Sammy Sosa is one of the most controversial figures in MLB history. Of course, when you first hear his name, you immediately think of the 1998 home run chase. The event many claimed to save baseball after the 94 strike. Sosa and Mark McGwire were on pace to break the record for most home runs in a season. Set by Roger Maris in 1961 who hit 61 homers. Of course, Sosa would lose this race to McGwire, who would hit 70 and get to 62 before Sosa. The chase also has a lot of controversy surrounding it due to the steroid allegations being made about both players.
Outside of the 98 chase, Sosa put together a pretty good career. Through 18 seasons he slashed .273/.344/.534 good for a .878 OPS with 609 home runs and 1667 RBIs. He also racked up a few awards through his time in the bigs. He won the MVP award in 1998, as well as made seven all-star teams, and won six silver sluggers. Now when you think of this power hitter, you immediately think of him in a Cubs uniform. After all, he spent 13 seasons with the North Siders. However, people tend to forget about the time he spent with the Orioles.
Sosa Time In Baltimore
Things didn’t end the way any would expect in Chicago. Instead of getting a big send-off like he deserved, Sosa’s time with the Cubs was surrounded by controversy. Sosa had spent most of 2004 battling injuries and it was clear his talents were on the decline. So for the final game of the season, Sosa asked for the day off, which he believed was granted by then-Cubs manager Dusty Baker. However, the problem came when Sosa would leave Wrigley before the end of the game. Baker hadn’t given Sosa the day off, he left him out of the lineup because he thought he was hurt. But Baker expected him to be on the bench.
This caused a rift between the two sides. Thus during the offseason, the Cubs looked to move their aging superstar. After months of discussion and shopping Sosa around a trade was agreed upon. On January 28th, 2005 Sosa was sent to the Orioles in exchange for three players.
2005 Season
Before suiting up for the Orioles, Sosa had already made MLB history. He along with teammate Rafael Palmerio became the first members of the 500 home run club to be teammates after both of them reached the mark. He would make his Orioles debut on April 4th, 2005, batting clean up and playing right field. Sosa would record two hits in the Orioles’ 1-0 victory over the Oakland A’s.
However, despite a positive start to his Orioles tenure, things wouldn’t work out well for Sosa. He would battle injuries throughout the season causing him to miss 60 games. When he was on the field, it was clear he wasn’t the player he once was. In 102 games with the club, he slashed .221/.295/.376 good for a .671 OPS with 14 home runs and 45 RBIs. Sosa’s stat line is also the perfect metaphor for the Orioles that season. They would start off hot, being in second place in the AL East at the All-Star break. However, the team would fall apart and miss the playoffs with a record of 74-88.
During the offseason, the Orioles decided it was time to move on from Sosa. They didn’t offer him an arbitration contract, making him a free agent. Despite interest from the Nationals Sosa would take off the 2006 season. He would return to the majors in 2007 with the team he debuted for in the Texas Rangers, but would officially retire after that season.
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