| Sammy Sosa | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Sosa in 2012 | |
| Right fielder | |
| Born: (1968-11-12)November 12, 1968 (age 57) San Pedro de Macorís, Dominican Republic | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| June 16, 1989, for the Texas Rangers | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 29, 2007, for the Texas Rangers | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .273 |
| Hits | 2,408 |
| Home runs | 609 |
| Runs batted in | 1,667 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Samuel Peralta Sosa (/ˈsoʊsə/;[1] born November 12, 1968) is a Dominican former professionalbaseballright fielder. He played inMajor League Baseball (MLB) for 18 seasons, primarily with theChicago Cubs. After playing for theTexas Rangers andChicago White Sox, Sosa joined the Cubs in 1992 and became regarded as one of the game's best hitters. Sosa hit his 400th home run in his 1,354th game and his 5,273rd at-bat, reaching this milestone quicker than any player inNational League history. He is one of nine players in MLB history to hit 600 career home runs.[2]
In 1998, Sosa, along withMark McGwire, achieved international fame for hishome run-hitting prowessin pursuit of Roger Maris' single-season home-run record. With the Cubs, Sosa became a 7-timeAll-Star while holding numerousteam records. He finished his career with stints with theBaltimore Orioles and the Rangers for a second time.[3] With the Rangers, Sosa hit his 600th career home run to become the fifth player in MLB history to reach the milestone.
Sosa is second all-time in home runs among foreign-born MLB players and is one of only three National League players since 1900 to reach 160RBIs in one season (2001). He is also the only player to have hit 60 or more home runs in a single season three times, which he accomplished in 1998, 1999 and 2001. He did not lead the league in home runs in any of those seasons, although he did lead the league in2000 with 50 home runs, and in2002 with 49.
In a 2005congressional hearing, Sosa—through his attorney—denied having usedperformance-enhancing drugs during his playing career, following multiple accusations. In a 2024 public statement, Sosa admitted to having made "mistakes" recovering from injuries during his career.
Sosa was born in theDominican Republic. Though born in aBatey community inConsuelo,[4] his officially registered birthplace isSan Pedro de Macorís, which was "the largest town nearby".[5] Sosa is known to family and friends as "Mikey". His maternal grandmother suggested his birth name of Samuel, and also came up with his nickname: "[She] heard the name on asoap opera she liked and decided from that moment on he would be Mikey."[6]
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Prior to making his major league debut, Sosa played for theTulsa Drillers andOklahoma City Comets.[7]
Sosa made his major league debut on June 16, 1989, with the Texas Rangers, wearing #17 and leading off as the startingleft fielder. He hit his first careerhome run offRoger Clemens.[8]
On July 29, 1989, the Rangers traded Sosa withWilson Álvarez andScott Fletcher to the Chicago White Sox forHarold Baines andFred Manrique.[9] In 1990, Sosa batted .233 with 15 home runs, 70runs batted in, 10triples, and 32 stolen bases. He also struck out 150 times, fourth most in the American League. Sosa started the 1991 season by hitting two home runs and driving in five runs. However, he slumped for the rest of the year and batted .203 with 10 home runs and 33 runs batted in.
The White Sox traded Sosa andKen Patterson to theChicago Cubs foroutfielderGeorge Bell before the 1992 season.[10] Sosa batted .260 with eight home runs and 25 RBIs in his first season with the Cubs. In 1993, Sosa batted .261 with 33home runs with 93 RBIs. He also showed his speed by stealing 38 bases and became the Cubs' first 30-30 player. Sosa continued to hit for power and speed in 1994 but he also improved his batting average. He ended up batting .300 with 25 home runs, 70 RBIs, and 22stolen bases. Sosa was named to his first All-Star team in 1995. In 144 games, he batted .268 with 36 home runs and 119 RBIs. Sosa continued his success with the Cubs in 1996 as he batted .273 with 40 home runs and 100 RBIs. However, in 1997, Sosa batted just .251 with a .300 on-base percentage, and led the league in strikeouts with 174 despite hitting 36 home runs with 119 RBIs.
