Originally posted by: wyvrn
Originally posted by: LoKe
Originally posted by: mpitts
Originally posted by: LoKe
How is it impressive if he used steroids? Especially when it's a record based directly on hitting power?
How many of the pitchers that he faced were up to the same thing that he was?
There's no way to know.
That means nothing. As a direct result of his cheating he holds this record.
The problem I have with this is you cannot prove what steroids did for his home run totals (making the assumption that he did use them).
First, you still have to hit a baseball, and no amount of steroids is going to help you do that. Barry had talent that is undeniable, and is one of the few human beings on earth that could hit both a 95mph fastball and a major league curve in the stands. The only thing steroids could have done is make him more powerful and hit balls longer distances. He was already a power hitter though, so how do you prove how many of his home runs needed the benefit of whatever steroids gave him? And ask other people have mentioned, he was probably facing a lot of pitchers who were also juiced. Just look at how many people can throw in the high 90s versus how many there were 15 years ago, and you have to think steroids is all over baseball and not just the hitters.