Jesse Rogers, ESPN writer
CHICAGO – Sammy Sosa i Chicago Cubs reconciled on Thursday afternoon, ending their 17-year separation after the former slugger apologized for making “mistakes” in his playing career.
Sosa, who has been linked to performance-enhancing drugs for decades, refrained from directly admitting to PED use in a statement released Thursday.
However, the former National League MVP said that at times during his career, he “did my best to recover from injuries, trying to maintain the strength needed to play over 162 games,” and added: “I never broke any laws, but in In hindsight, I made mistakes and I am sorry.”
Sosa, 56, hit 609 home runs during his 18-year career – ninth most in Major League Baseball history, highlighted by his 13-year tenure with the Cubs. He scored at least 60 goals in three seasons over a four-year period from 1998 to 2001, all of which came right in the middle of baseball’s steroid era.
Minutes after posting the apology, the Cubs invited Sosa to their winter fan convention for the first time since his 2007 retirement.
Sosa is among a group of players, including Barry Bonds and Mark McGwire, who were not elected to the Hall of Fame, in part due to their association with the steroid era, which occurred from 1994 to 2004, when more rigorous testing began. Sosa testified before Congress in 2005 and denied using PEDs, although the New York Times later reported that he tested positive in 2003.
Sosa, Bonds and McGwire narrowly missed election to the Hall of Fame in 2022, their 10th and final appearance on the Baseball Writers Association of America ballot.
Over the last year, Sosa received a high approval rating of 18.5%, less than a quarter of the 75% needed. His next chance to be considered would be to put him on the ballot for the Modern Players Committee, which meets next December.
The Cubs owner suggested the need for an apology from Sosa before welcoming him back to the organization or even inviting him to an offseason team meeting.
“We appreciate that Sammy released his statement and reached out to us,” Cubs president Tom Ricketts said in a statement Thursday. “No one played harder or wanted to win more. No one is perfect, but we never doubted his passion for the game and the Cubs. To say Sammy is a fan favorite is an understatement.
“We plan to invite him to the Cubs convention in 2025, and although we have a short time until then, we hope he will be able to attend. We are all ready to move forward together.”
Sosa will likely make his first appearance at the stadium since retiring in 2007. His 545 home runs in a Cubs uniform are the most in franchise history.
“We cannot change the past, but the future is bright,” Sosa said in a statement. “I have always been a Cub at heart and I can’t wait to see Cubs fans again.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
