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Mark McGwire: I didn’t need steroids to hit 70 home runs

Related Topics: The Athletic, Steroid, Home run

Mark McGwire may have admitted to using steroids during his record-breaking season 20 years ago, but the former slugger now says he would have shattered the home run record even without the drugs.

“Absolutely,” McGwire told The Athletic in a story appearing on Monday. “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.”

While the former A’s slugger regrets his decision in 1998 to seek an illegal power boost, the question remains why cheat if you didn’t need to?