Mark McGwire
As a rookie in 1987, Mark McGwire blasted 49 homers, setting a record for freshman. After battling injuries and struggling to find his swing, he burst onto the national stage when he broke Roger Maris's single-season mark for homers in 1998. In the process he rejuvenated his career and opened the way for a spot in the Hall of Fame. Over a four-year stretch in his mid-30s, McGwire clubbed an amazing 245 home runs. In 2005, his evasive and emotional testimony in front of a congressional committee investigating steroid use in baseball, left McGwire's legacy in doubt.
| Career Batting Stats |
| G |
AB |
H |
R |
HR |
RBI |
SB |
AVG |
SLG |
OBP |
OPS |
OPS+ |
| 1874 |
6187 |
1626 |
1167 |
583 |
1414 |
12 |
.263 |
.588 |
.394 |
.982 |
131.3 |
|
Where does Mark McGwire rank among baseball greats?
Mark McGwire ranks #28 among the Top 50 all-time at 1B. Rankings ⇒
Best Season: 1998
Set an NL record with 32 homers on the road. He hit three homers in one game twice. Hit 21 homers in his first 41 games, 40 in 90 games, 50 in 125 games, and shattered the ML record with 70 for the season. In the process he set a Cardinal record with 145 RBI and a NL record for 162 walks. McGwire hit 33 solo homers, 28 two-run homers, seven three-run homers and two grand slams. Hit homers against 65 different pitchers. He led baseball in slugging, OBP, and total average. For some reason sportswriters selected Sammy Sosa as MVP.
The Home Run Race of 1998
The chase was hardly a chase at all as late as May. On May 24, 1998, Mark McGwire had 24 home runs, while Sammy Sosa was at nine. But soon, Sammy made his move and the race was on. From May 25-June 23, Sosa belted 21 home runs in 30 days. He set a record with 20 home runs in June, which was also the most homers ever hit in any month. It became clear that both McGwire and Sosa were drawing a bead on roger Maris's single-season home run record. The question was: who would get there first?
On August 19, Sosa hit his 48th home run and passed McGwire for the first time. But later in that game, McGwire answered with a pair of homers and reclaimed the lead. "Big Mac" would stay relinquish the lead just once more.
Over Labor Day weekend the Cardinals and Cubs played each other in St. Louis and the media circus surrounding the home run chase collided in one location. The two sluggers embraced the publicity, helping put baseball back on the front pages and in the news. On September 8, McGwire finally passed Maris, lining a shot over the left field wall at Busch Stadium. Sosa watched from right field and applauded. McGwire made an emotional trip around the bases, pointing to the sky as he crossed home plate to honor Maris, whose sons were in attendance. Soon, Sosa arrived and hugged McGwire, who lifted Sammy off his feet. Baseball had a golden moment. But three weeks still remained in the season and the chase was still far from over.
Five days later, Sosa hit two home runs in Wrigley Field to tie McGwire at 62. Adding to the tension of the McGwire/Sosa race was the fact that the Cubs were in a fight for a playoff spot. On September 25 in Houston, Sosa hit #66, creeping ahead of McGwire for the final time. McGwire responded by hitting a homer of his own a few innings later in St. Louis to bring the chase to a tie once more. Sosa failed to any more homers, while McGwire belted four in his final two games to finish with an astonishing 70 for the new single-season record.
Three years later, Barry Bonds broke McGwire's record, which many thought would last longer than Maris's had. Bonds blasted 73 homers to establish the new standard, in 2001.
Most Game-Ending Grand Slams
Alex Rodriguez... 3
Vern Stephens... 3
Cy Williams... 3
Bob Aspromonte... 2
Albert Belle... 2
Bobby Bonds... 2
Steve Finley... 2
Ruppert Jones... 2
Ralph Kiner... 2
Davey Lopes... 2
Mark McGwire... 2
Jim Presley... 2
Nomar Garciaparra... 2
David Eckstein... 2
Description
McGwire was always big, even when he first came up with the A's in 1986. He had broad shoulders, a thick neck, huge arms, and later in his career, very muscular legs. He usually wore a goatee and had sported a mullet in the late 1980s.
