Sammy Sosa facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sammy Sosa
Sosa in 2012
Right fielder
Born: (1968-11-12) November 12, 1968 (age 56) San Pedro de Macorís, Dominican Republic
Batted: Right Threw: Right
debut
June 16, 1989, for the Texas Rangers
Last appearance
September 29, 2007, for the Texas Rangers
MLB statistics
Batting average	.273
Hits	2,408
Home runs	609
Runs batted in	1,667
Teams
Texas Rangers (1989) Chicago White Sox (1989–1991) Chicago Cubs (1992–2004) Baltimore Orioles (2005) Texas Rangers (2007)
Career highlights and awards
7× All-Star (1995, 1998–2002, 2004) NL MVP (1998) 6× Silver Slugger Award (1995, 1998–2002) NL Hank Aaron Award (1999) Roberto Clemente Award (1998) 2× NL home run leader (2000, 2002) 2× NL RBI leader (1998, 2001) Chicago Cubs Hall of Fame

Samuel Peralta Sosa (born November 12, 1968) is a former professional baseball player. He was a right fielder in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 18 seasons. Sammy Sosa is best known for playing with the Chicago Cubs.

After starting his career with the Texas Rangers and Chicago White Sox, Sosa joined the Cubs in 1992. He quickly became known as one of baseball's top hitters. Sosa reached 400 home runs faster than any other player in National League history. He is one of only nine players in MLB history to hit 600 career home runs.

In 1998, Sosa became very famous along with Mark McGwire. They were both chasing Roger Maris' record for the most home runs in a single season. During his time with the Cubs, Sosa was chosen for the All-Star team seven times. He also set many team records. Sosa finished his career playing for the Baltimore Orioles and then the Rangers again. With the Rangers, he hit his 600th career home run. This made him the fifth player in MLB history to reach that amazing milestone.

Sosa is second in career home runs among players born outside the United States. He is also one of only three National League players since 1900 to get 160 RBIs in one season (in 2001). He is the only player to hit 60 or more home runs in a season three times (1998, 1999, and 2001). Even with these big numbers, he didn't lead the league in home runs in those years. However, he did lead the league in 2000 with 50 home runs and in 2002 with 49.

Early Life and Baseball Dreams

Sammy Sosa was born in the Dominican Republic. He grew up in a small community called a Batey in Consuelo. However, his official birthplace is San Pedro de Macorís, which was the biggest town nearby. His family and friends call him "Mikey." His grandmother gave him the name Samuel. She also came up with his nickname, Mikey, after hearing it on a TV show she liked.

Sammy Sosa's Professional Career

Starting with the Texas Rangers (1989)

Sammy Sosa played his first major league game on June 16, 1989. He was with the Texas Rangers. He wore jersey number 17 and played as the starting left fielder. Sosa hit his very first career home run against pitcher Roger Clemens.

Playing for the Chicago White Sox (1989–1991)

On July 29, 1989, the Rangers traded Sosa to the Chicago White Sox. He was traded along with Wilson Álvarez and Scott Fletcher. In return, the White Sox sent Harold Baines and Fred Manrique to the Rangers. In 1990, Sosa hit .233 with 15 home runs and 70 runs batted in. He also had 10 triples and stole 32 bases. He struck out 150 times, which was the fourth most in the American League. Sosa started the 1991 season strong, hitting two home runs and getting five runs batted in. But he struggled for the rest of the year. He finished with a .203 batting average, 10 home runs, and 33 runs batted in.

Becoming a Star with the Chicago Cubs (1992–2004)

Before the 1992 season, the White Sox traded Sosa to the Chicago Cubs. He was traded with Ken Patterson for outfielder George Bell. In his first year with the Cubs, Sosa batted .260 with eight home runs and 25 RBIs. In 1993, he hit .261 with 33 home runs and 93 RBIs. He also showed his speed by stealing 38 bases. This made him the Cubs' first "30-30" player (30 home runs and 30 stolen bases).

