Mark McGwire

American baseball player, known as "Big Mac", a right-handed first baseman who played for the Oakland Athletics (1986–1997) and St. Louis Cardinals (1997–2001). He has been the hitting coach for the St. Louis Cardinals since 2010.

He is the player who first broke records on 8 September 1998, Chicago, by hitting his 62nd home run this season, matching Roger Maris' 37-year record. Babe Ruth's former record was 60 in a season. To the wild jubilation of his fans, including his dad who was celebrating his 61st birthday, he hoisted his ten-year-old son Matthew high in the air.

The season was not over. The Cub's Sammy Sosa hit home runs No.61 and No. 62 in the same game on 14 September 1998, connecting twice against the Milwaukee Brewers to lead the Chicago Cubs to an 11-10 victory on a wild afternoon in Wrigley Field. It turned out to be a rousing great race with baseball fans hanging on to every broadcast.

On 27 September 1998, the 6' 5", 250-lb McGwire pulled ahead with his incredible 69th and 70th homers in his last game of the season for a grand finale. Both men were wildly applauded for not only setting records, but doing so with grace and style.

McGwire's humility and shyness are refreshing in a sport that has gained a bad rap for some years due to the actions of spoiled, hostile athletes. Last September, he astonished reporters by breaking into tears while discussing a charity he'd established to help abused children, to which he pledged $1 million a year from his three-year, $28.5 million contract.

One of five sons raised by dentist John McGwire and his wife, Ginger, in Claremont, California, McGwire was a model of good behavior as a high school baseball star, never late for practice or behind in his studies.

During his first season with the Oakland A's, McGwire seemed to lose his way. On the field, he was outstanding, hitting 49 home runs and winning the American League Rookie of the Year Award., but there was trouble on the home front.