Sammy Sosa 1968–

Professional baseball player

Flipped Between Majors and Minors

Joined the Cubs

Signed a Controversial Contract

A Historic Season

Enduring Stardom and Corked Bats

Selected writings

Sources

Sammy Sosa, the Chicago Cubs outfielder who was involved in the most dramatic home run race in baseball history in 1998, evolved into one of the most well-rounded and best-loved players of the early 2000s. Early in his career, Sosa was an offensive force with weak defensive and baserunning skills. But following his epic 1998 chase of the single-season, home-run record—in which his 66 home runs placed second to slugger Mark McGwire’s 70—Sosa determined to become better at every part of the game. In 2003 Sosa recovered from a bat-corking incident to lead the Chicago Cubs deep into the playoffs. Cubs fans, long accustomed to having their team lose, hope that Swingin’ Sammy Sosa will some day lead the Cubs to a World Series victory.

Flipped Between Majors and Minors

Samuel Sosa was born on November 12, 1968, in San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic. Sosa and his five brothers and sisters grew up in a two-bedroom apartment in an abandoned hospital. His father, Juan Montero, died of a brain aneurysm when Sammy was seven. His mother Lucrecia and her children were left to fend for themselves. To help his family financially, Sosa sold oranges, shined shoes, and worked as a janitor in a shoe factory. He began playing organized baseball at the age of 14 and was signed to a contract by the Philadelphia Phillies one year later. However, the contract was voided because Sosa was only 15 years old. He signed another contract the following year, this time with the Texas Rangers. He gave his $3,500 signing bonus to his mother and bought his first bicycle.

In 1986 Sosa left the Dominican Republic and arrived in Sarasota, Florida. At the age of 18, he led the Gulf Coast League in doubles. The following year, as a member of Gastonia, North Carolina’s Class A team, he was selected as a South Atlantic League All-Star. In 1988 Sosa spent the entire season with Port Charlotte in the Florida State League. He was then promoted to the Rangers’ Double A club in Tulsa in 1989. After compiling a .297 batting average, seven home runs, and 31 runs batted in (RBIs) in 66 games with Tulsa, Sosa was promoted to the major leagues. In his major league debut with the Texas Rangers on June 16, 1989, he had two hits against the New York Yankees. Following this impressive start, Sosa hit only .238 in 25 games, compiled no walks,

At a Glance…

Born Samuel Sosa (Peralta) on November 12, 1968, in San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic; married Sonia; children: Keysha, Kenia, Sammy Jr., and Michael.

Career: Texas Rangers, professional baseball player, 1986-89; Chicago White Sox, professional baseball player, 1989-92; Chicago Cubs, professional baseball player, 1992–.

Awards: National League All-Star Team member, 1995, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002; Louisville Slugger Silver Slugger Award, 1995, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002; Gene Autry Courage Award, 1998; National League Most Valuable Player, 1998; Roberto Clemente Award, 1998; Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year with Mark McGwire, 1998; Hank Aaron Award, 1999.

Addresses: Office —Wrigley Field, 1060 W. Addison Street, Chicago, IL 60613-4397.

and struck out 20 times. The Rangers sent him back to their Triple A team on July 20, 1989. Nine days later, he was traded to the Chicago White Sox. After three weeks in the minors, Sosa was called up to the White Sox on August 22nd. In his first game with the White Sox, Sosa had three hits, including a home run.

The 1990 season was Sosa’s first full season in the major leagues. Although he only had a .233 batting average, Sosa was the only American League player to reach double figures in doubles (26), triples (10), homers (15), and stolen bases (32). In 1991 Sosa struggled to find the success and consistency that he had enjoyed the previous season. On July 19, 1991, the White Sox demoted him to the minors. Although he finished the season in Chicago, Sosa compiled a dismal .203 batting average and struck out 98 times in 116 games.

Joined the Cubs

In 1992 the White Sox traded Sosa to the Chicago Cubs. He suffered injuries throughout the season and played in only 67 games. From June 13th to June 27th, Sosa was on the disabled list with a broken right hand. Ten days after returning to action, he fractured his ankle and was forced to miss the rest of the season.