Sosa continued to hit for power and speed in 1994. He also improved his batting average to .300. He finished that season with 25 home runs, 70 RBIs, and 22 stolen bases. In 1995, Sosa was chosen for his first All-Star team. He played 144 games, batting .268 with 36 home runs and 119 RBIs. Sosa kept up his success in 1996, batting .273 with 40 home runs and 100 RBIs. However, in 1997, his batting average dropped to .251. He also led the league in strikeouts with 174, even though he hit 36 home runs and had 119 RBIs.

Sosa wore #21 with the Cubs to honor his childhood hero Roberto Clemente.

Sosa became one of baseball's greatest players during the 1998 season. This was the year he and Mark McGwire were in the famous "home run record chase." Both players tried to break Roger Maris' record of 61 home runs in a single season. Early in the year, Sosa was far behind McGwire. But as the season went on, Sosa caught up. He tied McGwire with 46 home runs on August 10. McGwire then pulled ahead and broke the record first on September 8 with 62 home runs. Sosa tied McGwire again at 62 on September 13. With two games left, they were tied at 66 home runs each. Sosa finished the season with 66 home runs, just behind McGwire's 70. During this exciting season, Cubs announcer Chip Caray gave him the nickname "Slammin' Sammy." This nickname quickly became popular. Sammy also had his best batting average (.308) and slugging percentage (.647) that year. He led the league in RBIs and runs scored.

In 1998, Sosa's 416 total bases were the most in a single season since 1948. His performance in June was incredible. He hit 20 home runs and got 47 RBIs in that month alone. Sosa won the National League Most Valuable Player Award for helping the Cubs reach the playoffs in 1998. He and McGwire were named Sports Illustrated magazine's 1998 "Sportsman of the Year" award. Sosa was honored with a parade in New York City. He was also invited to be a guest at US President Bill Clinton's 1999 State of the Union Address. The Cubs made it to the post-season for the first time since 1989, but they lost to the Atlanta Braves in the NLDS.

Sosa as a member of the Chicago Cubs

In 1999, Sosa hit 63 home runs, again finishing behind Mark McGwire, who hit 65. In the 2000 season, Sosa led the league with 50 home runs. He received the Babe Ruth Home Run Award for hitting the most homers in MLB. In 2001, he hit 64 home runs. This made him the first player to hit 60 or more home runs three times. However, he didn't lead the league in home runs that year. Barry Bonds hit 73 homers, breaking the single-season record. In 2001, Sosa also set personal bests in runs scored (146), RBI (160), walks (116), on-base percentage (.437), slugging percentage (.737), and batting average (.328). He led the majors in runs and RBI. Sosa led the league in home runs again with 49 in 2002. For his amazing hitting, Sosa won the Silver Slugger Award in 1995 and from 1998 through 2002.

In 2003, the Cubs won the National League Central Division title. In May, Sosa had to take time off due to an injured toenail. In May 2004, Sosa had a strange injury. He sneezed very hard while talking to reporters. This caused severe back pain, and he was placed on the disabled list. He finished that year with 35 homers, which was lower than his best years. Even though his production was slowing down, Sosa hit 479 home runs between 1995 and 2004. This is the most home runs by any player over a 10-year period. He also holds the major-league record for the most home runs hit in a single month (20, in June 1998). His time with the Cubs ended quietly. He did not play in the final game of the 2004 season.

Sosa in 2004

Playing for the Baltimore Orioles (2005)

On January 28, 2005, the Cubs traded Sosa to the Baltimore Orioles. In return, the Cubs received infielder-outfielder Jerry Hairston Jr., infielder Mike Fontenot, and pitcher Dave Crouthers. Sosa earned $17.875 million for the 2005 season. The Cubs paid $7 million of his salary. By playing for the Orioles, Sosa joined fellow 500-home-run hitter Rafael Palmeiro. They were the first two members of the 500 home run club to play on the same team after reaching that milestone. Sosa finished the 2005 season batting .221 with 14 home runs. This was his lowest performance since 1992. On December 7, 2005, the Orioles decided not to keep him. This made him a free agent.

