Sammy Sosa Biography

Quick Facts

NAME: Sammy Sosa
OCCUPATION: Baseball Player
BIRTH DATE: November 12, 1968 (Age: 43)
PLACE OF BIRTH: San Pedro de Marcois, Dominican Republic
ZODIAC SIGN: Scorpio

Best Known For

Sammy Sosa is a former MLB slugger, most notably with the Chicago Cubs, with whom he chased Roger Maris's home run record.

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Sammy Sosa

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Sammy Sosa. (2012). Biography.com. Retrieved 04:50, May 27, 2012 from http://www.biography.com/people/sammy-sosa-189155

Harvard Style

Sammy Sosa [Internet]. 2012. http://www.biography.com/people/sammy-sosa-189155, May 27

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MHRA Style

' Sammy Sosa', Biography.com,(2012) http://www.biography.com/people/sammy-sosa-189155 [accessed May 27, 2012]

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" Sammy Sosa," Biography.com, http://www.biography.com/people/sammy-sosa-189155 (accessed May 27, 2012).

CBE/CSE Style

Sammy Sosa [Internet]. Biography.com; 2012 [cited 2012 May 27]. Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/sammy-sosa-189155.

Bluebook Style

Sammy Sosa, http://www.biography.com/people/sammy-sosa-189155 (last visited May 27, 2012).

AMA Style

Sammy Sosa, http://www.biography.com/people/sammy-sosa-189155 (last visited May 27, 2012).

Synopsis

Born on November 12, 1968, in San Pedro de Marcois, Dominican Republic, Sammy Sosa was a slugger who spent the peak years of his career with the Chicago Cubs. In 1998, Sosa was caught up in race with Mark McGwire of the St. Louis Cardinals to beat Roger Maris's record of 61 home runs in a season. Gwire broke the record first and ended the season with 70 runs while Sosa had a total of 66 runs.

Profile

Athlete, professional baseball player. Born Samuel Sosa Peralta on November 12, 1968, in San Pedro de Marcois, Dominican Republic. Sosa's father died when he was only seven years old and he helped support the family by doing odd jobs. Sosa went to the United States in 1986 to play baseball for a minor league team in Florida. Nearly three years later, he made his major league debut with the Texas Rangers. In only a few weeks, he was traded to the Chicago White Sox. He hit 15 home runs in his first full season with the team.

In 1992, Sosa went to play for the Chicago Cubs. He continued to rack up the home runs, but he took his game to a whole new level in 1998. Sosa was caught in a race with Mark McGwire of the St. Louis Cardinals to beat Roger Maris' record of 61 home runs in a single season. The nation watched as the two battled it out, keeping count of each run. McGwire broke the record first and ended the season with 70 runs while Sosa had a total of 66 runs. That same year Sosa was selected as the National League Most Valuable Player (MVP).

Sosa remained a strong hitter for the next six seasons with the Cubs, but he started to encounter some problems in 2003. He was suspended for several games for using a corked bat in a game that year. His name also came up in an investigation about steroid use, an allegation he has adamantly denied. He was traded to the Baltimore Orioles in 2005. While he did not play during the 2006 season, he has not ruled out a return to the game. During his career, he has been selected as a member of the National League All-Star team seven times. Sosa has scored 588 home runs and has a career batting average of .274.