Sosa enjoyed a spectacular season in 1993, becoming the first player in Cubs history to record 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases in a season. He finished the year with a .261 batting average, 33 home runs, 93 RBIs, and 36 stolen bases. In 1994 Sosa led the Cubs in batting average (.300), home runs (25), and RBIs (70). He also stole 22 bases. During the 1995 season, he was named to the National League All-Star team for the first time. He also hit 36 home runs, compiled 119 RBIs, and stole 34 bases. In 1995, Sosa won the Silver Slugger Award and The Sporting News named him to its National League All-Star team.

During another outstanding season in 1996, Sosa was hit by a pitch and broke a bone in his right hand on August 20th. He was placed on the disabled list and missed the rest of the season. Although Sosa’s season was ended prematurely, he had compiled an impressive .273 batting average, hit 40 home runs, and knocked in 100 RBIs. During July of 1996, he was named the National League Player of the Month for his .358 batting average, 10 home runs, and 29 RBIs.

In 1997 Sosa proved again that he had become one of the finest power hitters in the National League. He finished near the top of the National League in home runs (36), RBIs (119), doubles (31), total bases (303), extra-base hits (71), and at-bats (642). Sosa also achieved two career milestones by getting his 1,000th major league hit and hitting his 200th major league home run.

Signed a Controversial Contract

Midway through the 1997 season, Cubs general manager Ed Lynch signed Sosa to a four-year contract extension worth $42.5 million. The $10 million-per-year contract was a great source of controversy. Although Sosa had enjoyed several fine seasons with the Cubs, many fans and sportswriters did not feel that he was worth the money. Some fans called him Sammy So So and he was viewed by many as a selfish player who was more concerned with personal statistics than team goals.

Sosa’s behavior, at times, seemed to support these claims. After he hit 30 home runs and stole 30 bases in 1993, Sosa commissioned an enormous, diamond-encrusted 30-30 gold pendant, which he had to put in a safe before games. His license plate read SS 30-30 and a shopping mall he owned in the Dominican Republic was also christened 30-30. Although he had hit 36 home runs and collected 119 RBIs in 1997, he also led the National League in strikeouts and was undisciplined on the base paths. Omar Minaya, the scout who signed Sosa, offered Tom Verducci of Sports Illustrated a reason for Sosa’s lack of discipline, “You’ve got to understand something about Latin players when they’re young—or really any players from low economic backgrounds. They know the only way to make money is by putting up offensive numbers. Only now is Sammy at a mature stage. Only now is he becoming the player he always could have been.” Sosa’s teammate, Mark Grace, told Verducci that Sosa had made so many mistakes because he did not have a firm grasp of baseball fundamentals, “When he first got here (in 1992), you could see he had great physical skills, but he was so raw. He didn’t know how to play the game. He didn’t understand the concept of hitting behind runners. So many little things he just didn’t know.”

A Historic Season

Sosa’s 1998 season would make Ed Lynch look like a genius. During the off-season Sosa worked hard to become more patient at the plate, improve his bat speed, and hit the ball to all fields more consistently. In an interview with Wendy Cole of Time, Sosa spoke of his desire to become a better player, “A few years ago I was trying to do too much. I’d go to home plate with no idea and swing at everything.”

In 1998 Sosa and Mark McGwire of the St. Louis Cardinals thrilled baseball fans with their quest to break the record of 61 home runs in a season set by Roger Maris in 1961. Both men eventually broke Maris’s record and, at one point in the season, were tied with 63 home runs apiece. McGwire went on to hit 70 home runs, while Sosa finished the season with 66. During their home run race, both men showed tremendous class and excellent sportsmanship. They were also credited with baseball’s resurgence as America’s national pastime. For their achievements, Sports Illustrated named Sosa and McGwire Co-Sportsmen of the Year.

In addition to hitting 66 home runs, Sosa also knocked in 158 RBIs and batted .307 for the season. During June of 1998 he hit a major league record 20 home runs and batted in 40 runs. In a game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, he hit back-to-back grand slams. Sosa also led the Cubs to their first playoff berth in many years. He was named to the National League All-Star team and earned the National League’s Most Valuable Player Award.

Enduring Stardom and Corked Bats

Sosa did not rest on his laurels following his 1998 season. Instead, he went back to the drawing board to improve himself as a baseball player, working hard on his fielding and his base running. The results were nothing less than breathtaking, as Sosa went on to enjoy a five-year stretch of baseball that is among the best in history. In the years 1999 through 2003, he hit .288, .320, .328, .294, and .279; averaged 173 RBIs per game; and averaged 53 home runs per year. In two of those years he hit more than 60 home runs, taking him over the 500 home run barrier in 2003 and making him the only player in major league history to hit more than 60 home runs three times. Describing what it was like to play alongside someone playing at Sosa’s level, teammate Eric Young told the Sporting News: “It was very exciting to see. Other guys would say, ‘Hey, when we’ve got a superstar busting his butt like that, then the rest of us have to do the same.’”