Sosa in spring training with the Orioles in 2005

In 2005, The Sporting News updated their book Baseball's 100 Greatest Players. Sosa was not in the first edition. But for the 2005 update, with his higher career totals, he was ranked at Number 95. For nine years in a row, Sosa hit 35 or more home runs and had over 100 RBIs. All of these achievements happened while he played for the Chicago Cubs.

Sosa with the Orioles in 2005

A Year Away from Baseball (2006)

In early 2006, the Washington Nationals offered Sosa two different minor-league contracts. He turned down both offers. On February 15, 2006, Sosa's agent, Adam Katz, said that Sosa would not be put on the retirement list. However, he also said it was very likely that Sosa had played his last game in a baseball uniform. During that year, Sosa traveled with President Leonel Fernández of the Dominican Republic. They went on several diplomatic trips, including to the United States, Japan, and Taiwan.

Returning to the Texas Rangers (2007)

Sosa played his final MLB season with the Rangers in 2007 before retiring two years later.

The Texas Rangers, Sosa's first team, signed him to a minor league deal on January 30, 2007. The contract was worth $500,000. This was the same type of contract Sosa had turned down from the Nationals the year before. The deal included an invitation to spring training. Sosa competed for a spot on the team. He did well during spring training and was added to the team's main roster. He started the 2007 season as the Rangers' designated hitter. He also played right field sometimes.

At the same time, the Chicago Cubs gave Sosa's old jersey number 21 to a new pitcher, Jason Marquis. Coincidentally, Marquis was the pitcher who gave up Sosa's 600th career home run. This caused some discussion because of Sosa's many achievements with the Cubs. He is the Cubs' all-time home run leader.

On April 26, 2007, Sosa made history. He hit a home run in his 45th different major league ballpark. On June 20, 2007, Sosa hit a home run off Jason Marquis during a game against the Chicago Cubs. Sosa became only the fifth player in history to hit 600 regular season home runs. The players before him were Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, and Barry Bonds. This home run was the first one Sosa had hit against the Cubs. This meant he had hit a home run against every active MLB team. Sosa is still the Cubs' all-time home run leader, with 545 home runs hit for that team.

End of His Playing Career (2008–2009)

On May 28, 2008, Sosa announced that he had told his agent not to offer his services to any MLB team for the 2008 season. He planned to retire, but he never officially filed the paperwork. On December 25, 2008, Sosa said he wanted to unretire. He planned to play in the World Baseball Classic. He also wanted to try to sign with a Major League team in 2009. Sosa said he had been staying in shape at home. He hoped that a strong performance in the World Baseball Classic would show teams he could still play. However, he was not chosen for the Dominican Republic's team. He remained a free agent and did not actively look for a team.

On June 3, 2009, Sammy Sosa officially announced his retirement from baseball. He made the announcement in the Dominican Republic. He said he was calmly looking forward to being inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. He believed his statistics were good enough for it.

National Baseball Hall of Fame Consideration

The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a special place for baseball's greatest players. Sosa became eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2013. In the results announced on January 9, 2013, Sosa was not elected. He received 12.5% of the votes in his first year. Players need 75% of the votes to be elected. In the years that followed, his voting percentage went down. It was as low as 6.6% in 2015. His highest percentage was 17% in 2021. A player can stay on the ballot for 10 years if they get at least 5% of the votes. Sosa's last chance to be elected by the writers was on the 2022 ballot. He received 18.5% of the votes that year.

Personal Life

Sammy Sosa is married to Sonia Rodríguez. She used to be a TV dancer in the Dominican Republic. They have four children together. In 2009, Sosa appeared at a music awards show. Many people noticed his skin looked much lighter than before. Sosa explained that he uses a special cream before bed. This cream softens and lightens his skin.

See also

In Spanish: Sammy Sosa para niños