Sammy Sosa will return to Wrigley Field for 1st time since his controversial Chicago Cubs exit in 2004

Sammy Sosa is back.
Again.
The former Chicago Cubs outfielder will return to Wrigley Field Friday for the first time since his controversial exit in 2004, after reuniting with the organization in January at the Cubs Convention.
Sosa's return was supposed to be a surprise reveal after a video highlight package was played in the 'Legends of the Game' segment. Sosa would then be shown live in a Cubs suite, as other former players have done when they've appeared in the video feature.
But the surprise was spoiled when the news of Sosa's return was tweeted Friday morning. It quickly spread on the internet and on talk radio.
The last time Sosa was at Wrigley was on the final day of the 2004 season when he left the game in the first inning after informing manager Dusty Baker through an intermediary he was not playing. When that news spread, Sosa and his agent told the Chicago Sun-Times he didn't leave until later in the game. The Cubs responded by saying they had videotape of Sosa leaving the parking lot.
That began the final chapter of Sosa's Cubs career. He was traded to the Baltimore Orioles and was separated from the organization after his retirement. Cubs Chairman Tom Ricketts wanted an apology from Sosa for allegedly using performance-enhancing drugs, which Sosa always denied.
After a decade of back-and-forth, the two sides finally reconciled over the winter with Sosa issuing a semi-apology for making unspecified mistakes. He later told reporters at January's Cubs Convention he was apologizing for not being there for fans the last 20 years, not for taking PEDs.
Either way, Sosa was back, and the former Cubs slugger whose race with Mark McGwire for the home run record in 1998 made him a national figure began a new chapter as part of the Cubs family. He spent a few days in spring training in Mesa, Ariz., as a guest instructor and will be inducted into the Cubs Hall of Fame later this year.
Sosa is expected to meet with the media Friday.

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