After years as a respected power/speed threat with a rocket arm in right field, he emerged during the 1998 season as one of baseball's greatest. It was in this season that both Sosa and Mark McGwire were involved in the "home run record chase", when both players' prowess for hitting home runs drew national attention as they attempted to passRoger Maris' single season home run mark of 61 home runs. In the early months of the year, Sosa trailed McGwire significantly, being as many as 16 homers behind at one point in May. But as the chase progressed, Sosa eventually tied McGwire with 46 home runs on August 10. However, McGwire pulled away slightly and reached 62 home runs to break the record first on September 8. Sosa tied McGwire once again at 62 on September 13. Eleven days later, with two games left to play in the season, the two were tied at 66 home runs each. Sosa ended the season with 66, finishing behind McGwire's 70. It was during that season that Cubs announcerChip Caray nicknamed him "Slammin' Sammy", a nickname that quickly spread. Sammy produced then career-highs in batting average and slugging percentage, at .308 and .647 respectively. Sosa also led the league inRBIs and runs scored.
Also in 1998, Sosa's 416 total bases were the most in a single season sinceStan Musial's 429 in 1948. Sosa's performance in the month of June, during which Sosa belted 20 home runs, knocked in 47 runs, and posted an .842slugging percentage, was one of the greatest offensive outbursts in major league history. Sosa won theNational League Most Valuable Player Award for leading the Cubs into the playoffs in 1998, earning every first-place vote except for the two cast bySt. Louis writers, who voted for McGwire. He and McGwire sharedSports Illustrated magazine's 1998 "Sportsman of the Year" award. Sosa was honored with aticker-tape parade in his honor in New York City, and he was invited to be a guest at US PresidentBill Clinton's 1999State of the Union Address. 1998 was also the first time the Cubs made the post-season since 1989. The Cubs qualified as the NL Wild Card team, but were swept by theAtlanta Braves in theNLDS. In the 1999 season, Sosa hit 63 home runs, again trailing Mark McGwire, who hit 65. In the 2000 season, Sosa led the league by hitting 50 home runs. He received theBabe Ruth Home Run Award for leading MLB in homers.[12]
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In 2001, he hit 64 home runs, becoming the first player to hit 60 or more home runs three times. However, he did not lead the league in any of those seasons; in 2001, he finished behindBarry Bonds, who hit 73 homers, breaking the single-season home run record set by McGwire in 1998 (70). In 2001, he also set personal records inruns scored (146),RBI (160),walks (116),on-base percentage (.437),slugging percentage (.737), andbatting average (.328).[3] He led the majors in runs and RBI, was second in home runs, second in slugging percentage, first in total bases, third in walks, fourth in on-base percentage, 12th in batting average, and 15th inhits. He also surpassed his 1998 number in total bases, racking up 425. Sosa once again led the league in home runs with 49 in 2002. In recognition of his accomplishments as a hitter, Sosa won theSilver Slugger Award (an award for offensive output, voted on by managers and coaches) in 1995 and in 1998 through 2002.[3]
In 2003, the Cubs won the National League Central Division title. In May, he spent his first period on thedisabled list since 1996 after having an injured toenail removed. On June 3, 2003, Sosa was ejected from a Chicago Cubs-Tampa Bay Devil Rays game in the first inning when umpires discovered he had been using acorked bat.[13] Major League Baseball confiscated and tested 76 of Sosa's other bats after his ejection; all were found to be clean, with no cork. Five bats he had sent to the Hall of Fame in past years were also tested, and were all clean as well.[14] Sosa stated that he had accidentally used the corked bat, which he claimed he only used during batting practice, and apologized for the incident.[15] When Cubs managerDusty Baker was interviewed later, he stated any use of corked bats on his team is strictly prohibited. On June 6, Sosa was suspended for eight games all without pay[16] which was reduced to seven games (again without pay) on June 11 after appeal.[17] Sosa finished the season with 40 home runs and hit two more in the2003 NLCS against theFlorida Marlins, falling to the team in seven games.