Though Sosa was piling up the statistics at a feverish pace, the Cubs remained an inconsistent team, dogged by failure and the entire city’s fear that the team could never make the playoffs, let alone the World Series. But all that changed with the 2003 season. In their first season under manager Dusty Baker, the Cubs went 88-74, won the National League East title, and were five outs from progressing to the World Series when the eventual champion Florida Marlins staged a come from behind victory.

The year 2003 was a tough one for Sosa, however. On April 20 he was beaned in the head by a pitch from Pittsburgh Pirates righthander Salomon Torres that shattered his helmet. Then he missed nearly a month with a painful right toe that would not allow him to push off his back foot. Just four days after returning from this injury, Sosa had the most humiliating moment of his career. He hit a pitch and broke his bat, and an umpire who picked up the bat found that it was filled with cork. The baseball world was outraged. Many wondered how many of Sosa’s homeruns had been hit with a corked bat, which lightens the weight of the bat and increases its speed. Around the league, people argued over whether Sosa was a fraud and whether corking really changed anything anyway. In the end Sosa’s sincere apologies—he claimed that the bat was one he used for batting practice only, and that it got mixed in with his game bats—and his and his team’s stellar performance following his seven-game suspension helped everyone forget all about Sosa’s mistake.

In 2004, with the Cubs preseason favorites to dominate their division, Sosa was considered one of the great players in the game, and not just for his skills at the plate. While he has always been good to his family and to youth groups in both Chicago and his native Dominican Republic, he decided to do more after signing a four-year, $72-million contract in 2001. He created the Sammy Sosa Foundation to raise funds for underprivileged children in Chicago and the Dominican Republic. Fans love Sosa, both for his tremendous work ethic on the field and for the joy and happiness he brings to the game. Sosa begins every home game with a spirited run out to right field, followed with his trademark sign of appreciation to the fans—a tap of his heart and a salute. Reflecting on his good fortune, Sosa told Sports Illustrated: “My life is kind of like a miracle.”

Selected writings

(With Marcos Breton) Sosa: An Autobiography, Warner Books, 2000.

Sources

Books

Bayless, Skip, Sammy’s Season, Contemporary Books, 1998.

Christopher, Matt, At the Plate with—Sammy Sosa, Little, Brown, 1999.

Duncan, Patricia J., Sosa! Baseball’s Home Run Hero, Simon & Schuster, 1998.

Gutman, Bill, Sammy Sosa: A Biography/Sammy Sosa, la biografia, Pocket Books, 1998.

Periodicals

Sporting News, April 1, 2002.

Sports Illustrated, June 29, 1998; September 14, 1998; September 28 1998; December 21, 1998; June 26, 2000; June 16, 2003; August 25, 2003.

Time, July 27, 1998; September 28, 1998; June 16, 2003.

On-line

“Player Bio: Sammy Sosa,” Chicago Cubs, http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/chc/team/chc_player_bio.jsp?club_context=chc&playerid-122544 (February 11, 2004).

“Sammy Sosa,” ESPN, http://espn.go.com/mlb/profiles/profile/4344.html (April 10, 2004).

—Michael J. Watkins and Tom Pendergast

Sammy Sosa 1968–

Professional baseball player

At a Glance…

Joined the Cubs

Signed a Controversial Contract

A Historic Season

Sources

Sammy Sosa, the Chicago Cubs outfielder who put together one of the most prolific seasons in baseball history in 1998, was born on November 12, 1968 in San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic. Sosa and his five brothers and sisters grew up in a two-bedroom apartment in an abandoned hospital. His father, Juan Montero, died of a brain aneurysm when Sammy was seven. His mother Lucrecia and her children were left to fend for themselves. To help his family financially, Sosa sold oranges, shined shoes, and worked as a janitor in a shoe factory. He began playing organized baseball at the age of 14 and was signed to a contract by the Philadelphia Phillies one year later. However, the contract was voided because Sosa was only 15-years-old. He signed another contract the following year, this time with the Texas Rangers. He gave his $3,500 signing bonus to his mother and bought his first bicycle.

