1999, again trailed McGwire.
McGwire also set a record from 1998 to 1999 for home runs in a two-season period with 135.
Further, he owned the highest four-season home run total, with 245 from 1996 to 1999.
In 1999, he drove in an NL-leading 147 runs while only having 145 hits, the highest RBI-per-hit tally for a season in baseball history. Statistically in 2000 and 2001, McGwire's numbers declined relative to previous years as he struggled to avoid injury (32 homeruns in 89 games, and 29 in 97 games, respectively).
When he hit his 500th career home run in 1999, he did so in 5,487 career at bats, the fewest in major league history.
He led all MLB in home runs in five different seasons, including 1987 and each season from 1996 to 1999.
With a career average of one home every 10.61 at-bats, he holds the MLB record for most home runs per at-bat by over a full at-bat more than second-place Babe Ruth (11.76). As of 2015, McGwire owned three of the four lowest single-season AB/HR ratios in MLB history, which covered his 1996, 1998 and 1999 seasons.
Considered one of the slowest running players in the game, McGwire had the fewest career triples (six) of any player with 5,000 or more at-bats, and had just 12 stolen bases while being caught stealing eight times. ===Honors and distinctions=== In 1999, The Sporting News released a list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, ranking McGwire at number 91.
Injuries significantly cut into his playing time in 2000 and 2001 before factoring into his retirement.
Louis, to forgo free agency and sign a contract with the Cardinals in 2000. ====Single-season home run record chase (1998)==== As the 1998 season progressed, it became clear that McGwire, Seattle Mariners outfielder Ken Griffey Jr., and Chicago Cubs outfielder Sammy Sosa were all on track to break Roger Maris's single-season home run record.
In 1999, he drove in an NL-leading 147 runs while only having 145 hits, the highest RBI-per-hit tally for a season in baseball history. Statistically in 2000 and 2001, McGwire's numbers declined relative to previous years as he struggled to avoid injury (32 homeruns in 89 games, and 29 in 97 games, respectively).
His Major League Baseball (MLB) playing career spanned from 1986 to 2001 while playing for the Oakland Athletics and the St.
Injuries significantly cut into his playing time in 2000 and 2001 before factoring into his retirement.
The ball was given to McGwire in a ceremony on the field by the stadium worker who found it. McGwire finished the 1998 season with 70 home runs (including five in his last three games), four ahead of Sosa's 66, a record that was broken three seasons later in 2001 by Barry Bonds with 73. McGwire was honored with the inaugural Babe Ruth Home Run Award for leading Major League Baseball in home runs.
In 1999, he drove in an NL-leading 147 runs while only having 145 hits, the highest RBI-per-hit tally for a season in baseball history. Statistically in 2000 and 2001, McGwire's numbers declined relative to previous years as he struggled to avoid injury (32 homeruns in 89 games, and 29 in 97 games, respectively).
He retired after the 2001 season. ==Coaching career (2010–2018)== After his playing career ended, McGwire demonstrated coaching ability, personally assisting players such as Matt Holliday, Bobby Crosby and Skip Schumaker before accepting an official role as hitting coach with an MLB team.
They were actually the top three seasons in MLB history until Bonds broke his single-season HR record in 2001.
Louis area—in Las Vegas on April 20, 2002.
In 2005, The Sporting News published an update of their list, and McGwire had been moved up to Number 84. McGwire first became eligible for Hall of Fame voting in 2007.
In it, he wrote positively about steroids and made various claims—among them, that McGwire had used performance-enhancing drugs since the 1980s and that Canseco had personally injected him with them. In 2005, McGwire and Canseco were among 11 baseball players and executives subpoenaed to testify at a congressional hearing on steroids.
During his testimony on March 17, 2005, McGwire declined to answer questions under oath when he appeared before the House Government Reform Committee.
In 2005, The Sporting News published an update of their list, and McGwire had been moved up to Number 84. McGwire first became eligible for Hall of Fame voting in 2007.
Between 2007 and 2010 McGwire's performance held steady, receiving 128 votes (23.5%) in 2007, 128 votes (23.6%) in 2008, 118 votes (21.9%) in 2009, and 128 votes (23.7%) in 2010.
Between 2007 and 2010 McGwire's performance held steady, receiving 128 votes (23.5%) in 2007, 128 votes (23.6%) in 2008, 118 votes (21.9%) in 2009, and 128 votes (23.7%) in 2010.
Through May 2009, McGwire was tied for third all-time with Joe DiMaggio in home runs over his first two calendar years in the major leagues (71), behind Chuck Klein (83) and Ryan Braun (79). McGwire's most famous home run with the A's was likely his game-winning solo shot in the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 3 of the 1988 World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers and former A's closer Jay Howell.
On October 26, 2009, Tony La Russa, then manager of the Cardinals, confirmed that McGwire would become the club's fifth hitting coach of his tenure with the Cardinals, replacing Hal McRae.
