Childhood And Early Life

Professional baseball player Sammy Sosa was born on the 12 November 1968 in Consuelo in the Dominican Republic. His nickname with family and friends is Mikey, a name which his grandmother bestowed upon him.

Rise To Fame

In 1985 Sammy Sosa was drafted into the Texas Rangers where he remained until 1989. He next played for the Chicago White Sox (1989-1991) and then settled with the Chicago Cubs between 1999 and 2004.

Career

Sammy Sosa spent the bulk of his career with the Chicago Cubs and went on to become a seven-time All-Star, the 1998 MVP and to be presented with the 1999 Hank Aaron Award. Sosa is considered to be one of the greatest baseball players in the history of the game.

In the latter part of his career, he played with the Baltimore Orioles (2005) and in the Texas Rangers (2007).

In mid-2009, Sosa’s retirement from baseball was announced.

Philanthropy

Sammy Sosa has been a generous donor to numerous charities. He has helped countless people with his donations to hurricane victims in the country of his birth including assistance with the rebuilding of homes.

Personal Life

Sammy Sosa is married to Sonia Rodrigues, and the couple have six children: Keysha, Kenia, Sammy, Michael, Kalexy, and Rolando

Sammy Sosa was a Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year. In 2007 Sosa became the fifth player to reach a 600-home-run milestone.

Controversies

In 2005 Sammy Sosa was called to testify before Congress relating to performance-enhancing drugs. Other players included McGwire and Rafael Palmeiro. Sammy Sosa denied that he had ever used performance-enhancing drugs and also said that he had never tested positive after the Major League Baseball began testing and penalizing players. The New York Times claimed in 2009 Sosa was one of a hundred players who had tested positive under the anonymous survey tests done in 2003. Because of the performance-enhancing drug issue, Sammy Sosa has not yet been voted into the Hall of Fame