Editing Mark McGwire (section)

===Oakland Athletics (1986–1997)===
McGwire debuted in the major leagues on August 22, 1986. He did not get a hit until his third game, on August 24. In 18 games with Oakland in 1986, he hit three [[home run]]s and had nine [[runs batted in]] (RBIs), but had a lowly .189 batting average.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mark McGwire 1986 Batting Game Logs |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/gl.fcgi?id=mcgwima01&t=b&year=1986 |access-date=2025-01-23 |website=Baseball-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref>

====Rookie home-run record and major-league leader (1987)====
Retaining his rookie status in 1987, McGwire hit four home runs in the month of April, but followed in May with 15 and another nine in June. Before the All-Star break arrived, he had totaled 33 home runs and earned a spot on the [[American League]] [[1987 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star team]]. On August 11, he broke [[Al Rosen]]'s AL rookie record of 37 home runs.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://docs.newsbank.com/g/GooglePM/APAB/lib00581,122CA98E1CEF7498.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120708140841/http://docs.newsbank.com/g/GooglePM/APAB/lib00581,122CA98E1CEF7498.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 8, 2012|date=August 10, 2008|title=Baseball Today}}</ref> Three days later, McGwire broke the major-league record of 38, which [[Frank Robinson]] and [[Wally Berger]] had jointly held. In September, McGwire hit nine more home runs while posting monthly personal bests of a .351 [[batting average (baseball)|batting average]], .419 [[on-base percentage]] (OBP) and 11 [[Double (baseball)|doubles]] (2B). With 49 home runs and two games remaining in the regular season for him to reach 50 home runs, he missed the games in order to attend the birth of his first child. McGwire also totaled 118 [[runs batted in]], a .289 batting average, 97 [[Run (baseball)|runs]] scored, 28 doubles, a .618 [[slugging percentage]] and a .370 [[on-base percentage]] (OBP). McGwire's 49 home runs as a rookie stood as a major league record until [[Aaron Judge]] hit 52 for the [[New York Yankees]] in 2017.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.sportingnews.com/mlb/news/yankees-aaron-judge-sets-rookie-hr-record-mark-mcgwire/xyqbr125vm8k13f1ips4sg1nl|title=Yankees' Aaron Judge breaks Mark McGwire's rookie HR record|date=September 26, 2017|work=Sporting News|access-date=December 2, 2017|archive-date=November 30, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171130090645/http://www.sportingnews.com/mlb/news/yankees-aaron-judge-sets-rookie-hr-record-mark-mcgwire/xyqbr125vm8k13f1ips4sg1nl|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Not only did McGwire lead the AL in home runs in 1987, but he also tied for the major-league lead with [[1987 Chicago Cubs season|Chicago Cubs]] right fielder [[Andre Dawson]]. McGwire also led the major leagues in slugging, finished second in the AL in adjusted [[on-base plus slugging]] percentage (OPS+, 164) and total bases (344) and placed third in RBI and on-base plus slugging (OPS, .987). He was unanimously chosen as the AL [[Major League Baseball Rookie of the Year Award|Rookie of the Year Award]] and finished sixth overall in the AL [[Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award|Most Valuable Player Award]] voting.

====More All-Star appearances (1988–1991)====
[[File:Mark McGwire 1989.jpg|thumb|left|McGwire with the A's, 1989]]

From [[1988 Oakland Athletics season|1988]] to [[1990 Oakland Athletics season|1990]], McGwire followed with 32, 33, and 39 home runs, respectively, becoming the first Major Leaguer to hit 30+ home runs in each of his first four full seasons.<ref name="BaseballRefMain">{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/m/mcgwima01.shtml |title=Mark McGwire Statistics |website=Baseball-Reference.com |access-date=November 7, 2012 |archive-date=February 28, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090228203815/http://www.baseball-reference.com/m/mcgwima01.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref> On July 3 and 4, 1988, he hit game-winning home runs in the 16th inning of both games.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/TOR/TOR198807030.shtml |title=July 3, 1988 Oakland Athletics at Toronto Blue Jays play by play and box score |website=Baseball-Reference.com |date=July 3, 1988 |access-date=November 7, 2012 |archive-date=November 11, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121111101219/http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/TOR/TOR198807030.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CLE/CLE198807040.shtml |title=July 4, 1988 Oakland Athletics at Cleveland Indians Jays play by play and box score |website=Baseball-Reference.com |date=July 4, 1988 |access-date=November 7, 2012}}</ref> Through May 2009, McGwire was tied for third all-time with [[Joe DiMaggio]] in home runs over his first two calendar years in the major leagues (71), behind [[Chuck Klein]] (83) and [[Ryan Braun]] (79).<ref>[https://nationalpost.com/sports/story.html?id=1633915 Sandler, Jeremy, "NL Weekly: The Notebook", National Post, May 27, 2009, accessed 5/28/09]{{dead link|date=June 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>