In 1986, Sosa left the Dominican Republic and arrived in Sarasota, Florida. At the age of 18, he led the Gulf Coast League in doubles. The following year, as a member of Gastonia, North Carolina’s Class A team, he was selected as a South Atlantic League All-Star. In 1988, Sosa spent the entire season with Port Charlotte in the Florida State League. He was then promoted to the Rangers’ Double A club in Tulsa in 1989. After compiling a .297 batting average, seven home runs, and 31 runs batted in (RBIs) in 66 games with Tulsa, Sosa was promoted to the major leagues. In his major league debut with the Texas Rangers on June 16, 1989, he had two hits against the New York Yankees. Following this impressive start, Sosa hit only .238 in 25 games, compiled no walks, and struck out 20 times. The Rangers sent him back to their Triple A team on July 20, 1989. Nine days later, he was traded to the Chicago White Sox. After three weeks in the minors, Sosa was called up to the White Sox on August 22nd. In his first game with the White Sox, Sosa had three hits, including a home run.

The 1990 season was Sosa’s first full season in the major leagues. Although he only had a .233 batting average, Sosa was the only American League player to reach double figures in doubles (26), triples (10), homers (15), and stolen bases (32). In 1991, Sosa struggled to find the success and consistency that he had enjoyed the previous season. On July 19, 1991, the White Sox demoted

At a Glance…

Born Samuel Sosa (Peralta) on November 12, 1968 in San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic; married to Sonia; children: Keysha, Kenia, Sammy Jr., and Michael.

Career: Drafted by the Texas Rangers at the age of 16; began professional career in the Gulf Coast League for rookies, 1986; traded from the Rangers’ organization to the Chicago White Sox, 1989-92; traded to the Chicago Cubs, 1992-.

Awards: Member of the National League All-Star team, 1995, 1998; Gene Autry Courage Award, 1998; National League Most Valuable Player, 1998;Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year with Mark McGwire, 1998.

Addresses: Home—San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic; Office— Wrigley Field, 1060 W. Addison Street, Chicago, IL 60613-4397.

him to the minors. Although he finished the season in Chicago, Sosa compiled a dismal .203 batting average and struck out 98 times in 116 games.

Joined the Cubs

In 1992, the White Sox traded Sosa to the Chicago Cubs. He suffered injuries throughout the season and played in only 67 games. From June 13th to June 27th, Sosa was on the disabled list with a broken right hand. Ten days after returning to action, he fractured his ankle and was forced to miss the rest of the season.

Sosa enjoyed a spectacular season in 1993, becoming the first player in Cubs history to record 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases in a season. He finished the year with a .261 batting average, 33 home runs, 93 RBIs, and 36 stolen bases. In 1994, Sosa led the Cubs in batting average (.300), home runs (25), and RBIs (70). He also stole 22 bases. During the 1995 season, he was named to the National League All-Star team for the first time. He also hit 36 home runs, compiled 119 RBIs, and stole 34 bases. In 1995, Sosa won the Silver Slugger Award and The Sporting News named him to its National League All-Star team.

During 1996, Sosa was having another outstanding season. However, on August 20th, he was hit by a pitch and broke a bone in his right hand. He was placed on the disabled list and missed the rest of the season. Although Sosa’s season was ended prematurely, he had compiled an impressive .273 batting average, hit 40 home runs and knocked in 100 RBIs. During July of 1996, he was named the National League Player of the Month for his .358 batting average, 10 home runs, and 29 RBIs.

In 1997, Sosa proved again that he had become one of the finest power hitters in the National League. He finished near the top of the National League in home runs (36), RBIs (119), doubles (31), total bases (303), extra-base hits (71), and at-bats (642). Sosa also achieved two career milestones by getting his 1,000th major league hit and hitting his 200th major league home run.

Signed a Controversial Contract

Midway through the 1997 season, Cubs general manager Ed Lynch signed Sosa to a four-year contract extension worth $42.5 million. The $10 million per-year contract was a great source of controversy. Although Sosa had enjoyed several fine seasons with the Cubs, many fans and sportswriters did not feel that he was worth the money. Some fans called him Sammy So So and he was viewed by many as a selfish player who was more concerned with personal statistics than team goals.

