Sammy Sosa

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
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 at Baseball Reference
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)

Samuel Peralta Sosa (born November 12, 1968) is a Dominican-American former professional baseball right fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 18 seasons, primarily with the Chicago Cubs. After playing for the Texas Rangers and Chicago 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 in National League history. He is one of nine players in MLB history to hit 600 career home runs.^[1]

In 1998, Sosa, along with Mark McGwire, achieved international fame for his home run-hitting prowess in pursuit of Roger Maris' single-season home-run record. With the Cubs, Sosa became a 7-time All-Star while holding numerous team records. He finished his career with stints with the Baltimore Orioles and the Rangers for a second time.^[2] 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 160 RBIs 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 in 2000 with 50 home runs, and in 2002 with 49.

In a 2005 congressional hearing, Sosa—through his attorney—denied having used performance-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.