Sammy Sosa apologizes, Tom Ricketts invites Cubs legend to convention

Sammy Sosa is coming home! The Chicago Cubs’ all-time leader in home runs (545) is officially back in the good graces of the organization following an apology from Sosa for alleged wrongdoings during his playing career.

While Slammin’ Sammy, who had long been linked to and rumored to have used performance-enhancing drugs during his career, didn’t directly admit to using illegal substances in his statement, Sosa did reference “mistakes” made to “recover from injuries”.

I left it all on the field for the Cubs and Cubs fans because I wanted to win and make the fans happy.

I loved to see the fans at Wrigley in the Right Field Bleachers every home game.

I understand why some players in my era don’t always get the recognition that our stats deserve.

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 never broke any laws, but in hindsight, I made mistakes and I apologize.

We accomplished great things as a team, and I worked extremely hard in the batting cage to become a great hitter.

Cubs fans are the best in the world, and I hope that fans, the Cubs and I can all come together again and move forward.

We can’t change the past, but the future is bright. In my heart, I have always been a Cub and I can’t wait to see Cubs fans again.

Sammy Sosa’s official statement and apology released on December 19.

Shortly after the statement became public, Cubs executive chairman Tom Ricketts responded:

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.

It is an understatement to say that Sammy is a fan favorite. We plan on inviting him to the 2025 Cubs Convention and, while it is short notice, we hope that he can attend. We are all ready to move forward together.

Tom Ricketts’ statement in response to Sammy Sosa

Sosa, 56, spent 13 of his 18 seasons in the majors with the Cubs, clubbing 545 of his career 609 home runs for the team. Over 13 seasons, the super slugger slashed .284/.358/.569 in Chicago, including a historic 1998 season in which Sosa smashed 66 homers in a summer-long battle with Mark McGwire of the St. Louis Cardinals.

McGwire ultimately won the race, finishing the season with 70 home runs – a record that stood until Barry Bonds hit 73 in 2001. On the single-season home run leaderboard, Sosa owns third (66-1998), fifth (64-2001) and sixth-place (63-1999) on the list.

Cubs fans had petitioned the franchise to accept the controversial slugger back into the fold at Wrigley Field, but the team declined and avoided opportunities to reconcile for 17 years following Sosa’s retirement until Thursday.

The 2025 Cubs Convention takes place at the Sheraton Grand Chicago beginning Friday, January 17, 2025 and runs through Sunday, January 19.