{
  "id": 16081812,
  "title": "Baseball's Greatest Players: The Pariahs and 10 numbers that define them",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/22/baseballs-greatest-players-the-pariahs-and-10-numbers-that-define-them",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-22T18:00:01.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/baseballs-greatest-players-pariahs-10-180001863.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Mark McGwire, who owns five of the top six seasons for both batting and home runs, was plagued by scandal when he embraced Maris' family in 1998 before facing congressional questioning for his alleged performance-enhancing drug use. Sammy Sosa, a fan favorite in the late 1990s, suffered similar consequences when it was discovered his monstrous home run totals may not have been clean. Shoeless Joe Jackson's name is forever tarnished by his part in the 1919 World Series fix, where he led his teammates to a .375 batting average yet went 12-32 (.375 AVG). Pete Rose, a paragon of baseball integrity during his playing days, now faces lifelong punishment for breaking the unbreakable rule against gambling. Alex Rodriguez, a two-time All-Star shortstop and third baseman, paid a steep financial price after serving the longest suspension in MLB history. Manny Ramirez's career, highlighted by a fourth-place batting average among Hall of Famers, ended abruptly due to two positive drug tests. Roberto Alomar, whose .373 postseason average in the 1990s is unmatched among his teammates, was barred from Hall of Fame induction after spitting at an umpire. Finally, Cap Anson, though widely considered the greatest player in 19th-century baseball, suffered from racist policies that overshadowed his impressive career.",
  "summary": "They cheated. They lied. They discriminated. Baseball has exiled them for defiling the game’s integrity, yet its record would be incomplete without them.",
  "key_points": [
    "Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa faced drug scandal allegations",
    "Shoeless Joe Jackson's 1919 World Series participation tainted",
    "Pete Rose banned for life due to gambling conviction"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}