Mark McGwire will forever be remembered for two things.
One was his dramatic effort to topple Roger Maris' longstanding homerun record in 1998.
Many credit McGwire, and rival Sammy Sosa, with helping to resurrect the game during that headline-producing campaign.
The other, however, rapidly eroded the glory of his athletic feats, and subsequently cast a dark shadow over the game.
Although he never admitted it and it was never proven, McGwire was widely accused of using anabolic steroids during his illustrious career, and on Tuesday, that's what left an indelible impression on members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America when they filled out their Hall of Fame ballots.
In what many consider the first true test of how steroid-era accomplishments will be viewed, McGwire received a mere 23.5 percent of the vote, falling drastically short of the 75 percent needed for induction.
Two ballots were left blank in protest.
While McGwire got the cold shoulder, Cal Ripken Jr., and Tony Gwynn easily made the mark, with 98.5 and 97.6 percent respectively.
"I know it's an important story for baseball and I know that it needs to be debated, it's all part of the process of cleaning up the sport and maintaining the integrity," Ripken said during a conference call. "I know it exists and it doesn't bother me that it's a story one bit.
"But ... I don't think it's my place to cast judgment. I honestly believe the truth will be known and it saddens me that baseball as a whole had to go through this process and had the integrity of the game be questioned because of steroid use. Unfortunately, probably all those stories haven't been told yet."
Gwynn didn't shy away from the issue either.
"You knew with Mark McGwire being on the ballot there was going to be a lot of talk about that," he stated. "I think it's great because it brings attention to it. I think we're at that stage where it needs to be talked about."
An investigation into the usage of steroids in the game by former U.S. Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell is still ongoing and there is no clear proof that McGwire used steroids, although he's been the target of numerous accusations.