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Sammy Sosa never received more than 18% of the required 75% of the vote for Hall of Fame induction, despite hitting 609 career home runs and becoming the only player in history to hit 60 or more home runs in three seasons.
Everyone knows the reason.
It was clear to anyone who closely followed baseball in the 1990s and early 2000s that Sosa’s successes were allegedly fueled by performance-enhancing drugs. Same as Mark McGwire. Same as Barry Bonds. Just like Alex Rodriguez.
However, unlike McGwire and A-Rod, Sosa never admitted this publicly. In 2009, The New York Times reported that Sosa had tested positive for PEDs in an anonymous survey in 2003. The revelation came shortly after the slugger announced his retirement and denied taking steroids, telling ESPN that he would “quietly await my induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame.”
Persistence had its price. The Chicago Cubs, the team with which Sosa spent most of his 18-year career, turned their backs on him. Although Bonds and McGwire were inducted into the San Francisco Giants and St. Louis Cardinals Halls of Fame, respectively, Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts repeatedly said Sosa was not welcome at Wrigley Field until he apologized for steroid use.
That day came on Thursday.
Read more: Reports that Sammy Sosa’s name is on the positive testing list are no shock
Sosa, 56, issued a statement apologizing for the apparent use of PEDs, and Ricketts said the Cubs were “ready to move forward with Sosa.” The Cubs plan to invite Sosa to the team’s annual fan convention Jan. 17-19 in Chicago.
“We thank Sammy for releasing his statement and for coming forward,” Ricketts said. “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.”
Sosa’s statement didn’t directly reference steroids, but it seemed like his apology did.
“There were times when I did my best to recover from my injuries and maintain my strength for 162 games,” Sosa said. “I have never broken any laws, but in hindsight I made mistakes and I apologize for that.”
Sosa hit 545 home runs in 13 seasons with the Cubs and was named the National League’s Most Valuable Player in 1998 after hitting 66 home runs, four fewer than McGwire but five more than the previous record holder, Roger Maris of the New York Yankees.
Read more: Sosa’s withdrawal is better than return
The following year, McGwire hit 65 and Sosa hit 63. In 2001, Bonds set the record, which still stands at 73, and Sosa hit 64. Sosa ranks ninth in career home runs and was a seven-time All-Star.
“We did great things as a team and I worked extremely hard in the batting cage to become a great hitter,” Sosa said. “The Cubs fans are the best in the world and I hope the fans, the Cubs and I can all get back together and move on. We can’t change the past, but the future is bright. I have always been a Cub at heart and I can’t wait to see the Cubs fans again.”
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This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.
