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Watch: Sammy Sosa in Cubs' dugout for first time in 21 years
Sammy Sosa during the 1998 season. RVR Photos-Imagn Images

Watch: Sammy Sosa back in Cubs' dugout for first time in more than two decades

There's something natural about seeing Sammy Sosa wearing Chicago Cubs' blue. It just makes sense, and it harkens back to the "good ole days" of MLB when Sosa and Mark McGwire were locked in the home run battle for the ages.

Every pair of eyes in the sports world was tuned in to every at-bat for the two sluggers in 1998. McGwire ended the season with 70 home runs, while Sosa finished with 66. Technically, the former St. Louis Cardinals slugger won that battle, but Sosa became a baseball legend in the process as well.

Sosa retired in 2007, and even though he played for four teams during his legendary MLB career, he was best known for his time in Chicago, which ended in 2004.

The issue for Sosa was that his relationship with the Cubs had become controversial because of his interactions with performance enhancing drugs during his time with the team. He reportedly tested positive for PEDs in 2003.

That led to a breakup between the two parties that lasted over 20 years, but Sosa recently apologized for that part of his career. He's not officially part of the organization anymore, but he was seen giving hitting advice in the Cubs dugout during spring training.

"I understand why some players in my era don't always get the recognition that our stats deserve," Sosa wrote in a December 2024 statement. "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, bit in hindsight, I made mistakes and I apologize."

That was enough of an apology to clear the air for the Cubs, so it will be interesting to see how involved Sosa is with the team moving forward. 

Andrew Kulha

Andrew Kulha is probably the only sports writer you know who also doubles as a mortician. Spooky! @KulhaSports

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