Editing Sammy Sosa (section)

===Chicago Cubs (1992&ndash;2004)===
The White Sox traded Sosa and [[Ken Patterson]] to the [[Chicago Cubs]] for [[outfielder]] [[George Bell (outfielder)|George Bell]] before the 1992 season.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2012/01/03/score-20-flashback-1-white-sox-trade-sosa-to-cubs-for-bell/|title=Flashback #1: White Sox Trade Sosa To Cubs For Bell (1992)|date=January 3, 2012}}</ref> Sosa batted .260 with eight home runs and 25 RBIs in his first season with the Cubs. In 1993, Sosa batted .261 with 33 [[home runs]] with 93 RBIs. He also showed his speed by stealing 38 bases and became the Cubs' first 30-30 player. Sosa continued to hit for power and speed in 1994 but he also improved his batting average. He ended up batting .300 with 25 home runs, 70 RBIs, and 22 [[stolen bases]]. Sosa was named to his first All-Star team in 1995. In 144 games, he batted .268 with 36 home runs and 119 RBIs. Sosa continued his success with the Cubs in 1996 as he batted .273 with 40 home runs and 100 RBIs. However, in 1997, Sosa batted just .251 with a .300 on-base percentage, and led the league in strikeouts with 174 despite hitting 36 home runs with 119 RBIs.

After years as a respected power/speed threat with a rocket arm in right field, he emerged during the 1998 season as one of baseball's greatest. It was in this season that both Sosa and Mark McGwire were involved in the "[[1998 Major League Baseball home run record chase|home run record chase]]", when both players' prowess for hitting home runs drew national attention as they attempted to pass [[Roger Maris]]' single season home run mark of 61 home runs. In the early months of the year, Sosa trailed McGwire significantly, being as many as 16 homers behind at one point in May. But as the chase progressed, Sosa eventually tied McGwire with 46 home runs on August 10. However, McGwire pulled away slightly and reached 62 home runs to break the record first on September 8. Sosa tied McGwire once again at 62 on September 13. Eleven days later, with two games left to play in the season, the two were tied at 66 home runs each. Sosa ended the season with 66, finishing behind McGwire's 70. It was during that season that Cubs announcer [[Chip Caray]] nicknamed him "'''Slammin' Sammy'''", a nickname that quickly spread. Sammy produced then career-highs in batting average and slugging percentage, at .308 and .647 respectively. Sosa also led the league in [[Run batted in|RBI]]s and runs scored.

[[File:Sosa cubs jersey.jpg|thumb|right|Sosa wore #21 with the Cubs in honor of his childhood idol [[Roberto Clemente]].<ref>{{cite news | last = Cunniff | first = Bill | title = Sosa plays host at party at his island mansion | page = 3 | work = Chicago Sun-Times | date = November 26, 1999 | url = http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=CSTB&p_theme=cstb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB424463A5BF794&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM | access-date = October 4, 2008 }}</ref>]] Also in 1998, Sosa's 416 total bases were the most in a single season since [[Stan Musial]]'s 429 in 1948. Sosa's performance in the month of June, during which Sosa belted 20 home runs, knocked in 47 runs, and posted an .842 [[slugging percentage]], was one of the greatest offensive outbursts in major league history. Sosa won the [[MLB Most Valuable Player award|National League Most Valuable Player Award]] for leading the Cubs into the playoffs in 1998, earning every first-place vote except for the two cast by [[St. Louis, Missouri|St. Louis]] writers, who voted for McGwire. He and McGwire shared ''[[Sports Illustrated]]'' magazine's 1998 "[[Sportsman of the Year]]" award. Sosa was honored with a [[ticker-tape parade]] in his honor in New York City, and he was invited to be a guest at US President [[Bill Clinton]]'s 1999 [[State of the Union Address]]. 1998 was also the first time the Cubs made the post-season since 1989. The Cubs qualified as the NL Wild Card team, but were swept by the [[Atlanta Braves]] in the [[1998 National League Division Series#Atlanta Braves vs. Chicago Cubs|NLDS]]. In the 1999 season, Sosa hit 63 home runs, again trailing Mark McGwire, who hit 65. In the 2000 season, Sosa led the league by hitting 50 home runs. He received the [[Babe Ruth Home Run Award]] for leading MLB in homers.<ref>{{cite news |last=MacMullan |first=Jackie |title=A bronze homage to Babe |date=October 17, 2002 |newspaper=[[The Boston Globe]] |page=E3 |url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/boston/access/214273981.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Oct+17%2C+2002&author=JACKIE+MACMULLAN&pub=Boston+Globe&desc=A+BRONZE+HOMAGE+TO+BABE&pqatl=google |access-date=November 8, 2011 |quote=By 2001, they were paying their own way to present Sammy Sosa with his Babe Ruth Award. |archive-date=July 25, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120725102610/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/boston/access/214273981.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Oct+17%2C+2002&author=JACKIE+MACMULLAN&pub=Boston+Globe&desc=A+BRONZE+HOMAGE+TO+BABE&pqatl=google |url-status=dead }}{{subscription required}}</ref>

