Sosa, Sammy

orig. Samuel Sosa Peralta

born Nov. 12, 1968, San Pedro de Macoris, Dom.Rep.

Dominican-born U.S. baseball player.

Sosa came to the U.S. as a child and began playing organized baseball at age 14. In 1985 he signed with the Texas Rangers, with whom he made his professional debut in 1989; he was soon traded to the Chicago White Sox and then in 1992 to the Chicago Cubs. In 1993 the right fielder became the Cubs' first player to hit 30 home runs and steal 30 bases in one season, a feat he repeated in 1994. In 1998 he dramatically battled Mark McGwire for the season home-run record (later broken by Barry Bonds); Sosa finished the year with 66 home runs, earning him the National League's Most Valuable Player award. In 1999, with 63 homers, he became with McGwire the first player to hit more than 60 home runs in each of two seasons.

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▪ 1999

      In 1998 Sammy Sosa borrowed the line "Baseball's been very, very good to me" to describe his season. Many would argue, however, that it was major league baseball that should offer thanks to the Chicago Cubs right fielder. Sosa's pursuit of Roger Maris's single-season home-run record (61) helped revitalize a sport that had experienced dwindling interest in recent years. Millions tuned in and showed up to watch Sosa battle St. Louis Cardinal Mark McGwire (McGwire, Mark David ) (q.v) for a place in the record books. Though he finished behind McGwire (70) with 66 homers, Sosa's all-around performance was second to none. With a .308 batting average, 198 hits, and 158 runs batted in, he was named the National League's Most Valuable Player. Sosa also displayed heroics off the field as he provided assistance to his native country, which had been devastated by Hurricane Georges.

      Born on Nov. 12, 1968, in San Pedro de Macoris, Dom.Rep., Samuel Sosa Peralta worked at a number of jobs, including shining shoes, to help support his family following his father's death. At the age of 14, using a mitt made from a milk carton, he began playing organized baseball, and in 1985 he signed with the Texas Rangers. In 1989 he made his professional debut but was traded weeks later to the Chicago White Sox. After struggling at the plate, Sosa was sent across town to the Cubs in 1992. The following year he became the team's first player to hit 30 home runs and steal 30 bases in one season, an achievement he repeated in 1994. In 1995 he made his All-Star Game debut, and during the 1997 season he recorded his 1,000th career hit. Midway through the year the Cubs signed him to a $42.5 million, four-year contract extension. It was not a popular move. Though Sosa was a powerful hitter, he was undisciplined—his strikeouts (174) outnumbered his hits (161) that season. Many believed he was more concerned with personal statistics than team success.

      The 1998 season, however, marked a turnaround for Sosa. He became more patient at the plate and displayed a modesty and enthusiasm that endeared him to fans. After a slow start, he hit 20 home runs in June to set a major league record for most four-baggers in a single month. Though not expected at first to threaten Maris's record, he was soon battling McGwire for the home run lead. On September 13, five days after McGwire had passed Maris, Sosa hit his 61st and 62nd homers. His efforts helped the Cubs make the play-offs for the first time in nine years, though they were swept in the first round by the Atlanta Braves.

AMY TIKKANEN

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▪ Dominican [republic] baseball player

in full  Samuel Sosa Peralta 

born November 12, 1968, San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic

      professional baseball player who, with Mark McGwire (McGwire, Mark), entertained fans with a series of home-run races in the late 1990s that rewrote the record books. In 1999 Sosa became the first player to hit 60 homers in two seasons.

      As a child, Sosa worked at a number of jobs, including shining shoes, to help support his family following his father's death. At age 14, using a mitt made from a milk carton, he began playing organized baseball, and in 1985 he signed with the Texas Rangers. In 1989 he made his professional debut but was soon traded to the Chicago White Sox. After struggling at the plate, Sosa was sent across town to the Chicago Cubs in 1992. The following year the right fielder became the team's first player to hit 30 home runs and steal 30 bases in one season, an achievement he repeated in 1994. In 1995 he made his All-Star Game debut, and during the 1997 season he recorded his 1,000th career hit. Though Sosa was a powerful hitter, he was also undisciplined—his strikeouts (174) outnumbered his hits (161) that year.

      The 1998 season, however, marked a turnaround for Sosa as he became more patient at the plate. After a slow start, he hit 20 home runs in June to set a major-league record for most homers in a single month. Though not expected to threaten Roger Maris (Maris, Roger)'s single-season home-run record (61), he was soon battling McGwire for a place in the record books. On September 13, five days after McGwire had passed Maris, Sosa hit his 61st and 62nd homers. He finished the year with a .308 batting average and 66 home runs, earning him the National League's Most Valuable Player award. On September 18, 1999, Sosa became the first player to hit 60 homers twice; he finished the year with 63. Before the start of the 2005 season, Sosa was traded to the Baltimore Orioles. In March 2005, amid growing allegations of steroid use in baseball, he testified at a congressional hearing that he had never used performance-enhancing drugs. After a lacklustre year with the Orioles, Sosa sat out the 2006 season, but he returned to professional play in 2007 as a member of the Texas Rangers. On June 20, 2007, Sosa hit the 600th home run of his career; he was just the fifth major leaguer to accomplish that feat.

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