Oakland A's legend Jose Canseco once lauded Mark McGwire for "putting baseball back on the map" during his home run hitting days

MLB journeyman designated hitter Jose Canseco once reserved the highest praise for former teammate and Oakland A's legend Mark McGwire. He lauded him for "putting baseball back on the map."

"Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire. Putting aside the questionable track record....this was a terrifying 1-2 punch" - OldTimeHardball, Twitter

As a testament to McGwire's success and leadership on the field, Canseco went on to pay tribute to the former MLB legend. He mentioned how the entire baseball fraternity owes him one big thank you for paving the way to greatness.

"I think baseball owes McGwire a gratitude of thanks for putting baseball back on the map where it should be," - Canseco said.

He went on to add that McGwire was in a class of his own and even outshined the likes of the legendary New York Yankees slugger Babe Ruth.

"He is incredible. No one can even stand in his shoes, not Babe Ruth, not anyone. He’s in a league of his own." - Canseco concluded.

Canseco and McGwire, who were famously nicknamed the 'Bash Brothers', spent parts of eight seasons together at the Oakland Athletics. Together, they were instrumental in leading the team to the World Series title in 1989.

A prolific home run hitter, McGwire hit 583 home runs during his career, ranking fifth all-time. He most famously holds the major-league career record for at-bats per home run ratio (10.6).

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Jose Canseco once accused Mark McGwire of corking bats and cheating the game

Jose Canseco accused legendary slugger Mark McGwire of corking his bats before games. He took this dig at his former teammate in 2021 via Twitter.

"Mark McGwire corked his bat before every game," Canseco wrote on his Twitter account.

"Jose Canseco boldly accuses Mark McGwire of being a cheater https://bit.ly/2Pxnujq" - Baseball Bros, Twitter

Corking a baseball bat makes it lighter than other bats and helps the player swing through the line of the ball.

This was not the first time, however. Canseco accused McGwire and several others of abusing performance enhancers in his infamous 2005 best-selling book "Juiced."