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Not a single Chicago Cubs player has hit 50 home runs since Sammy Sosa played his final 126 games for Chicago in 2004. The infamous right fielder and 13-year team veteran met or exceeded that output from 1998-2001 and came just one homer away from making it five straight in 2002.
The "Steroid Era" had no rules about PED usage, yet Sosa, who never tested positive, is still routinely snubbed by voters for enshrinement into the Hall of Fame. The former MVP and seven-time All-Star has never once admitted to steroid use but like other players linked to PED use, Sammy Sosa has routinely been shunned by MLB Hall of Fame voters.
Most of these players are celebrated by their teams, however, that wasn't the case for Sosa up until December when he issued a formal apology to the team. He was immediately invited to the annual Cubs' convention for the first time since leaving the team.
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Sosa was all smiles while making his first appearance at Sloan Park for Cubs Spring Training. That was until he started taking interviews from the media and the topic of PED use came up. He spoke with USA Today on Monday:
“Man, I don’t really want to go that route, not now. That’s a very delicate route, you know what I mean? But come on, nobody was blind."
He reflected on his playing years and noted his lack of positive test results:
“I’m still proud of what I did. I had great years, I never tested positive. And anyways, there were no rules. No rules back then. None.
“I played hard and I made a lot of people happy."
The consummate professional, all Sosa cared about was staying healthy, leading his team to success, and entertaining his millions of fans. It's argued that his home run race with Mark McGwire put baseball back on the map in 1998 when each slugger broke Roger Maris' record of most home runs hit in a single season.
Sosa is hopeful that one day he may make it into the Hall of Fame:
“I believe in time," Sosa says. “Nobody’s perfect. Time will heal all wounds. I really believe that one day the door will be open for us."
McGwire publicly apologized for his steroid use in 2010 but, like Sammy Sosa, has maintained that his actions were not illegal back then. He reiterated his stance in a 2023 interview with USA TODAY Sports on the 25-year anniversary of the home run chase.
“There was nothing illegal about it," McGwire said. “There was no testing at that time. It was a widespread thing in the game. It wasn't like you're feeling guilty. The mentality was to keep yourself healthy on the field.
Sammy Sosa's path to the Hall of Fame
Sammy Sosa became eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2013 when his name first appeared on the ballot. Needing 75% of the vote to be elected into the Hall from the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWA), Sosa only received 18.5 percent of the ballot in his final year of eligibility.
If the Chicago icon is to be enshrined, it will be up to the Hall of Fame's Contemporary Baseball Era Committee to decide. There has been some recent talk about the MLB maybe honoring Pete Rose posthumously, and anything is possible.
However, with them keeping players like Mark McGwire, Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, Manny Ramirez, Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte and Curt Schilling out of Cooperstown, Sammy Sosa remains encouraged but doubtful of his enshrinement.
