Sammy Sosa returns to Chicago, will enter Cubs Hall of Fame in 2025: ‘I’m here and I’m back’

A month after Sammy Sosa released an apology letter regarding “mistakes” he made during his MLB career, the Chicago Cubs announced that the slugger will enter the team’s Hall of Fame this summer along with former first baseman Derrek Lee.

“I’ve been out for 21 years,” Sosa, 56, said Friday during the Cubs’ fan convention. “I believe the time was right. I’m looking forward to continuing with the great fans.”

Sosa was given a loud ovation when introduced and later said it was time to mend fences with the organization.

“People, they say you grow up. That’s what happened to me,” Sosa said. “I believe that me making the first step to get that statement out, I think it was the right time for me. And the response right away was incredible. Pretty much, that’s all I needed. And now the door is open.”

The “mistakes” Sosa mentioned in his apology were regarding his alleged past use of performance-enhancing drugs. He was suspected to be a PED user during his heyday (the early 1990s through the early 2000s), though his name was not among the numerous MLB PED users listed in the (in)famous Mitchell Report. But in 2007, the book “Game of Shadows” detailed Sosa’s alleged PED use and involvement in the BALCO scandal.

Despite being the only player in the history of Major League Baseball to hit at least 60 home runs in three separate seasons, Sosa spent 10 years on the Baseball Hall of Fame ballot before dropping off in 2023 and had been estranged from the Cubs since he left the team in 2004.

Sosa’s apology letter finally spurred the Cubs to open the door to their former superstar. Team owner Tom Ricketts had insisted in the past that Sosa wouldn’t be invited back for any team events unless he publicly apologized for his alleged PED use. Other players connected to PEDs, such as Mark McGwire, Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez and Andy Pettitte, have been enthusiastically welcomed by their former teams following similar apologies.

Now that he’s reunited with his old team, Sosa is eager for what the future holds for him and the Cubs.

“I’m here and I’m back,” Sosa said. “And I’m looking forward to the good things that happen ahead.”

Another former Cubs great, Ryne Sandberg, was also in attendance, a month after the Hall of Famer announced that his cancer had spread to other organs in his body, and he is set for more treatment.