Sammy Sosa’s bat skills and affinity for the long ball made him a fan favorite with the Cubs, the team he spent most of his big-league career with.
After a lengthy absence from Wrigley Field, he appears on the brink of making a momentous return — though he had to reveal some delicate information to do so.
Sosa issued a statement on Thursday apologizing for “mistakes” he made during his home run-filled tenure with the franchise. The comments come after years of speculation linking the 1998 NL MVP winner with steroid usage.
Here’s what you need to know.
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Sammy Sosa statement
On Thursday, Sosa issued a public apology to his former employers. He didn’t say explicitly that he used steroids. He did appear to suggest that he had, however.
“There were times I did whatever I could to recover from injuries in an effort to keep my strength up to perform over 162 games,” Sosa said in a statement.
“I never broke any laws, but in hindsight I made mistakes and I apologize.”
Full statement pic.twitter.com/Hx7RxSxvim
— Jesse Rogers (@JesseRogersESPN) December 19, 2024
Sosa had long denied using steroids, putting him at odds with the Cubs’ front office staff — namely club chairman Tom Ricketts.
While the likes of Mark McGwire, Alex Rodriguez and other star sluggers admitted to steroid use (or were punished after testing positive for them), Sosa was steadfast. He never failed an official MLB drug test, although The New York Times revealed that Sosa was one of 104 players who tested positive in a 2003 voluntary drug test that carried no penalties for participation. David Ortiz also was flagged for testing positive in that pool. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame at his first time of asking in 2022.
Ricketts issued a response to Sosa’s statement praising the Dominican star. In addition to commending Sosa for his honesty, he vowed to invite Sosa to return to his old stomping grounds in 2025.
“We appreciate Sammy releasing his statement and for reaching out. No one played harder or wanted to win more. Nobody’s perfect but we never doubted his passion for the game and the Cubs,” Ricketts said. “It is an understatement to to say that Sammy is a fan favorite…. We are all ready to move forward together.”
