CHICAGO -- Years before Derrek Lee became Sammy Sosa's teammate, he was in awe of the Cubs slugger.
Lee recalls the 1998 home run race, when Sosa and Mark McGwire battled to lay claim to MLB’s single-season home run record. He remembers the feeling around the game, and he remembers even MLB players’ desire to watch them … take batting practice?
“I don't recall a time before or after where guys were on the field for batting practice to watch the other team's guy hit,” Lee said. “That tells you something right there.”
Six years later, Lee and Sosa wore Cubs uniforms together.
Another 21 years after that, both were in attendance Sunday afternoon at Wrigley Field. It was their turn to be inducted into the Cubs Hall of Fame.
The two were enshrined with plaques on the wall underneath the left-field bleachers. Later, they received video tributes and blue jackets -- while standing alongside fellow blue jacket holders like Fergie Jenkins, Rick Sutcliffe and Kerry Wood -- in a ceremony at home plate. They got to throw out the ceremonial first pitch and lead the singing of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" at the seventh-inning stretch to cap things off.
“It's been an incredible weekend,” Lee said. “To experience this with my family, former teammates here, it's just a great thing they do honoring the players for our careers here in Chicago. It's been a lot of fun. My birthday weekend -- I can't think of a better way to spend it.”
Sosa and Lee only overlapped in Chicago in 2004, but they both represent big influences on at least one generation of Cubs fans.
Sosa came first, having been acquired from the White Sox before the 1992 season. Over the next 13 seasons, he hit 545 of his 609 home runs, setting the Cubs’ franchise record. He’s still the only player in MLB history to reach 60 homers in three separate seasons, and he owns the third, fifth and sixth-highest single-season totals.
His role in the aforementioned ‘98 season helped rejuvenate fan interest in baseball, and he also starred on the ‘03 team that finished one win short of its first pennant in 58 years. In his Cubs career, he was a seven-time All-Star, a six-time Silver Slugger and the 1998 National League MVP.
Controversies that included allegations of performance-enhancing drug use kept him estranged from the organization for two decades. But a December apology resulted in him attending Cubs Convention in January, visiting Spring Training and making his long-awaited return to Wrigley Field in June.
With his induction into the Cubs Hall of Fame, the reunion appears complete.
“The way that I played here, I played hard every day,” Sosa said. “I came here to play hard. And the good thing is, I won the crowd. The crowd pretty much was on my side, thank God. But I made them very happy, so I guess the love that I gave them before, they give it back to me now. I'm very happy for that.”
Chicago fans may not have had the highest of opinions on Lee when the team acquired him in November ‘03, if only because he was part of the Marlins team that had just eliminated the Cubs in the NLCS. But even if that was the case, he quickly changed their minds.
Across seven seasons in Chicago, Lee made two All-Star Games, won two of his three Gold Glove Awards and earned his lone Silver Slugger Award. His 2005 season was electric. He won the batting title, hitting .335 while slugging 46 homers and driving in 107 runs. He was an All-Star, Gold Glover and Silver Slugger that year, and he finished third in NL MVP voting.
Like Sosa, Lee was on a team fans felt had a real title shot. The ‘08 Cubs won 97 games and were well-positioned to end their 100-year World Series drought, and Lee started 152 games at first base.
That season didn’t end how the team or fans wanted, but it was a fun run through the 162-game marathon.
“We were so tight in the clubhouse, and obviously it kind of translated on the field,” Lee said. “Didn't translate to the postseason, but it was a good regular season in '08.”
Lee has spent time around the Cubs since his career ended, including attending a couple World Series games at Wrigley in 2016. He said he doesn’t know “if I've ever rooted harder for a sports team” and “did feel like I was a small part of it,” though he admitted to being a bit jealous -- because he wanted to be on the team that finally did it.
Sosa is just now back in the franchise’s good graces. He’s experiencing many of the changes now for the first time. He even called the updated Wrigley Field “Disneyland.”
As for his involvement with the organization moving forward, he’s willing to just see what the future brings.
“I'm here now,” Sosa said. “Pretty much, I'm happy just to continue with everything, and let's see what happens.”