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In May 2004, Sosa suffered an odd injury while sitting next to his locker chatting with reporters before a game in San Diego'sPetco Park. He sneezed very violently, causing severe back pain. He was diagnosed with back spasms and placed on the disabled list.[18] He finished with 35 homers, far below his numbers of his best years. Despite his declining production and release from the team at the end of the 2004 season, between 1995 and 2004 Sosa clubbed 479 home runs[19] which is the most home runs by a player in history over a 10-year span.[20] He also owns numerous team records for the Cubs and he holds the major-league record for the most home runs hit in a month (20, in June 1998). His tenure came to an end without fanfare, as he did not play in the final game of the regular season (played in Chicago) per his request, with Sosa reportedly leavingWrigley Field before the game had ended. Sosa had stated he had permission from Baker to not play, while Baker stated that former assistant trainer Sandy Krum (serving as the go-between for the two) told Baker that Sosa had felt a bit injured and wanted out of the final game, but he expected Sosa to be on the bench with the rest of the players who weren't in the starting lineup.[21]
On January 28, 2005, the Cubs traded Sosa to theBaltimore Orioles in exchange forinfielder-outfielderJerry Hairston Jr., infielderMike Fontenot, and RHP Dave Crouthers. To facilitate the deal, Sosa and hisagent agreed to waive the clause that guaranteed his 2006 salary, and theplayers' union indicated it would not object to that agreement. Under the deal, Sosa earned $17.875 million for the 2005 season, with the Cubs paying $7 million of his salary. By playing for the 2005 Orioles alongside fellow 500-home-run batterRafael Palmeiro, Sosa and Palmeiro became the first500 home run club members in history to play together on the same team after reaching the 500 home run plateau.[a] Sosa finished the 2005 season batting .221 with 14 home runs, his worst performance since 1992, and continuing his post-2001 trend of declines in batting average, homers, total bases, and RBI. On December 7, 2005, the Orioles decided not to offer him an arbitration contract, effectively ending his Baltimore Orioles tenure and making him a free agent.
In 2005,The Sporting News published an update of their 1999 bookBaseball's 100 Greatest Players. Sosa did not make the original edition, but for the 2005 update, with his career totals considerably higher, he was ranked at Number 95. During a stretch of nine consecutive years, Sosa hit 35 or more home runs and 100+ RBIs, all with the Chicago Cubs.[3]
At the end of January 2006, theWashington Nationals offered Sosa two different minor-league offers, both of which he turned down. On February 15, 2006, Sosa's agentAdam Katz stated: "We're not going to put him on the retirement list. We decided that [not putting him on that list] was the best thing to do. But I can say, with reasonable certainty, that we've seen Sammy in a baseball uniform for the last time."[22] During that year, Sosa accompanied PresidentLeonel Fernández of the Dominican Republic on several diplomatic trips including to the United States, Japan, andTaiwan.
The Texas Rangers, Sosa's original team, signed him to a minor league deal worth $500,000 on January 30, 2007.[23] This was the same contract that Sosa turned down the previous year from the Nationals. The contract included an invitation tospring training, where Sosa competed for a spot in the lineup withNelson Cruz,Jason Botts, and other rookies/prospects.[24] Sosa was successful during spring training and was added to the team's 25-man roster. He started the 2007 season as the Rangers' designated hitter and occasional right fielder.At the same time, the Chicago Cubs awarded Sosa's number 21 to new pitcherJason Marquis, who coincidentally served up Sosa's 600th career home run. This caused some concern, due to Sosa's accomplishments with the Cubs, including his status as the Cubs' all-time home run leader.[25]
On April 26, 2007, Sosa made history by hitting a home run in his 45th major league ballpark. He has also homered inThe Ballpark at Disney's Wide World of Sports, nearOrlando, Florida, a usually minor-league andSpring training park that hosted a regular season series between the Rangers and theTampa Bay Devil Rays in May 2007, although he did not hit a homer at the two regular season games the Cubs played at the Tokyo Dome in 2000 vs. the Mets. On June 20, 2007, Sosa hit a home run off ofJason Marquis during an inter-league game against the Chicago Cubs. Sosa became only the fifth man in history, followingBabe Ruth,Willie Mays,Hank Aaron, andBarry Bonds, to hit 600 regular season home runs. The home run was the first one that Sosa had recorded against the Cubs, and as a result he has hit a home run against every active MLB team.[26] Sosa is the Cubs' all-time home run leader, having hit 545 with that team.