Between 2007 and 2010 McGwire's performance held steady, receiving 128 votes (23.5%) in 2007, 128 votes (23.6%) in 2008, 118 votes (21.9%) in 2009, and 128 votes (23.7%) in 2010.
In 2010, McGwire publicly admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs during a large portion of his career. ==Early years== McGwire was born in Pomona, California.
McGwire received a standing ovation prior to the Cardinals home opener on April 12, 2010.
Between 2007 and 2010 McGwire's performance held steady, receiving 128 votes (23.5%) in 2007, 128 votes (23.6%) in 2008, 118 votes (21.9%) in 2009, and 128 votes (23.7%) in 2010.
In a tearful opening statement, McGwire said: On January 11, 2010, McGwire admitted to using steroids on and off for a decade and said, "I wish I had never touched steroids.
He has another brother, Jay McGwire, a bodybuilder, who wrote a book in 2010 detailing their shared steroid use. McGwire married Stephanie Slemer—a former pharmaceutical sales representative from the St.
On June 1, 2010, their triplet girls were born: Monet Rose, Marlo Rose, and Monroe Rose.
Louis as a coach in 2011.
The subsequent ballot in 2011 showed the first sub-20% total of 115 votes (19.8%), and McGwire's total votes continued to decline (112 votes (19.5%) in 2012, 96 votes (16.9%) in 2013, 63 votes (11.0%) in 2014, and 55 votes (10.0%) in 2015) until he was eliminated after receiving only 54 votes (12.3%) in 2016. A portion of Interstate 70 in Missouri in St.
In his three seasons as Cardinals hitting coach, they featured a prolific offense that led the National League in hitting and on-base percentage, and were second in runs. In early November 2012, McGwire rejected a contract extension to return as Cardinals hitting coach for the 2013 season.
The subsequent ballot in 2011 showed the first sub-20% total of 115 votes (19.8%), and McGwire's total votes continued to decline (112 votes (19.5%) in 2012, 96 votes (16.9%) in 2013, 63 votes (11.0%) in 2014, and 55 votes (10.0%) in 2015) until he was eliminated after receiving only 54 votes (12.3%) in 2016. A portion of Interstate 70 in Missouri in St.
In his three seasons as Cardinals hitting coach, they featured a prolific offense that led the National League in hitting and on-base percentage, and were second in runs. In early November 2012, McGwire rejected a contract extension to return as Cardinals hitting coach for the 2013 season.
Instead, he accepted an offer for the same position with the Los Angeles Dodgers, in order to be closer to his wife and five children. On June 11, 2013, McGwire was ejected for the first time as a coach during a bench-clearing brawl with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
The subsequent ballot in 2011 showed the first sub-20% total of 115 votes (19.8%), and McGwire's total votes continued to decline (112 votes (19.5%) in 2012, 96 votes (16.9%) in 2013, 63 votes (11.0%) in 2014, and 55 votes (10.0%) in 2015) until he was eliminated after receiving only 54 votes (12.3%) in 2016. A portion of Interstate 70 in Missouri in St.
The subsequent ballot in 2011 showed the first sub-20% total of 115 votes (19.8%), and McGwire's total votes continued to decline (112 votes (19.5%) in 2012, 96 votes (16.9%) in 2013, 63 votes (11.0%) in 2014, and 55 votes (10.0%) in 2015) until he was eliminated after receiving only 54 votes (12.3%) in 2016. A portion of Interstate 70 in Missouri in St.
He was suspended for two games starting the next day. On December 2, 2015, he was named the new bench coach for the San Diego Padres.
With a career average of one home every 10.61 at-bats, he holds the MLB record for most home runs per at-bat by over a full at-bat more than second-place Babe Ruth (11.76). As of 2015, McGwire owned three of the four lowest single-season AB/HR ratios in MLB history, which covered his 1996, 1998 and 1999 seasons.
The subsequent ballot in 2011 showed the first sub-20% total of 115 votes (19.8%), and McGwire's total votes continued to decline (112 votes (19.5%) in 2012, 96 votes (16.9%) in 2013, 63 votes (11.0%) in 2014, and 55 votes (10.0%) in 2015) until he was eliminated after receiving only 54 votes (12.3%) in 2016. A portion of Interstate 70 in Missouri in St.
The subsequent ballot in 2011 showed the first sub-20% total of 115 votes (19.8%), and McGwire's total votes continued to decline (112 votes (19.5%) in 2012, 96 votes (16.9%) in 2013, 63 votes (11.0%) in 2014, and 55 votes (10.0%) in 2015) until he was eliminated after receiving only 54 votes (12.3%) in 2016. A portion of Interstate 70 in Missouri in St.
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. Not only did he lead the AL in home runs in 1987, but he also tied for the major league lead with Chicago Cubs right fielder Andre Dawson.
He left the team after the 2018 season. ==Honors, records and achievements== Known as one of the top sluggers of his era, McGwire ended his career with 583 home runs, which was fifth-most in history when he retired.
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