Cubs to welcome back Sammy Sosa after he apologizes for past "mistakes"
CHICAGO (CBS) -- After legendary slugger Sammy Sosa apologized for past "mistakes" – an apparent reference to allegations he used performance-enhancing drugs – the Chicago Cubs announced he will be invited to the team's 2025 fan convention.
In a statement to ESPN's Jesse Rogers, Sosa did not specifically mention using performance-enhancing drugs, but said "There were times I did whatever I could to recover from injuries in an effort to keep my strength up to perform over 162 games."
"I left it all on the field for the Cubs and Cubs fans because I wanted to win and make the fans happy," Sosa wrote. "I never broke any laws, but in hindsight, I made mistakes and I apologize."
Shortly after Sosa's statement was made public, Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts announced the team would invite Sosa to attend the 2025 Cubs Convention next month at the Sheraton Grand Chicago hotel downtown.
"We appreciate Sammy releasing his statement and for reaching out. No one played harder or wanted to win more. Nobody's perfect but we never doubted his passion for the game and the Cubs," Ricketts wrote.
The Cubs also have distanced themselves from Sosa since the end of his 2024 season, when he infamously refused to play in the final game of the season, and was caught on camera leaving Wrigley Field after the first pitch.
Ricketts repeatedly has said Sosa would not be welcomed back to the Cubs until he apologizes.
Sosa finished his career with 609 home runs and 1,667 RBI, but has long been suspected of using performance-enhancing drugs. In his first four seasons with the Rangers, White Sox, and Cubs, he never had more than 15 home runs in a season, before mashing 33 home runs in 1993, the first of 12 consecutive seasons with at least 25 homers – including three seasons with at least 60 in 1998, 1999, and 2001.
He won the National League MVP award in 1998, and helped lead the Cubs to two playoff appearances in 1998 and 2003. He is the Cubs' all-time leader in career home runs, and ranks 2nd in career slugging percentage and OPS, 3rd in career RBI and extra-base hits, 6th in career runs scored, and 9th in career hits.
However, the suspicions of performance-enhancing drug use have prevented him from making it to the Baseball Hall of Fame, despite ranking 9th in career home runs, and being the only player in MLB history with at least three seasons with 60 or more home runs.
