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Hispanic Heritage

Sammy Sosa

Born November 12, 1968
Baseball Player
2000 Hispanic Heritage Award Winner

"I have to continue to be the best player I can be."

Outfielder Sammy Sosa of the Chicago Cubs entered the 1998 baseball season as a relatively unknown player to most Americans. His neck-and-neck battle that year with Mark McGwire of the St. Louis Cardinals for the major league single-season home run record made him a household name and a hero in the United States and in his native Dominican Republic. In 1998 Sosa finished second to McGwire with 66 home runs — five more than the previous record.

Growing Up

Sammy Sosa was born November 12, 1968, in San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic. (The Dominican Republic is located in the Caribbean Sea and shares an island with the country of Haiti.) His mother, Lucrecia, raised him, his four brothers and two sisters after her husband, Juan, a farmer, died. "We were poor," Sosa recalled. "We definitely were poor." Sosa sold oranges for 10 cents, shined shoes for 25 cents, and worked as a janitor in a shoe factory to help with the family's finances. He, his mother and his siblings lived in a two room residence that once was a public hospital.

San Pedro de Macoris is a town that has produced several major league players, including George Bell, Pedro Guererro, and Tony Fernandez. Boxing was Sosa's favorite sport until his brother Juan convinced him to try baseball. "I didn't play on a real team until I was 14, when by brother talked to me about being ready to play with them," Sosa related. "I played when I was little, but only in the streets. The streets were dirt. We didn't have gloves, we just used our hands. Instead of a ball, we'd take a sock and roll it up. We used sticks for the bats." Sosa played baseball in his bare feet and often used a milk carton for a mit.

In 1985 professional scout Omar Minaya of the Texas Rangers invited the 16-year-old Sosa to a tryout in Puerto Plata, a five-hour bus ride for the young player. Sosa's raw potential impressed the scout. "He was 5' 10", a frail kid with big hands and big feet," Minaya stated. "He worked out with some dirty baseball pants, old shoes with holes in them and a real thin baseball shirt with holes in it. I saw athletic talent, and I saw courage. I saw a guy who was not afraid to air it out and to play. I saw bat speed. I saw a good arm."

Minaya signed Sosa for $3,500. "I was offering $3000," Minaya said. "And he was at $4000. We negotiated for like half an hour to get to that middle. I liked that about him. He had a great desire to play professional baseball, but he wasn't just going to go. He had some principles, and he felt he was worth a little more that I was offering him." Sosa bought himself a new bike and gave the rest of the money to his mother.

Makes the Major League

In the spring of 1986 Sosa — who did not know how to speak English — came to the United States for the first time. Within three years he was playing in the major leagues, appearing in 25 games for the Rangers in 1989, batting .238. Later that year Texas traded Sosa, along with second baseman Scott Fletcher and minor league pitcher Wilson Alvarez, to the Chicago White Sox for designated hitter Harold Baines and infielder Fred Manrique.

Sosa played his first full major league season in 1990. He had a solid start with 15 home runs, 70 runs batted in, and 32 stolen bases. The young right fielder was the only American Leaguer to reach double figures in doubles (26), triples (10), home runs and stolen bases. "We knew he was very good," White Sox general manager Larry Himes said. "We didn't know it would come so quickly."

Early in his career Sosa felt the pressure of having a large family to support. He determined that the best way to succeed was to hit home runs and build his own personal statistics. "You've got to understand something about Latin players when they're young — or really any players from low economic backgrounds," Omar Minaya explained. "They know the only way to make money is by putting up offensive numbers."

Sosa struggled in 1991, batting only .203 with 10 home runs and 33 RBI in 116 games. The White Sox gave up on the young slugger and traded him before the 1992 season, along with pitcher Ken Patterson, to the crosstown Chicago Cubs for outfielder George Bell. The player the Cubs received was still learning to play the game. "When he first got here [to the Cubs], you could see he had great physical skills, but he was so raw," teammate Mark Grace recalled. "He didn't know how to play the game."

It was not until 1993 that Sosa arrived as an everyday player for the Cubs. He became the first player in Cubs' history to both hit more than 30 home runs (33) and steal more than 30 bases (36). "People might have wanted so much from me before, and I might have tried to do for them what I wasn't ready to do," Sosa explained. "But I work hard every day. I think I'm doing what a lot of people wanted me to do, though." Sosa marked his great year by purchasing a necklace with a medallion that said "30-30."

