Mark McGwire finally came clean, admitting he used steroids when he broke baseball’s home run record in 1998, but he also said he didn’t need performance-enhancing drugs to hit the long ball.
McGwire said in a statement sent to The Associated Press on Monday that he used steroids on and off for nearly a decade. Later Monday, however, he disputed that the drugs gave him more power to hit homers.
What was Mark McGwire accused of taking?
McGwire hit a then-record 70 homers in 1998 during a compelling race with Sammy Sosa, who finished with 66. On Monday, McGwire called Pat Maris, the widow of Roger Maris, who had held the home run record with 61 in 1961, and admitted taking steroids.
“I felt that I needed to do that,” McGwire told Costas. “They’ve been great supporters of mine. She was disappointed and she has every right to be.”
Told by Costas that certain Maris family members have said that they now consider Roger Maris’ 61 the authentic home run record, McGwire responded: “They have every right to.
