Mark McGwire said in an interview that regardless if he took PEDs, he still would have hit 70 home runs during the 1998 season that shattered Major League Baseball record and enthralled the nation, The Athletic reported.
That year, McGwire, who played for the St. Louis Cardinals, and Sammy Sosa, of the Chicago Cubs, were in a home run battle for the ages, with both batters surpassing Roger Maris legendary MLB record of 61 home runs. McGwire hit 70 and Sosa settled for 66.
The record, which was broken again by Barry Bonds' 73 home runs in 2001, has been tainted when McGwire, 53, admitted in 2010 that he used banned performance enhancing drugs at various points of his career to stay healthy and avoid the injuries, CBS Sports reported.
The Sporting News reported that while Sosa, 49, has never publicly commented about any PED use, he was said to have tested positive for steroids in 2003.
McGwire, now a bench coach for the San Diego Padres, told The Athletic that he would have hit 70 home runs that season regardless.
"Absolutely," McGwire told the publication. "I just know myself. I just know. I was a born home run hitter. I mean, unfortunately, I did (take PEDs). And I've regretted that. I've talked about that. I regretted it. I didn't need to. That's the thing. Didn't need to.”
"But I know, deep down inside, I know me as a hitter. And I know what I did in that box. And I know how strong my mind is. And I know what kind of hitter I became. And yes. Yes. Definitely," McGwire said.
Despite 583 career home runs for the St. Louis Cardinals and Oakland Athletics, most coming in what is now known as the "Steroids Era" in baseball, McGwire's admission of using PEDS has hurt him in Hall of Fame voting, Sports Illustrated reported.
The magazine wrote that McGwire has never had more than 23.7 percent of the vote in 10 eligible years. His name has to appear on 75 percent of the ballots to receive the Hall of Fame honor, according to rules set by the Baseball Writers' Association of America.
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