When Mark McGwire came clean about past steroids usage ahead of joining Cardinals coaching staff
Former Oakland A's legend Mark McGwire famously ended years of speculation in 2010, when he finally came clean and admitted to using steroids during his career.
Mark McGwire finally has the balls to admit he used steroids. That must mean he stopped using steroids.
"Mark McGwire finally has the balls to admit he used steroids. That must mean he stopped using steroids" - Funny Or Die, Twitter.
In a statement sent to The Associated Press, McGwire conceded to using steroids on and off for nearly a decade in his career, including in his prestigious record-breaking home run season of 1998.
While he did say he didn't need performance enhancers to smack the long ball, he did, however, admit that he wished he never touched them in the first, also conceding that he wished he never set foot during the steroid era.
"I wish I had never touched steroids," McGwire said in the statement. "It was foolish and it was a mistake. I truly apologize. Looking back, I wish I had never played during the steroid era."
McGwire's admission came roughly a couple of months after he was hired by the St. Louis Cardinals as their hitting coach. Absent during his first Cardinals press conference and years away from the media and the game, the heat was turned up on McGwire as to why it took him so long to open up.
"After all this time, I want to come clean," he said. "I was not in a position to do that five years ago in my congressional testimony, but now I feel an obligation to discuss this and to answer questions about it. I'll do that, and then I just want to help my team."
Mark McGwire led MLB in home runs in five different seasons
One of the most prolific home run hitters in baseball history, Mark McGwire amassed 583 homers during his career, ranked 5th-most in MLB history at the time of his retirement, and currently at 11th. A stupendous batter, he led the majors in homers in five different seasons!
Always demonstrating incredible patience at precision as a batter, he produced a .394 on-base percentage (OBP) during his career, and twice led the majors in bases on balls. The Oakland A's great also holds the major-league career record for at-bats per home run ratio (10.6).