McGwire's most famous home run with the A's was likely his game-winning solo shot in the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 3 of the [[1988 World Series]] against the [[1988 Los Angeles Dodgers season|Los Angeles Dodgers]] and former A's [[Closer (baseball)|closer]] [[Jay Howell]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/OAK/OAK198810180.shtml |title=October 18, 1988 World Series Game 3 at Network Associates Coliseum Play by Play and Box Score |website=Baseball-Reference.com |date=October 18, 1988 |access-date=November 7, 2012 |archive-date=November 11, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121111101233/http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/OAK/OAK198810180.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref> McGwire's game-winner brought the A's their only victory in the 1988 World Series, which they lost in five games; however, McGwire and his fellow [[Bash Brothers|Bash Brother]], [[José Canseco]], played a large part in the 1989 championship club that defeated the [[1989 San Francisco Giants season|San Francisco Giants]] in the famous "[[1989 World Series|Earthquake Series]]."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/1989_WS.shtml |title=1989 World Series – OAK vs. SFG |website=Baseball-Reference.com |access-date=November 7, 2012 |archive-date=November 30, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071130235404/http://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/1989_WS.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref>

Working diligently on his defense at first base, McGwire bristled at the notion that he was a one-dimensional player. He was generally regarded as a good fielder in his early years, even winning a [[Gold Glove Award]] in 1990, the only one that the [[New York Yankees|Yankees]]' [[Don Mattingly]] would not win between 1985 and 1994. In later years, his mobility decreased along with his defensive ability. His batting averages after his rookie season plummeted to .260, .231, and .235 from 1988 to 1990. In 1991, he bottomed out with a .201 average and 22 homers. [[List of Oakland Athletics managers|Manager]] [[Tony La Russa]] sat him for the final game of the [[1991 Oakland Athletics season|season]] to avoid causing his batting average to dip below .200. Despite the declining averages during this time of his career, McGwire's high [[bases on balls|base-on-balls]] totals allowed him to maintain an acceptable on-base percentage. In fact, when he hit .201, his [[On-base plus slugging|OPS+]] was 103, just over the league average.

McGwire stated in an interview with ''[[Sports Illustrated]]'' that 1991 was the "worst year" of his life, with his on-field performance and marriage difficulties, and that he "didn't lift a weight" that entire season. With all that behind him, McGwire rededicated himself to working out harder than ever and received visual therapy from a sports vision specialist.<ref>[http://www.sdccd.edu/events/we/wepdf/we-sp99.pdf] https://web.archive.org/web/20150701040841/http://www.sdccd.edu/events/we/wepdf/we-sp99.pdf</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url= https://vault.si.com/vault/1992/06/01/most-happy-fella-oaklands-mark-mcgwire-is-smiling-again-now-that-hes-hitting-homers-at-a-record-pace |magazine=Sports Illustrated |access-date=June 24, 2020 |title= Most Happy Fella|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121104193550/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/baseball/mlb/features/mcgwire/flashbacks/060192/ |archive-date=November 4, 2012 }}</ref>

====Career resurgence (1992–1997)====
The "new look" McGwire hit 42 homers and batted .268 in 1992, with an outstanding OPS+ of 175 (the highest of his career to that point), and put on a victorious home-run-hitting show at the [[Home Run Derby]] during the [[1992 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1992 All-Star break]]. His performance propelled the [[1992 Oakland Athletics season|A's]] to the American League West Division title in 1992, their fourth in five seasons. The A's lost in the [[1992 American League Championship Series|playoffs]] to the eventual [[1992 World Series|World Series]] champion [[1992 Toronto Blue Jays season|Toronto Blue Jays]].

Foot injuries limited McGwire to a total of 74 games in [[1993 Oakland Athletics season|1993]] and [[1994 Oakland Athletics season|1994]], and just nine home runs in each of the two seasons. He played just 104 games in [[1995 Oakland Athletics season|1995]], but his proportional totals were much improved, as he hit 39 home runs in 317 at-bats. In [[1996 Oakland Athletics season|1996]], McGwire belted a major-league-leading 52 homers in 423 at-bats. He also hit for a career-high .312 average and led the league in both slugging and on-base percentage.

McGwire's total of 363 home runs with the Athletics surpassed the previous franchise record. He was selected or voted to nine [[American League]] All-Star teams while playing for the A's, including six consecutive appearances from [[1987 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1987]] through [[1992 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1992]]. On April 21, 1997, McGwire became the fourth and final player to hit a home run over the left-field roof of [[Detroit]]'s [[Tiger Stadium (Detroit)|Tiger Stadium]], joining [[Harmon Killebrew]], [[Frank Howard (baseball)|Frank Howard]] and [[Cecil Fielder]].<ref>The Final Season, p.90, Tom Stanton, Thomas Dunne Books, An imprint of St. Martin's Press, New York, 2001, {{ISBN|0-312-29156-6}}</ref> The blast was estimated to have traveled 491 feet.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.sfgate.com/sports/article/McGwire-Has-a-Blast-in-Loss-2843682.php |title=McGwire Has a Blast in Loss |publisher=SFgate.com |first=Steve |last=Kettman |date=April 21, 1997 |access-date=September 8, 2021 |archive-date=January 28, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220128101420/https://www.sfgate.com/sports/article/McGwire-Has-a-Blast-in-Loss-2843682.php |url-status=live }}</ref>