Sammy Sosa returns to Wrigley Field for first official appearance with Cubs since 2004
CHICAGO — Sammy Sosa's long-awaited return to Wrigley Field is finally happening.
An iconic yet reclusive figure around the Chicago Cubs, Sosa is expected to be part of the festivities surrounding Friday's game against the Seattle Mariners at the Friendly Confines.
On Friday morning, the club posted a video of Sosa hugging Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts, a moment that marked the evolution of their complicated relationship.
Sammy's home. pic.twitter.com/7nJL8YUjx8
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) June 20, 2025
The Cubs invited Sosa back to their annual fan convention last winter after he released an open letter apologizing for 'mistakes' he made in the past.
The Cubs, in turn, announced that Sosa would be inducted into the team's Hall of Fame this year. Sosa subsequently made an appearance as a guest instructor during spring training in Arizona.
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This continues the thaw in the cold war between Sosa and the organization. During the 2018 Cubs Convention, Ricketts referenced baseball's 'Steroid Era' and his belief that 'players from that era owe us a little bit of honesty.'
Per a 2009 New York Times report, Sosa was among the players who tested positive for a performance-enhancing drug during what was designed to be an anonymous process in 2003. At a 2005 Congressional hearing, an attorney read a sworn statement on Sosa's behalf that said: 'To be clear, I have never taken illegal performance-enhancing drugs.'
Until this past offseason, Sosa, 56, had been largely estranged from the Cubs, a franchise that has almost completely turned over since his last game on the North Side in 2004.
Given Sosa's enormous role in building the Wrigley Field machine, the cheers on Friday are expected to be thunderous.
This story will be updated later.
(Photo of Sosa at spring training: Chris Coduto / Getty Images)
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