Vital Statistics:
Born: November 12, 1968
Hometown: San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic
Height: 6-0
Weight: 225
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
Family: Wife, Sonia; daughters Keysha and Kenia; sons Sammy Jr. and Michael
Primary position: Designated hitter
Before The Bigs:
- Signed as an undrafted free agent at age 17 by the Texas Rangers in 1985.
- Didn’t show prodigious power in the minor leagues, hitting 32 home runs in three seasons.
- After three seasons in the low minors, he started 1989 at Double-A Tulsa and was called up in early June.
- Hit his first major-league home run off Boston’s Roger Clemens on June 21, 1989.
- Was traded to the Chicago White Sox on July 29, 1989 with Wilson Alvarez and Scott Fletcher to White Sox for Fred Manrique and Harold Baines in a controversial trade in Rangers history.
- Hit just .203 with the White Sox in 1991, and was traded to the Chicago Cubs before the 1992 season.
- Blossomed as a star in 1993, when he hit 33 home runs and stole 36 bases for the Cubs.
- Was named NL Most Valuable Player in 1998 when he and Mark McGwire both broke Roger Maris’ single-season home run record. He had 66 home runs, 158 RBIs and hit .308.
- Hit .328 with 64 home runs and a career-best 160 RBI in 2000.
- Eight-time National League All-Star.
- Traded to the Baltimore Orioles in 2005, where he played for one season. Sat out the 2006 season, and signed as a free agent with the Rangers in 2007.
- Hit his 600th career home run on June 20, 2007 against the Cubs in an interleague game.
- He has hit a home run against every major league team.
- He served a seven-game suspension in 2003 after he was caught using a corked bat on June 3.
- He was one of the players suspected of using steroids in Jose Canseco’s book, “Juiced.” Was called to testify to Congress in March 2005 about steroids in baseball. He testified he never took illegal substances.
- According to a report in the New York Times in June 2009, Sosa tested positive for a banned substance in 2003.
