San Diego Padres: Mark McGwire manages his first MLB game
MLB great and current San Diego Padres bench coach Mark McGwire managed his first MLB game Tuesday night.
Mark McGwire has faced his fair share of criticism for his involvement in the steroid scandal that rocked Major League Baseball over a decade ago, but there is no denying that he was one of the purest hitters of his time.
Even after his admission of steroid use, McGwire found himself back in the league as a hitting coach with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2010.
He now serves as the bench coach for the San Diego Padres under manager Andy Green.
Green was ejected from Tuesday night’s game against the Pittsburgh Pirates after a balk call against his pitcher, Colin Rea. The call was overturned, then overturned again, leading to Green losing his cool and getting tossed from the game.
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Enter McGwire, who became the manager for the remainder of the game after Green’s ejection in the third inning.
The former home run king saw his team score all five of its runs with him in the manager role, all on home runs. Wil Myers hit a two-run shot in the fourth, followed by a two-run home run from Derek Norris and a solo home run by Adam Rosales.
McGwire was known for his home run hitting, so it is only fitting a team managed by him scored all of its runs via the long ball.
Mark McGwire has managed parts of 4 games (three ST split-squads and yesterday). Padres have 11 dingers with McGwire at the helm. #facts
— AJ Cassavell (@AJCassavell) April 20, 2016
This is only one game, but McGwire has been a coach in the MLB since 2010, so it may be possible he is a candidate interviewed for managerial positions in the near future.
The only thing holding him back would be the negative stigma associated with using performance-enhancing drugs throughout his career, but his admission of guilt seems to have cleared up much of the hate that existed before.
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The world we live in seems to agree to move on following an admission of guilt, at least to the point where McGwire can continue to be a part of Major League Baseball. He may never find himself in the Hall of Fame, but there is nothing stopping him from making a whole new legacy as a manager.