Sammy Sosa Returns to Wrigley Field — And Fans Notice a Surprising Change
Baseball legend Sammy Sosa received a warm — and stunned — welcome from fans as he returned to Wrigley Fieldon Friday night for the first time since 2004. But beyond the emotional reunion with Cubs fans, another detail quickly stole the spotlight: Sosa’s skin appeared noticeably darker, closer to the complexion fans remember from his playing days.
The Hall of Fame slugger was on hand to wave to the crowd during the Cubs vs. Mariners game, marking his long-awaited public return to the stadium where he became a household name. But social media was immediately abuzz — not just with nostalgia, but with speculation and surprise at Sosa’s appearance.
“He Looks Like the Old Sammy Again”
In the years following his retirement, Sosa became a viral talking point due to his dramatically lighter skin tone, which he once explained was the result of using skin-lightening creams. The former MVP admitted to using bleaching products for cosmetic reasons but sparked criticism and concern after appearing with nearly white-pink skin in various interviews and public events.
To maintain that appearance, Sosa would have needed to undergo continuous chemical treatments, which can include potent compounds like hydroquinone or corticosteroids — both of which can have long-term effects on the skin.
Now, it appears those treatments may have stopped.
“He looks like the old Sammy again,” one fan tweeted.
“Glad to see him back where he belongs — and embracing who he is,” another posted.
A Complicated Legacy
Sosa’s relationship with the Cubs and Major League Baseball has been complicated. While he holds a revered place in the franchise’s history — and helped revitalize baseball in the late ’90s alongside Mark McGwire — his departure from the team in 2004, steroid-era controversy, and personal transformation distanced him from the game and its fan base for years.
His skin bleaching only added another layer to that public narrative, drawing widespread media attention and cultural commentary around identity, colorism, and internalized pressures faced by Black and Afro-Latino public figures.
A Homecoming and a Reset?
Friday’s appearance felt like a moment of reconnection — not just between Sosa and Cubs fans, but perhaps between Sosa and a part of himself. While he hasn’t publicly commented on the change in his appearance, many online saw it as symbolic.
“You can’t change history — but you can heal it,” one longtime Cubs fan wrote on Instagram alongside a photo of Sosa waving to the crowd.
Whether this signals a new chapter of openness or simply a pause in cosmetic treatments, one thing is clear: Cubs fans were happy to see their former hero back in Wrigley — looking, at least in one way, like the man they remember.