Home Runs and Steroid Records: Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, and Sammy Sosa

Home runs increase among baseball players as the steroid era affects many player’s performances. Years after the number of home runs declines as their health issues begin to arise affecting their gameplay.

Baseball players Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, and Sammy Sosa all demonstrated how the chemical advantages of steroids affected the number of hits they made during their seasonal gameplay.

It was at this time when the increase of home runs for the seasons was at an all-time high. Bonds set the single-season home-run record in 2001 with 73. Right under him both Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire’s home runs also increased in numbers, however, not as high as Bonds. Both Sosa and McGwire’s set the highest home-run record in 1998 McGwire with 70 and Sosa with 66.

In the 1998 baseball season, both Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire began their chase for home runs to break former records by Roger Maris. McGwire was able to create the new record of home runs which was then overseen by Bonds record of 73 home runs in 2001.

After 2001, Bond's home runs began to decrease with this career being put in question once linked to steroid usage. Similarly, as shown in the graphic after 1998 both Sosa and McGwire began to decrease in terms of home run achievements.

Sosa was able to peak again in 2001 with 64 home runs, but he was not able to reach his highest score of 66 home runs. McGwire continually decreased after 1998 as he retired in 2001.

After each player’s career was linked to performance-enhanced drugs each handled the scandals differently, but all of them did deny the use of any performance-enhancing the beginning.

When the steroid case was confirmed Bonds denied that he knew what he was taking because his trainer, Greg Anderson, misled him to believe the supplements were flaxseed oil and that the cream was for arthritis.

When McGwire finally confirmed his steroid usage he explained that it was only for health purposes. He even claimed that he would have still hit that home run record of 70 without the drug’s aid.

Sosa still denies the claims even though his name was mentioned in the 2003 survey test among 104 other players that tested positive in using performance-enhancing drugs.