A month after Sammy Sosa released an apology letter for “mistakes” he made during his MLB career, the Chicago Cubs announced that the slugger will join former first baseman Derrek Lee in the team’s Hall of Fame this summer.
“I’ve been out for 21 years,” Sosa, 56, said Friday at the Cubs fan convention. “I believe the time was right. I look forward to continuing with the great fans.”
Sosa received a loud ovation when he was introduced and later said it was time to mend fences with the organization.
‘People, they say you’re growing up. That’s what happened to me,” Sosa said. “I believe I have taken the first step to put out that statement, I think it was the right time for me. And the response was immediately incredible. Actually that was all I needed. And now the door is open.”
The “mistakes” Sosa mentioned in his apology related to his alleged use of performance-enhancing drugs in the past. He was suspected of being a PED user during his heyday (early 1990s to early 2000s), although his name was not among the many MLB PED users listed in the infamous Mitchell Report. But in 2007, the book “Game of Shadows” detailed Sosa’s alleged PED use and involvement in the BALCO scandal.
Despite being the only player in Major League Baseball history to hit at least 60 home runs in three separate seasons, Sosa spent 10 years on the Baseball Hall of Fame ballot before retiring in 2023 and was estranged from the Cubs since he left. the 2004 team.
Sosa’s apology letter ultimately spurred the Cubs to open the door for their former superstar. Team owner Tom Ricketts had insisted in the past that Sosa would not be invited to team events unless he publicly apologized for his alleged PED use. Other players linked to PEDs, such as Mark McGwire, Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez and Andy Pettitte, have been enthusiastically welcomed back by their former teams after similar apologies.
Now reunited with his old team, Sosa is looking forward to what the future holds for him and the Cubs.
“I’m here and I’m back,” Sosa said. “And I look forward to the good things ahead.”
Another former Cubs great, Ryne Sandberg, was also in attendance, a month after the Hall of Famer announced that his cancer had spread to other organs in his body, and he is ready for more treatment.