Longtime Boston Red Sox first baseman and 1995 American League MVP Mo Vaughn used human growth hormone in an attempt to prolong his MLB career, he told The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal in a recent exclusive sit-down interview.
“I was trying to do everything I could,” the now-57-year-old explained. “I knew I had a bad, degenerative knee. I was shooting HGH in my knee. Whatever I could do to help the process…”
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) March 10, 2025
Vaughn was one of 89 players listed in the infamous 2007 Mitchell Report—an independent investigation that shed light on the league’s widespread use of anabolic steroids and human growth hormone. The report indicated that Vaughn made three separate payments to former MLB bat boy and clubhouse employee Kirk Radomski, a critical witness in the investigation, in exchange for HGH in 2001.
HGH was not banned by the MLB until 2005.
Vaughn played 12 seasons from 1991 to 2003 with the Red Sox (’91 to ’98), the Anaheim Angels (’99 to ’00), and the New York Mets (’02 to ’03). He was named an American League All-Star three times (’95, ’96’, ’98), and in his ’95 AL MVP-winning season, he won the Silver Slugger Award and was the AL’s RBI leader with 126.
Vaughn was inducted into the Red Sox Hall of Fame in 2008.