[[File:Sammy Sosa throwing-85 (37575489836).jpg|thumb|Sosa as a member of the Chicago Cubs]]
In 2001, he hit 64 home runs, becoming the first player to hit 60 or more home runs three times. However, he did not lead the league in any of those seasons; in 2001, he finished behind [[Barry Bonds]], who hit 73 homers, breaking the single-season home run record set by McGwire in 1998 (70). In 2001, he also set personal records in [[Run (baseball)|runs]] scored (146), [[Run batted in|RBI]] (160), [[Base on balls|walks]] (116), [[on-base percentage]] (.437), [[slugging percentage]] (.737), and [[batting average (baseball)|batting average]] (.328).<ref name="BBREF.com" /> He led the majors in runs and RBI, was second in home runs, second in slugging percentage, first in total bases, third in walks, fourth in on-base percentage, 12th in batting average, and 15th in [[Hit (baseball)|hits]]. He also surpassed his 1998 number in total bases, racking up 425. Sosa once again led the league in home runs with 49 in 2002. In recognition of his accomplishments as a hitter, Sosa won the [[Silver Slugger Award]] (an award for offensive output, voted on by managers and coaches) in 1995 and in 1998 through 2002.<ref name="BBREF.com" />

{{anchor|Corked bat incident}}
In 2003, the Cubs won the National League Central Division title. In May, he spent his first period on the [[disabled list]] since 1996 after having an injured toenail removed. On June 3, 2003, Sosa was ejected from a Chicago Cubs-[[Tampa Bay Devil Rays]] game in the first inning when umpires discovered he had been using a [[corked bat]].<ref>[http://static.espn.go.com/mlb/news/2003/0603/1562772.html Sosa ejected after cork is found in shattered bat.] (June 4, 2003) ESPN.com. Accessed June 5, 2007.</ref> Major League Baseball confiscated and tested 76 of Sosa's other bats after his ejection; all were found to be clean, with no cork. Five bats he had sent to the Hall of Fame in past years were also tested, and were all clean as well.<ref>[http://static.espn.go.com/mlb/news/2003/0604/1563115.html Seventy-six Sosa bats found to be clean.] (June 5, 2003). ESPN.com. Accessed June 5, 2007.</ref> Sosa stated that he had accidentally used the corked bat, which he claimed he only used during batting practice, and apologized for the incident.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://bleacherreport.com/articles/743807-the-25-most-embarrassing-moments-in-mlb-history/page/20|title=The 25 Most Embarrassing Moments in MLB History|first=Doug|last=Mead|website=[[Bleacher Report]]}}</ref> When Cubs manager [[Dusty Baker]] was interviewed later, he stated any use of corked bats on his team is strictly prohibited. On June 6, Sosa was suspended for eight games all without pay<ref>{{Cite news |date=2003-06-06 |title=Sosa banned over bat |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/us_sport/2970198.stm |access-date=2025-02-25 |work=BBC |language=en-GB}}</ref> which was reduced to seven games (again without pay) on June 11 after appeal.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2003-06-12 |title=Sosa has ban reduced |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/us_sport/2983350.stm |access-date=2025-02-25 |work=BBC |language=en-GB}}</ref> Sosa finished the season with 40 home runs and hit two more in the [[2003 National League Championship Series|2003 NLCS]] against the [[Florida Marlins]], falling to the team in seven games.

[[File:Sammy Sosa (51009953001).jpg|thumb|Sosa in 2004]]
In May 2004, Sosa suffered an odd injury while sitting next to his locker chatting with reporters before a game in San Diego's [[Petco Park]]. He sneezed very violently, causing severe back pain. He was diagnosed with back spasms and placed on the disabled list.<ref>{{Cite web|date=May 19, 2004|title=Slugger hurt back while sneezing|url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/news/story?id=1804239|access-date=January 22, 2021|website=ESPN.com|language=en}}</ref> He finished with 35 homers, far below his numbers of his best years. Despite his declining production and release from the team at the end of the 2004 season, between 1995 and 2004 Sosa clubbed 479 home runs<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/sosasa01.shtml|title = Sammy Sosa Stats}}</ref> which is the most home runs by a player in history over a 10-year span.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sammy Sosa Stats, Age, Position, Height, Weight, Fantasy & News |url=https://www.mlb.com/player/sammy-sosa-122544 |access-date=2024-06-14 |website=MLB.com |language=en}}</ref> He also owns numerous team records for the Cubs and he holds the major-league record for the most home runs hit in a month (20, in June 1998). His tenure came to an end without fanfare, as he did not play in the final game of the regular season (played in Chicago) per his request, with Sosa reportedly leaving [[Wrigley Field]] before the game had ended. Sosa had stated he had permission from Baker to not play, while Baker stated that former assistant trainer Sandy Krum (serving as the go-between for the two) told Baker that Sosa had felt a bit injured and wanted out of the final game, but he expected Sosa to be on the bench who weren't in the starting lineup.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2005-02-25-0502250346-story.html | title=Still taking their cuts | website=[[Chicago Tribune]] | date=February 25, 2005 }}</ref>