Cardinals pitcher Wainwright says McGwire deserves Hall of Fame, likes Holliday’s new contract

Wainwright: McGwire deserves Hall of Fame

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright is excited about Matt Holliday’s huge new contract and disappointed that Mark McGwire hasn’t made the Hall of Fame.

Wainwright was the keynote speaker Thursday at the Missouri governor’s annual prayer breakfast in Jefferson City. He spoke primarily about his Christian faith, but noted that Holliday’s $120 million contract could keep him with the Cardinals for seven years.

McGwire, the team’s new hitting coach, has been stigmatized since evading questions from Congress in 2005 about steroids use. But Wainwright thinks McGwire deserves recognition partly because of his famous home run race with Sammy Sosa in 1998, when McGwire set a single-season home run record.

“They did more than just hit home runs, they brought fans back, they brought baseball back,” Wainwright said. “There’s people in the Hall of Fame who have done much worse things than what allegedly Mark McGwire has done.”

McGwire again fell far short of being elected to the Hall of Fame this year, his fourth time on the ballot.