Samuel Peralta Sosa (born November 12, 1968) is a Dominican-American former professional baseball right fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 19 seasons, primarily with the Chicago Cubs. After playing for the Texas Rangers and Chicago White Sox, Sosa joined the Cubs in 1992 and became regarded as one of the game's best hitters. Sosa hit his 400th home run in his 1,354th game and his 5,273rd at-bat, reaching this milestone quicker than any player in National League history. He is one of nine players in MLB history to hit 600 career home runs. In 1998, Sosa, along with Mark McGwire, achieved national fame for their home run-hitting prowess in pursuit of Roger Maris' single-season home-run record. With the Cubs, Sosa became a 7-time All-Star while holding numerous team records. He finished his career with stints with the Baltimore Orioles and the Rangers for a second time. With the Rangers, Sosa hit his 600th career home run to become the fifth player in MLB history to reach the milestone. Sosa is second all-time in home runs among foreign-born MLB players and is one of only three National League players since 1900 to reach 160 RBIs in one season (2001). He is also the only player to have hit 60 or more home runs in a single season three times, which he accomplished in 1998, 1999 and 2001. He did not lead the league in home runs in any of those seasons, although he did lead the league in 2000 with 50 home runs, and in 2002 with 49. In a 2005 congressional hearing, Sosathrough his attorneydenied having used performance-enhancing drugs during his playing career. Early life Sosa was born in the Dominican Republic and is partially of Haitian descent. Though born in a Batey community in Consuelo, his officially registered birthplace is San Pedro de Macorís, which was "the largest town nearby". Sosa is known to family and friends as "Mikey". His maternal grandmother suggested his birth name of Samuel, and also came up with his nickname: "[She] heard the name on a soap opera she liked and decided from that moment on he would be Mikey." Professional career Texas Rangers (1989) Sosa made his major league debut on June 16, 1989, with the Texas Rangers, wearing #17 and leading off as the starting left fielder. He hit his first career home run off Roger Clemens. Chicago White