On May 28, 2008, Sosa announced that he instructed his agent not to offer his services to any MLB team for the 2008 season, and planned on filing for retirement, but never did.[27] On December 25, 2008, Sosa announced he intended to unretire and play in theWorld Baseball Classic and once again test the free agent market in hopes of signing with a Major League ballclub in 2009. Sosa said that he had been keeping in shape at his home, and was hoping that after a strong World Baseball Classic he would prove to major-league teams that he was still capable of playing in MLB. However, he was not selected as part of the Dominican Republic's roster. He remained a free agent and did not actively look for a team.
On June 3, 2009, Sosa announced his intention to retire from baseball. He made the announcement in the Dominican Republic and said that he was calmly looking forward to his induction into theBaseball Hall of Fame since his statistics were up to par.[28]
On June 16, 2009,The New York Times reported that Sosa was on a list of players who had tested positive forperformance-enhancing drugs in 2003, in baseball'ssteroids scandal. The paper stated that this information had been obtained from unnamed attorneys with knowledge of Major League Baseball drug test results from 2003.[29]
Previously, Sosa sat alongsideRafael Palmeiro,Jose Canseco, andMark McGwire at a hearing before theUnited States Congress. His attorney testified on his behalf,[30] stating, "To be clear, I have never taken illegal performance-enhancing drugs. I have never injected myself or had anyone inject me with anything. I have not broken thelaws of the United States or thelaws of the Dominican Republic. I have been tested as recently as 2004, and I am clean."[31]
On December 19, 2024, Sosa released a somewhat ambiguous public statement through his PR firm, stating, "There were times I did whatever I could to recover from injuries in an effort to keep my strength up to perform over 162 games. I never broke any laws, but in hindsight, I made mistakes and I apologize." Almost immediately, Cubs chairmanThomas S. Ricketts responded with a statement of his own, inviting Sosa to the 2025 Cubs Convention: "We appreciate Sammy releasing his statement and for reaching out. No one played harder or wanted to win more…We plan on inviting him to the 2025 Cubs Convention and, while it is short notice, we hope that he can attend. We are all ready to move forward together."[32]
In an interview withESPN Deportes, Sosa said he would "calmly wait" for his induction into theNational Baseball Hall of Fame, for which he became eligible in2013. In results announced on January 9, 2013, Sosa was not elected by theBaseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) into baseball's Hall of Fame inCooperstown, New York, receiving 12.5% in his first year on the ballot—the requirement for election is 75%. In the following years, his voting percentage dropped as low as 6.6% in2015 to a high of 17% in2021. A candidate remains eligible for inclusion on subsequent ballots as long as he receives a minimum of 5.0% of the vote in a given year, and is removed from consideration by the BBWAA after 10 years of not being elected; thus, Sosa's final appearance was on the2022 ballot, where he received 18.5% of votes.[33]
Sosa may still be inducted into the Hall of Fame if recommended by the Hall of Fame's Contemporary Baseball EraVeterans Committee, which may elect players outside of the 10-year BBWAA eligibility window. However, the steroid ties and suspicions that prevented Sosa from previously being voted into the Hall of Fame, along with players likeBarry Bonds andRoger Clemens, have made that seem unlikely.[34]
Sosa married Sonia Rodríguez, a former Dominican TV dancer, in 1991.[35][36] They have four children. He was formerly married to Karen Lee Bright for eight months beginning in 1990.[37][36]
In 2009, Sosa appeared at a music awards show looking much lighter in complexion than he had just months earlier. The buzz around this drastic change prompted him to go on a Spanish-language television station to deny that he was ill, or that he hated being dark-skinned, or that his new skin tone was the result of steroid use. Sosa explained that he uses ableaching cream before going to bed which softens and lightens his skin.[38]
By 2001, they were paying their own way to present Sammy Sosa with his Babe Ruth Award.(subscription required)
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | National League Player of the Month July 1996 June 1998 May 1999 July 2000 August 2001 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Academics | |
| Other | |