Over the next four years Sosa established himself as a solid but unspectacular major league player. A player's strike cut short the 1994 season and Sosa led his team in batting average (.300), home runs (25), RBI (70), runs (59), triples (6) and steals (22). The 1995 season was shortened to 144 games, but Sosa still hit 36 home runs (second in the National League), drove in 119 runs (second in the National League), stole 34 bases (seventh in the National League), and made his first All-Star Game appearance. "Our expectations are so high for him that there is no way he can live up to everybody's expectations on a daily basis," Chicago manager Jim Riggleman explained. "But he does put together those long stretches when he does some phenomenal things." Sosa won the Silver Slugger Award as one of the three best-hitting outfielders in the National League.

Slugger

Sosa challenged for the National League lead in home runs in 1996, but he suffered a broken right wrist when he was hit by a pitch in August. At the time of the injury he led the league with 40 home runs and had driven in 100 runs. The injury ended Sosa's consecutive game playing streak at 304, the third longest current streak in the major leagues. "I have to take it like a man," he revealed. "This isn't an end to my career. I'll come back." The injury forced Sosa to miss the final 38 games of the season.

In June 1997 the Cubs decided to lock-up their slugger to a four-year, $42.5 million contract. "People always talk about the millions of dollars," Sosa said. "This is not my type of thing. Money doesn't mean anything to me. The only reason I'm here is because I play good." Sosa finished 1997 with a .251 average, 36 home runs (seventh in the National League), 119 RBI (sixth in the National League), and 22 stolen bases. The team, however, finished 68-94 — tied for worst in the National League with the Philadelphia Phillies — after starting the season 0-14.

The Cubs entered the 1998 season full of confidence, despite the fact that the team had posted winning records in only four of their last 20 seasons and had last won the World Series in 1908. In the off-season the team made several big moves, picking up closer Rod Beck, formerly of the San Francisco Giants, outfielder Henry Rodriguez from the Montreal Expos, and shortstop Jeff Blauser from the Atlanta Braves. Hard-throwing rookie Kerry Wood also joined the roster and improved the pitching staff. The Cubs dedicated their season to long-time broadcaster, Harry Caray, who died before the campaign began.

Sosa welcomed his new teammates because they helped make the team better. "There was too much pressure last year," he confessed. "Pressure from the contract, pressure to do it all. I felt if I didn't hit a home run, we wouldn't win. I was trying to hit two home runs in one at bat. Now I don't feel that anymore."

Before the 1998 season Sosa dedicated himself to improving his own play. Despite being one of the leaders in home runs in the National League for several years, he had been chosen for only one All-Star Game. In 1997 Sosa led the league in strikeouts with 174, a new franchise record, and his lifetime batting average was only .257. The right-fielder had one of the strongest arms in the league, but he had never worked to improve his defense. Many critics claimed that Sosa cared more about his personal statistics than doing the little things necessary to help the Cubs win.

Chicago hitting coach Jeff Pentland convinced Sosa to slow down his swing, cut down on his strikeouts by taking more pitches and hitting more to the opposite field. During the off-season Sosa also was determined to be more of a team player. "I went back home [to the Dominican Republic] and said to myself, I have to come back and be ready for 1998 and do what I have to do," he revealed. "I have to sacrifice myself and be a better contact guy. With the players we picked up, I said to myself I didn't have to go crazy, just be me."

Race with McGwire

Armed with an improved swing and new attitude, Sosa put together one of the most remarkable months in major league history. From May 25 through June 21, he hit 21 home runs in 22 games. Then, in a game against the Detroit Tigers, Sosa broke the major league record for home runs in a month when he hit his 19th during June. Rudy York of the Tigers had set the record in 1937. "If I keep hitting home runs, maybe people will like me even more," Sosa said. "I feel like I'm just lucky to be in the right place at the right time. I was never thinking of setting the record. But I'm in pretty good shape right now and I'm a lot more disciplined at the plate." Sosa finished June with 20 home runs and reached the All-Star break with 33 for the season.

Sosa's hot streak suddenly propelled him into the race to break the single-season home run record of 61 set by Roger Maris of the New York Yankees in 1961. He joined Mark McGwire of the St. Louis Cardinals as the only two players in National League history to hit 30 home runs before July 1. Sosa laughed when compared to the big first baseman. "I'm not Mark McGwire," he explained. "Mark McGwire is the man. Mark McGwire is in a different world. He's my idol. He's the man."

