The Summer of '93: Cookouts, Campfires, and Creatine

Red Sox Centerfielder Fred Lynn, who won the Rookie of the Year and MVP Awards in 1975, saw his offensive production drop dramatically over the next three seasons. During the offseason prior to 1979, Lynn began a weightlifting regimen using Nautilus machines, which were introduced to fitness centers earlier that year. Lynn would have his best season in 1979, nearly doubling his Home Run total from 1978, while increasing both his Runs and RBI by more than 40, adding 35 points to his Average, and raising his Slugging Percentage by 145 points. The following season, he suffered through an injury plagued year, and his statistics returned to normal levels. This would be the first case of weightlifting leading to an offensive explosion for a player.

Ten years later, Braves Infielder Ron Gant suffered through a terrible sophomore year in 1989 in which he hit .177 and was sent to the Minor Leagues to regain his rookie form. Gant began weightlifting and returned to the Major Leagues the following season with a new position, the Outfield, and a new body. With bulging muscles, Gant hit 32 Home Runs and stole 33 bases in his breakout season, and would duplicate it two of the following three seasons in Atlanta. This would be the first case of a player using weightlifting to create a muscular physique.

In 1993, Experimental and Applied Sciences (EAS) introduced Phosphagen, a creatine supplement, to athletes as an aid to muscle building. Creatine is a nitrogenous organic acid that occurs naturally in vertebrates and help supply energy to muscles, aiding muscle building for athletes. Baseball players began using creatine supplements during the 1993 season with immediate results. Many players enjoyed their best seasons that year, including Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, and Ken Griffey Jr.

Griffey was very open about his use of creatine, which was available at GNC and legal in Baseball. The supplement helped develop his power, as Griffey increased his Home Run total by 67%, going from 27 in 1992 to 45 in 1993. He averaged just 21 Home Runs for his first four seasons in the Major Leagues prior to 1993, and jumped to an average of 44 Home Runs for the remainder of his time in Seattle. With the help of creatine, Griffey would become one of the top Home Run hitters in Baseball history with over 600 in his career.

Baseball's great explosion had begun. With creatine and anabolic steroids available in every clubhouse, players became noticeably bigger and stronger. Soon, even Middle Infielders were becoming feared sluggers and offenses began hitting Home Runs at record paces. The zenith of the era was 1996, when three teams broke the Home Run record of the 1961 Yankees: The Mariners, the Orioles, and the Athletics.

The Mariners of 1995 had four players with career highs in Home Runs led by Jay Buhner and Edgar Martinez, while Griffey missed half the season. With Griffey healthy the next season, and a young power-hitting Short Stop in Alex Rodriguez, the Mariners slammed 245 homers, four more than the 1961 Yankees, but finished second in the league to the Orioles who clubbed 257. Not to be outdone, the Mariners hit 264 bombs in 1997, with all nine starters hitting double digits in Home Runs (six over 20) and Griffey leading the league with 56. Griffey left the Mariners following the 1999 season and the team's Home Run total fell by 46. Rodriguez would leave at the end of the next year, and the team's total fell by 29 to just 169 in 2001. The Mariners finished eighth in the league in Home Runs that year, yet won a MLB record 114 games. The team was led by the rejuvinated Bret Boone with his record 37 homers by a 2B.

The Orioles of 1995 had just two players with more than 20 Home Runs, Harold Baines and Rafael Palmeiro. In 1996, they set a record of eight players with 20 or more homers, and hit 257 as a team. Five hitters acheived career highs in Home Runs, including Brady Anderson who hit an amazing 50 bombs, and Roberto Alomar who achieved career highs in nearly every category. Just two players hit more than 20 Home Runs in 1997 as the team's offense returned to its normal level.

The Athletics of 1995 had just two power threats in their line-up, Mark McGwire who had 39 homers and Geronimo Berroa with 22. The next year, the team added two powerful rookies, Ernie Young with 19 homers and Jason Giambi with 20. Most of the veterans had career years in 1996, as McGwire led the league with 52 Home Runs, Berroa nearly doubled his output to 36 bombs, and Terry Steinbach more than doubled his total to 35. McGwire was traded mid-season in 1997 and the Athletics would suffer through one more poor offensive season before the emergence of future MVPs Giambi and Miguel Tejada.

The Indians of the early 1990s had the greatest collection of young stars in recent Baseball history. Beginning in 1991 with Albert Belle and Carlos Baerga, the Indians would introduce some of the best hitters in Baseball. Jim Thome, Manny Ramirez, Brian Giles, Sean Casey, and Richie Sexson all debuted with the Indians in the '90s. Each would go on to post impressive statistics throughout their careers, with Thome and Ramirez both becoming members of the 500 Home Run club. The 1991 Indians lost more than 100 games, and the youth infusion began. The 1994 Indians were the franchise's first good team in years and were on their way to winning 100 games before the strike hit. The 1995 team did win 100 games in just 144 games, and the 1999 Indians became one of very few teams to score 1000 Runs in a season.