For years, the world knew one Sammy Sosa. He was the dynamic slugger with the signature home run hop. His electrifying presence defined a magical era for the Chicago Cubs. But the man who recently returned to a cheering Wrigley Field after a 21-year absence tells a different story. It’s a story where family, not fame, now takes center stage.
Speaking on the Inside The Clubhouse podcast, Sosa opened up about this profound shift. When asked about leaving behind his celebrity status, he framed it not as a loss, but as a redefinition of his life’s work. “The transition is differing, but pretty much like legacy,” Sosa explained. He acknowledges the fame, noting “There be a recognition everywhere that I go.” But he emphasized that his new roles are what truly matter now. “The husband and father is much different… I think my life is very well.”
This new calm comes from being a father. Slammin’ Sammy openly acknowledges he was very much an absentee father to his four older kids during the relentless demands of his career. “I was never home much – 162 games spring training… it was hard,” he reflected. But with his two younger children, Kalexy and Rolando, born after his retirement, it’s a “Different world and a different life.” He now finds his greatest purpose in the simple, daily acts of fatherhood, powerfully stating, “I’m becoming a better man because I see my kids every day.”
He and his wife, Sonia, deliberately opted to expand their family after his career was over. They also wanted their home to stay full of life even after their older children grew up. The family now divides their time between their native Dominican Republic and Miami, where the children are enrolled in U.S. schools, and Sosa has set up a complete infrastructure for his wife’s support, even hiring a nanny and driver to assist with the logistics – a strong indication of just how important he views his family’s happiness.
This personal reconciliation has now made way for a public one. Sosa made his long-awaited comeback to Wrigley Field on June 20, 2025, receiving a roaring standing ovation, 21 years after he was banished. That return followed a vaguely worded apology he issued for past “mistakes,” which cleared the way for the Cubs to welcome him back. The organization’s subsequent announcement of his induction into the Cubs Hall of Fame officially repaired the relationship that had been shattered for so long and recognizing the immense contributions he made to the franchise.
But to appreciate the peace of today, one must understand the chaos of yesterday.
The rise and fall of a baseball icon
Sammy Sosa’s journey began far from the bright lights of Chicago, shining shoes in the Dominican Republic. He had breakthrough moments, but he was inconsistent early on for the Rangers, after signing with Texas in 1985, and later while playing for the White Sox. It wasn’t until a trade in 1992 took him across town to the Chicago Cubs that his career truly ignited.
The peak of his stardom came during the magical summer of 1998. Sosa and Mark McGwire had a historic home run chase that captivated the nation’s attention and, some would argue, saved baseball. Sosa clubbed a then-franchise-best 66 home runs and won the 1998 National League MVP. From 1998 through 2001, his numbers were staggering, averaging 61 homers and 149 RBIs per season.
But controversy was never far behind. Sosa was tossed from a game on June 3, 2003, when his bat shattered, revealing it was illegally corked. He claimed it was an accident, but his name became tainted. Even more damaging were the continued whispers of performance-enhancing drugs. Although he denied it in a 2005 congressional hearing, a 2009 New York Times report said he had tested positive in 2003, a shadow that has followed him ever since.
The end to his Cubs tenure was ugly. His performance slumped in 2004, and fans became more frustrated. The final straw came in the last game of the season when Sosa reportedly left Wrigley Field just 15 minutes after the first pitch. The incident sealed his fate. He was traded to the Baltimore Orioles after that incident. Sosa quietly drifted from the game after a brief tenure in Baltimore and back with the Rangers, where he hit his 600th home run before retiring in 2009.
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