Despite his hot streak, Sosa tried to keep his focus on helping the Cubs stay in contention for the National League playoffs. "I'm not going to go crazy," he said. "I'm not going to get over-anxious. I'm just going to keep the plan I have right now. I have to stay patient and thank God for giving me so much opportunity. I have to continue to be the best player I can be." Sosa was aided in his quest for the record by the fact that the media chose to focus its attention on McGwire. The St. Louis star faced crowds of reporters wherever he went while Sosa could concentrate on helping his team make the playoffs.

As the season progressed it became clear that Sosa and McGwire would compete to the wire not only for the National League home run title but also for the all-time single-season home run record. As the pressure built Sosa decided to enjoy the ride. "Pressure is shining shoes and washing cars to support my family in the Dominican Republic," he explained. "I go to bed happy every night. Some people don't have the character I have. I enjoy every day. I tell you true, I am having a good time. This is like a miracle for me. The person I was before I come to the United States, it's amazing. I just have to say, 'Thank you God for putting me in the situation I am in now.' It's amazing to me. When I was dreaming, I was dreaming just to make it to major leagues, not to be the person I am right now. This is a beautiful country. God bless America. I am the man in my country. Mark [McGwire] is the man in the United States."

The attention of baseball fans grew as both Sosa and McGwire approached Maris's record. McGwire was the first to reach 61 while his rival was stuck on 58. The Cubs and Cardinals met in St. Louis for their final match-up of the year. With Sosa watching from right field, McGwire made history when he hit number 62 into the left field stands. As the fans cheered and a national television audience looked on, Sosa came in from his position and gave his rival a hug, congratulating McGwire on his record-breaking moment.

Sosa did not quit after McGwire hit his historic round-tripper. With the Cubs still in contention for the National League wild-card playoff spot he went on another hot streak. Sosa hit four home runs in a three-game series against the Milwaukee Brewers lifting his season total to 62, once again breaking Maris's standard and tying McGwire. "It's unbelievable," Sosa stated. "It was something that even I can't believe I was doing. It can happen to two people, Mark and I. I have to say what I did is for the people or Chicago, for America, for my mother, for my wife, my kids and the people I have around me. My team. It was an emotional moment." The Cubs' star became the first non-American born and first non-white player to hit 60 or more home runs in a season.

A week after his 62nd four-bagger the Cubs and major league baseball held a Sammy Sosa Day in his honor. Sosa brought his family and friends to Wrigley Field for the ceremony which was also attended by Commissioner Bud Selig, National League President Leonard Coleman and American League President Gene Budig, and members of the family of Roger Maris. Selig presented Sosa with the Commissioner's Historic Achievement Award, given for the first time to McGwire when he hit his 62nd home run. "Your achievements are legendary, but more importantly you've handled yourself with a class and dignity that has been unparalleled," Selig said. Unfortunately, Chicago lost the game 7-3 to the Cincinnati Reds.

McGwire retook the home run lead with 63, but Sosa once again tied up the race with a grand slam that helped Chicago defeat the San Diego Padres, 6-3. The Cubs right fielder then suffered through a 0-21 slump while the St. Louis star hit two more round-trippers to move ahead 65 to 63. Once again Sosa was up to the challenge, hitting two long balls in one game against the Milwaukee Brewers to once again pull even.

The great home run chase of 1998 went down to the final three games of the season. Sosa took the lead over McGwire for only the second time all year when he hit his 66th round-tripper against the Houston Astros. Forty-five minutes later, however, McGwire tied the race up again with a long ball against the Montreal Expos. "I guess McGwire and I were just meant to tie," Sosa explained.

McGwire finally took firm control of the record when he hit two home runs, numbers 67 and 68, in the second to last game of the season. He followed up that performance with two more round-trippers in the Cardinals last game to finish the season with 70 home runs, nine more than the previous record. "Fifty years from now, I hope people will remember me, too," Sosa related. "When they mention Mark McGwire, I hope they will also mention me. All year long, I've been saying he's the man. Nobody thought he would hit 70. That's something unbelievable.

