Sammy Sosa

Samuel Sosa Peralta, better known as Sammy Sosa (born November 12, 1968 in San Pedro de Macorís, Dominican Republic), is a professional Major League baseball player for the Baltimore Orioles. He formerly has played for the Texas Rangers, Chicago White Sox, and Chicago Cubs. As of July 27, 2005, Sosa had 587 career home runs, placing him fifth on the major leagues' all-time home run list.

Early life

Sosa's family was very poor and he grew up in an abandoned hospital. As a child, he shined shoes to help support his mother and six siblings. He started playing baseball at 14, a fairly old age for baseball, after he decided to quit boxing at his mother's behest. Sosa sometimes used a folded milk carton as a glove, since he could not afford a real one. The Philadelphia Phillies attempted to sign him at age 15, but this deal was not allowed by Major League Baseball because of a rule making the minimum age for contracts between major league teams and players 16. After turning 16, he signed with the Texas Rangers in 1985.

Related Topics:
Boxing - Philadelphia Phillies - Texas Rangers

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