Sammy Sosa, who grew up in the slums of the Dominican Republic, has quickly emerged as one of the most beloved athletes in baseball. During the 1998 season, Sosa was right behind Mark McGwire for the record owned by Roger Maris of 61 home runs. Unfortunately, Sosa only led in home runs for just about two hours all season. Prior to his final home game of the season, the mayor of Chicago and governor of Illinois declared the day as Sammy Sosa Day.