Sosa’s behavior, at times, seemed to support these claims. After he hit 30 home runs and stole 30 bases in 1993, Sosa commissioned an enormous, diamond-encrusted 30-30 gold pendent, which he had to put in a safe before games. His license plate read SS 30-30 and a shopping mall he owned in the Dominican Republic was also christened 30-30. Although he had hit 36 home runs and collected 119 RBIs in 1997, he also led the National League in strikeouts and was undisciplined on the base paths. Omar Minaya, the scout who signed Sosa, offered Tom Verducci of Sports Illustrated a reason for Sosa’s lack of discipline, “You’ve got to understand something about Latin players when they’re young—or really any players from low economic backgrounds. They know the only way to make money is by putting up offensive numbers. Only now is Sammy at a mature stage. Only now is he becoming the player he always could have been.” Sosa’s teammate, Mark Grace, told Verducci that Sosa had made so many mistakes because he did not have a firm grasp of baseball fundamentals, “When he first got here (in 1992), you could see he had great physical skills, but he was so raw. He didn’t know how to play the game. He didn’t understand the concept of hitting behind runners. So many little things he just didn’t know.”

A Historic Season

Sosa’s 1998 season would make Ed Lynch look like a genius. During the off-season Sosa worked hard to become more patient at the plate, improve his bat speed, and hit the ball to all fields more consistently. In an interview with Wendy Cole of Time, Sosa spoke of his desire to become a better player, “A few years ago I was trying to do too much. I’d go to home plate with no idea and swing at everything.”

In 1998, Sosa and Mark McGwire of the St. Louis Cardinals thrilled baseball fans with their quest to break the record of 61 home runs in a season set by Roger Maris in 1961. Both men eventually broke Maris’s record and, at one point in the season, were tied with 63 home runs apiece. McGwire went on to hit 70 home runs, while Sosa finished the season with 66. During their home run race, both men showed tremendous class and excellent sportsmanship. They were also credited with baseball’s resurgence as America’s national pastime. For their achievements, Sports Illustrated named Sosa and McGwire Co-Sportsmen of the Year.

In addition to hitting 66 home runs, Sosa also knocked in 158 RBIs and batted .307 for the season. During June of 1998, he hit a major league record 20 home runs and batted in 40 runs. In a game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, he hit back-to-back grand slams. Sosa also led the Cubs to their first playoff berth in many years. He was named to the National League All-Star team and earned the National League’s Most Valuable Player Award.

Sosa also made changes in his personal life. While he has always been good to his family and to youth groups in both Chicago and his native Dominican Republic, he decided to do more after signing his big contract. He created the Sammy Sosa Foundation to raise funds for underprivileged children in Chicago and the Dominican Republic. In 1998 he received one of the Gene Autry Courage Awards, which honor athletes who demonstrate heroism through times of adversity. With his rise to baseball stardom complete, Sosa has had the opportunity to reflect on his good fortune. As he told Steve Rushin of Sports Illustrated, “My life is kind of like a miracle.”

Sources

Periodicals

Time, July 27, 1998; September 28, 1998.

Sports Illustrated, June 29, 1998; September 14, 1998; September 28 1998.

Other

Additional statistics and information for this profile were found on the Chicago Cubs website at http://www.cubs.com/profiles/sosa.htm.

—Michael J. Watkins

Sammy Sosa (Samuel Kevin Sosa Peralta) , 1968–, Dominican baseball player. An outfielder and designated hitter, he broke into the major leagues with the Texas Rangers and then the Chicago White Sox (both American League; AL) in 1989, moving to the Chicago Cubs (National League; NL) in 1992 and the Baltimore Orioles (AL), for one season, in 2005. In 2007 he returned to the majors for a season with the Texas Rangers. Long regarded as a powerful hitter and prolific base stealer, but prone to striking out, Sosa engaged in 1998 in a highly publicized race with Mark McGwire to break the single-season home-run record (61) held by Roger Maris . McGwire finished with 70 home runs, Sosa with 66, and their good-natured competition was widely hailed; Sosa won the NL's Most Valuable Player award. In 1999, Sosa became the first player ever to reach the 60-homer plateau in two seasons but was overtaken by McGwire, finishing with 63 home runs to the Cardinal slugger's 65. Sosa led the NL in homers in 2000, with 50, and hit 64 in 2001, finishing second to Barry Bonds record-breaking performance (73) and becoming the first player to hit 60 home runs in three seasons. Sosa's image was hurt in 2003 when he was caught using an illegal, corked bat; suspicion that he used anabolic steroids has also tarnished his reputation. He hit more than 600 career home runs.