St. Louis Cardinals names Mark McGwire as hitting coach

Mark McGwire has replaced Hal McRae, who has been at the Cardinals since 2005 as the teams hitting coach with Tony La Russa agreeing to extend his stay with a one-year contract.

McGwire, who has had severe injuries and was involved in a steroid controversy has not coached or played since 2001. He also has arguably one of the most storied seasons in 1998 when he played for St. Louis when he annihilated Roger Maris’ infamous home run record with 70 round-tippers. The record has since been beaten by Barry Bonds who has 73 obtained in 2001.

La Russa, who guided the Cardinals to the NL Central title this season is adament that he will replace no one else in the coaching ranks.

Source: The Miami Herald