Major League Baseball

McGwire to return as Cardinals coach

Published Oct. 25, 2010 11:37 p.m. ET

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Mark McGwire is coming back to the St. Louis Cardinals.

The team said Monday that McGwire has agreed to a one-year deal after making his debut as the Cardinals hitting coach last season. Terms were not disclosed.

Before the start of spring training, McGwire ended years of denials and a self-imposed exile by admitting that he had used steroids and human growth hormone on and off for a decade, starting before the 1990 season and including when he broke Roger Maris' single-season home run record in 1998.

There was little public outcry and McGwire settled into a mostly behind-the-scenes role as a bench coach. The offense sputtered to the All-Star break and there had been talk that McGwire might not return after his wife gave birth to triplets over the summer. McGwire also has three other children.

Manager Tony La Russa, who reached a new one-year deal with St. Louis last week, said earlier this month that McGwire was having ''a real tussle trying to figure out coach, father.''

The Cardinals also said pitching coach Dave Duncan had agreed to a two-year deal, with a mutual option for 2013. The 65-year-old Duncan has been in the Cardinals dugout with manager Tony La Russa for the past 15 seasons and have put together one of the best rotations in baseball.

Last season, Adam Wainwright won 20 games for the first time after falling a win short in 2009 and lefty Jaime Garcia was 13-8 with a 2.70 ERA in his first season. Chris Carpenter won 16 games, too.

Besides McGwire, the team reached one-year deals with first-base coach Dave McKay, third-base coach Jose Oquendo and bench coach Joe Pettini.

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