The 1998 season saw one of the most thrilling moments in Major League Baseball history. Sammy Sosa of the Chicago Cubs and Mark McGwire of the St. Louis Cardinals both had outstanding at-bats. The previous season’s record for a single player was 61 home runs set by Roger Maris in 1961. McGwire thrillingly shattered the record. As it happened, McGwire hit his 62nd home run of the year when facing Sosa and the Cubs, according to MLB. By hitting his second home run of the day to raise his season total to 62, Sosa would also surpass Maris’ record. That year, Sosa hit 66 home runs and McGwire hit 70.
Despite winning, McGwire claimed that the pressure made him “feel like a caged animal,” according to ESPN. Sosa was apparently having the time of his life during this time, playing salsa music in the clubhouse before to games. It also arrived just in time for the sport, which was still recovering from a lockout that had occurred four years before. In the 2020 ESPN documentary, Sosa provided details of the crazy year “Long Gone Summer,” adding, “I was really pleased with it. I was at ease ”
Despite retiring as a legend while wearing a Cubs uniform, information concerning Sosa’s subhuman performance and the effects of his past fame emerged. What Sosa has been up to since stepping down from the top is detailed here.
So long, Slammin’ Sammy
As a player, Sammy Sosa’s use of a corked bat was his most embarrassing moment. After his bat cracked and it was discovered that it had been unlawfully changed for more power, the umpires dismissed him from the game, according to the Chicago Tribune. Sosa faced difficult questions after his MLB career came to an end as previous players started to disclose using performance-enhancing substances while competing in the game.
According to a 2009 New York Times article, Sosa tested positive for performance-enhancing substances while still a player in 2003. This went against Sosa’s sworn testimony to Congress in 2005, in which he claimed he’d “never taken unlawful performance-enhancing medications.” According to ESPN, Mark McGwire acknowledged using steroids for a decade, including during his illustrious season of 70 home runs. Sosa persisted in denying ever using drugs though. Sosa asserted, “I never got a test positive in this country,” he told ESPN during an interview with Jeremy Schaap in 2018.
Sosa insists he had no involvement with banned substances, but his previous team disagrees. ESPN claims that the Cubs won’t let Sosa attend any of their functions or games. Tom Ricketts, the team’s owner, issued an ultimatum to Sosa, telling him that he would no longer be permitted to attend Cubs games until he acknowledged using narcotics and apologized. Sosa instead concentrated on being enshrined. He said to Schaap, “I played hard every day. Of course I belong in the Hall of Fame.”
Sammy Sosa’s appearance changed
Because of his contentious past, Sammy Sosa wasn’t often seen at Chicago Cubs games, but he was still well-known all around the world. Santo Domingo in his home Dominican Republic, Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, and Miami were at least three of his residences as of 2018. He had six children and had been married to Sonia for 26 years. He also visited charming cities like Paris and London.
Sosa acknowledged that it had been 11 years since his last visit to Chicago, but he insisted that he was content with his current circumstances. “Take a look at who I am now. Since this is my life, I don’t take anyone else’s trash. I act however I choose “Sosa spoke to Sports Illustrated about his opulent living arrangements in Dubai and elsewhere. The former baseball star claimed that he was more engaged with businesses than he was with social media. “I never watch Instagram, Facebook, or any of that BS s**t. I’m too busy to do it “said he.
Additionally, the reporter observed that Sosa’s skin appeared significantly whiter than it did when he was a member of the Cubs. People noticed Sosa at an event in Miami at the Fontainebleau Hotel, where his skin tone appeared to have returned to being darker than it had been during the Latin Grammy Awards, indicating that his look had changed once more. The former player’s spokesperson claimed that Sosa was receiving skin care, including “a whitening technique,” which caused the variations in color tones, according to Essence.
