"In this game, you have to work hard to get better. I like to work hard. I love this game."--Sammy Sosa.

Outfielder Sammy Sosa of the Chicago Cubs entered the 1998 baseball season as a relatively unknown player to most Americans. However, his neck-and-neck battle that year with Mark McGwire (see entry) of the St. Louis Cardinals for the major league single-season home run record made him a household name and a hero in the United States and in his native Dominican Republic. With 66 home runs--five more than the previous record--Sosa finished second to McGwire, but still captured the 1998 National League Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award. His storybook 1998 season established Sosa as a legitimate star, and he will always be remembered in the baseball record books and in the hearts of baseball fans everywhere.

Growing Up

Tough Start

Sammy Sosa was born November 12, 1968, in San Pedro de Macoris...