Where He Played
McGwire played 1,763 games at first base. He was a DH 37 times, played third base (24 games) and some outfield (four games in 1987-1988).
Born
Mark David McGwire was born on October 1, 1963, in Pomona, CA.
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
College: USC
Major League Debut
8 22,
Nine Other Players Who Debuted in 1986
Rafael Palmeiro
Barry Bonds
Fred McGriff
Barry Larkin
Bobby Bonilla
Ruben Sierra
Mark McGwire
Greg Maddux
David Cone
Nicknames
Big Mac
Uniform Numbers
#25 (1986-2001), both with the A's and Cardinals.
Similar Players
Dave Kingman, Cecil Fielder, Harmon Killebrew, Sammy Sosa
Related Players
Jose Canseco, Sammy Sosa, Babe Ruth, Roger Maris, Barry Bonds
| Hall of Fame Voting |
| Year |
Election |
Votes |
Pct |
| 2007 |
BBWAA |
128 |
23.5% |
2008 |
BBWAA |
128 |
23.6% |
2009 |
BBWAA |
118 |
21.9% |
|
Post-Season Appearances
1988 American League Championship Series
1988 World Series
1989 American League Championship Series
1989 World Series
1990 World Series
1990 American League Championship Series
1992 American League Championship Series
2000 National League Championship Series
2000 National League Divisional Series
2001 National League Divisional Series
Post-Season Notes
Game Five of the 2001 NLDS against the Diamondbacks was the last game of McGwire's career. Curt Schilling defeated the Cardinals, 2-1. It was the only Ultimate Game of McGwire's career.
Awards and Honors
1987 AL Rookie of the Year
1990 AL Gold Glove
Feats
Set single-season home run record with 70 in 1998. Became first man to hit 50 homers in three straight seasons (1997-1999). Both of those records were later matched or topped by Sammy Sosa and/or Barry Bonds... McGwire hit three homers in a game five times. He did it in 1987, 1995, twice in 1998, and once in 2000.
Milestones
- July 5, 1989: 100th HR... Off Charlie Leibrandt
- June 10, 1992: 200th HR... Off Chris Bosio
- June 25, 1996: 300th HR... Off Omar Olivares
- May 8, 1998: 400th HR... Off Rick Reed
- August 6, 1999: 500th HR... Against Andy Ashby… Came in his 5,487th at-bat, a record pace for hitting a 500th homer.
Batting Feats
- June 27, 1987: 3 HR...
- June 11, 1995: 3 HR...
- September 8, 1998: 62nd HR... Off Steve Trachsel
- September 27, 1998: 70th HR...
Transactions
Selected by Oakland Athletics in the 1st round (10th pick overall) of the free-agent draft (June 4, 1984); Granted free agency (October 26, 1992); Signed by Oakland Athletics (December 24, 1992); Traded by Oakland Athletics to St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for Eric Ludwick, T.J. Mathews and Blake Stein (July 31, 1997).
Home Run Facts
Hit his 500th career homer on August 5, 1999, off Andy Ashby of the Padres.
Hall of Fame Artifacts
Bat used to hit his 70th home run of the 1998 season. Jerseys he and his son (bat boy) wore in the game in which McGwire belted his 70th homer.
All-Star Selections
1987 AL
1988 AL
1989 AL
1990 AL
1991 AL
1992 AL
1995 AL
1996 AL
1997 AL
1998 NL
1999 NL
2000 NL
Replaced
The immortal Bruce Bochte, who hit .256 with 20 extra-base hits in 125 games as the A's first sacker in 1986.
Replaced By
35-year old free agent first baseman Tino Martinez, in 2002.
Best Strength as a Player
Hitting for power.
Largest Weakness as a Player
Staying healthy, and hitting for a high average.
Learn More about Mark McGwire
Search Amazon.com for Books about Mark McGwire ⇒
Search for Mark McGwire at Google ⇒
View a map of his hometown at Mapquest ⇒