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Bud Galvin, a pitcher, was the first professional baseball player to be widely known for using performance enhancing drugs.
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Babe Ruth tried to get an edge on the competition while playing for the "Much Hated" Yankees by injecting a testosterone suppliment from a goat testicle into his bloodstream. This backfired and he got sick. The "Much Hated" Yankees had to describe his absence from the lineup as a "bellyache".
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Scientist Leapold Ruzicka in Zurich, synthesized the hormone found by Adolf Butenandt in 1931 when he purified 15 milligrams of the male hormone andosterone from thousands of liters of urin.
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During WWII, soldiers were given amphetamines so that they would have more endurance in the war and also so that they would be more focused, When the war ended and the troops came home, lots of them went to college and played baseball. They used the techniques they learned from the war by injecting themselves with amphetimines to give them an edge on the competition. The great players then brought this technique to the major leagues.
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Tom House Admits to using steroids in his 8 year major league career from 1971-1978. He said that 7 or 8 pitchers in every clubhouse were experimenting with some sort of performance enhancing drug, whether it be steroids or hGH during his career.
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Commissoner Fay Vincent sent a 7 page memo to every team banning the use of illegal drugs in baseball. This memo included no testing policies, enforcement, or publicity, so many would later claim to have no knowledge of the policy.
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Wenzlaff was arrested for distributing steroids to Mark McGwire and upwards of 20 or 30 more MLB players. This is the earliest roots to the public's suspicion of McGwire's steroid use.
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Shows the developing benefits that steroids had during this time period. Players had become bigger, faster, and strong. No records were safe and this becomes clear in the years to come.
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He and Sammy Sosa go neck and neck to break Roger Maris's home run record of 61. Maris' record had lasted 47 years till that season Sosa breaks the record by 5 and McGuire by 9
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The MLB announces that steroids are to be considered an illegal substance. However, there are no penalties included or plans for testing.
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The policy called for "survey testing" in '03 to determine how widespread the use of steroids in baseball was. The test was to be anonymous with no punishments given to players who tested positive.
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Financial and mediacal records are seized by investigators, allegedly including records of payments for drugs by San Francisco Giants star Barry Bonds.
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Based off of the anonymous tests, between 5 and 7 percent of players tested positive for performance enhancing drugs. The initial penalties were counseling for a first offense and a 15 day suspension for a 2nd offense.
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10 very high profile MLB players testify about BALCO, which had recently been raided. The most notable event came from Baltimore Orioles star Rafael Palmeiro. Palmerio, who was approaching the hallowed baseball milestones of 500 career home runs and 3,000 career hits, defiantly stated he had never used performance enhancing drugs, only to be suspended for a positive test just months later.
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Unanimously accepted by the owners the penalties were:
First positive test: 10 day suspension
Second positive test: 30 day suspension
Third positive test: 60 day suspension
Fourth positive test: 1 year suspension
However, just 10 months later Major League Baseball increased the penalties to a 50 game suspension for the first positive test, 100 games for the second, and a lifetime ban for the third. -
Sanchez, an outfielder for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, is suspended for 10 days.
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The Mitchell Report is released, implicating many current and former Major League players for steroid use. The report admonished the widespread use of steroids in baseball and concluded that stricter drug testing was necessary. This report served as a conclusion to the steroid era in baseball as it brought to light the prevalent use of illegal performance enhancing drugs to the public.