Chicago entered the last game of the season tied with the San Francisco Giants for the National League wild-card playoff spot. "I've always said I'm more interested in the wild card than home runs," Sosa explained. "We've got a chance to make the playoffs. That's the only thing I'm thinking about."

Both teams lost their final games — the Cubs dropping a 4-3 eleven-inning decision to the Houston Astros — forcing a one-game playoff at Wrigley Field in Chicago. Though he did not hit a home run, Sosa chipped in two singles and scored two runs as the Cubs earned a playoff berth for the first time since 1989 with a 5-3 win over the Giants. "It felt great," Sosa exclaimed after earning his first-ever trip to the playoffs. "It's been unbelievable. Tonight, I forgot about the home run. I just wanted to win."

Despite the fact that Sosa finished second to McGwire with 66 home runs in 1998, his final statistics made the Chicago slugger the favorite to win the National League Most Valuable Player Award. He finished the year with career bests in batting average (.308), RBI (158, first in the major leagues), runs scored (132, first in the major leagues), and hits (198, tied for fifth in the National League).

Still in the News

Sosa and Mark McGwire were at it again in the summer of 1999. Sosa ended the season just two home runs behind McGwire (63-65) and leads the 2000 home run race 43 to 30.

Sosa hit the headlines again during the 2000 season with rumors he would be leaving the Cubs. Sosa's current contract with the ball club expires in 2001 and he wanted a 5- or 6- year extension, along with a raise reportedly between $15 and $17 million annually (he currently makes around $12 million per year), signed by midsummer. In response, the Cubs tried to trade him to the New York Yankees, but those talks fell through as the Yankees did not want to give up the prospects the Cubs wanted, nor did they want to pay Sosa's hefty salary. At the All-star break, Sosa won the home run derby and now seems content to stay in Chicago (at least as of August).

Family man

Sosa and his wife, Sonia, live in the Chicago area during the season with their four children, Keysha, Kenia, Sammy Jr. and Michael. His mother lives in a home in the Dominican Republic purchased by her son. Sosa owns many cars and bought a 60-foot yacht he named Sammy Jr. when he signed his last contract.

After hitting a home run Sosa taps his heart and kisses his index and middle fingers. Some people felt that this was showing off or a gang-related gesture, but Sosa explained that it was neither. "When I tap my heart, it means peace and love," he explained. "The other (kissing his index and middle fingers) is to send a kiss to my wife and mother." During the 1998 season Sosa added a V sign in honor of the late Cubs' broadcaster Harry Caray.

Sosa wants to become a U.S. citizen someday. "You've got to go step by step and it takes about five to seven years after you get your green card [to become a citizen]," he said. "I'm a U.S. resident now. But when I become a U.S. citizen, that will be a very happy day." Sosa sponsors Sammy Claus, a program that distributes gifts around the world to underprivileged children.

Sosa is a favorite of the right-field fans at Wrigley Field in Chicago, a group he salutes at the beginning of every game. "He loves to play," former teammate Brian McRae said. "And guys that love to play — people take that the wrong way sometimes because they're flashy. That's their demeanor. Sammy has fun with the fans; he has a little boyish enthusiasm that maybe a lot more guys should have. Sammy wants the attention. He wants to be the most popular athlete in Chicago. He wants to be The Man and wants to play every day to prove that he is worth what he's making."

Throughout his career Sosa benefited from the advice of other players from his home town. "The players from San Pedro de Macoris helped me a lot," he stated. "They helped me feel more comfortable because they told me what I had to do." Sosa wears number 21 in honor of Roberto Clemente, the great Latin American player.

In September 1998 Hurricane Georges hit the Dominican Republic, causing major damage. "We have a lot of poor families in my country and I have to say this isn't a good time for a hurricane like that," Sosa explained. "Right now, the news that I've been hearing is it's a disaster down there. A lot of people are dying. Most people have no homes. I want to do everything I can to help those people in my country." Sosa supports schools and medical facilities in his homeland and helped organize a relief effort through the Red Cross for the victims of Hurricane Georges.

Sosa continues to strive to be the best player he can be. "In this game, you have to work hard to get better," he explained. "I like to work hard. I love this game."

On April 4, 2003, Sosa hit home run number 500 in a game against the Cincinnati Reds. He is the 18th major league player to accomplish the feat. In June 2003, Sosa was ejected from a game when his bat shattered, revealing an illegal cork lining. He was later suspended for eight games for the incident.