Mark McGwire hired as Dodgers coach

LOS ANGELES - Mark McGwire was hired by the Los Angeles Dodgers Wednesday as a hitting coach to improve an offense that struggled last season when All-Star slugger Matt Kemp was hobbled by injuries.

The Dodgers were 13th in the National League in runs scored and RBIs and 15th in home runs.

McGwire spent the past three seasons in the same job with the St. Louis Cardinals, where he starred during parts of his 16-year major league career. During McGwire’s tenure, the Cardinals led the National League in batting average (.269) and on-base percentage (.337), ranked second in runs (2,263) and fourth in slugging percentage (.416).

McGwire is a 12-time All-Star who in winter 2010 ended years of denials and a self-imposed exile from the sport by admitting he took performance-enhancing drugs during his career. AP