|
Sosa
passes DiMaggio in career home runs!
Written by Ozzie Gonzalez, Latino Legends in Sports
 July
17, 2000 -- Sosa has gone homer happy - mucho home runs.
Any regrets, Mr. Steinbrenner?
Slamming Sammy hit three home runs this past weekend -- two on Sunday
night -- giving him 363 career home runs, surpassing Joe DiMaggio (361) on the
all-time home run list.
When asked about surpassing the great Joe DiMaggio in home runs, Sosa
smiled and said "Who?, isn't he the guy whose girlfriend was Marilyn Monroe?"
Sosa is now number 50 on the list and is only 6 home runs away from the
49th spot which is held by Ralph Kiner with 369.
"I'm the type of person, I like to play happy," said Sosa, who's hit six home runs and driven in 11
runs during a nine-game hitting streak.
Earlier in the season, Sosa was feuding with manager Don Baylor and talking about being
traded. However, since he reconciled his differences and decided to remain in Chicago for
the rest of the year, he's been hitting the ball with the fury that produced 129 home runs the previous
two seasons.
"I was feeling bad for a long time. I went to the All-Star Game and did everything I'm supposed to
do there. I found myself," he said after homering for the third straight day.
"I was kind of lost. Right now I feel great. When I'm good is when I'm playing happy."
On Sunday, 7/17, Sosa, who has 27 home runs and 80 RBIs, homered in the first on an 0-2 pitch by Dan
Reichert (3-6) for a 2-0 lead. Then he connected in the third on a 3-2 delivery for another two-run
homer, cutting Chicago's deficit to 5-4. The Cubs went on to beat
the Kansas City Royals 10-7.
|
