'My childhood baseball idol from Dominican Republic turned out to be a white cowboy': Social media stunned as Sammy Sosa reveals photo from his wife's Western- themed birthday party

  • Former Chicago Cubs baseball star Sammy Sosa, 49, was photographed with a red cowboy hat and a floral shirt at his wife's birthday party
  • Sosa's been sporting an ever-lighter complexion since shortly after his 2008 retirement from baseball, confusing some fans
  • Sosa, who played nearly two decades in Major League Baseball, had a stellar career, but remains outside of baseball's Hall of Fame due to a steroid scandal 

By DAILYMAIL.COM REPORTER

Published: | Updated:

Sammy Sosa has had an interesting couple of decades since tearing up the baseball diamond but the change in his skin tone has to be the most confusing development of the past few years of Sosa's life.

Sosa, 49, had a cowboy themed birthday party, reportedly for his wife, Sonia, and one picture stunned Twitter users.

In the photograph, Sosa sports a red hat and a shirt covered in roses. He was also sporting a much lighter skin complexion than he had during his playing career - caused by steady bleaching of his skin that's progressed over the last decade or so. 

Sammy Sosa looked like a tired cowpoke in this photo from his wife's birthday party

Sammy Sosa looked like a tired cowpoke in this photo from his wife's birthday party

Sammy had no problem getting out and cutting a rug in his cowboy getup

Sosa's dark complexion and blue Cubs cap has been replaced with a much lighter one and a red hat from the Old West. Sosa hasn't publicly commented on why he is bleaching his skin.

A video from the evening shows Sosa and his wife dancing, proving that while he may not have the best fashion sense, he can at least hold his own on the dance floor. 

Sosa, along with Mark McGwire, set the baseball world on fire in 1998 as the pair made a run at what was then the single-season home run record of 61 homers in a year. 

Sosa finished that season with 66 home runs, good for the second best season to date at that point.

However, Sosa's baseball credibility came crashing down in the following years - he was caught corking his bat with the Chicago Cubs, a method of cheating that players use to hollow out the bat to make it swing faster - and left Chicago in 2004. 

He last played in 2007, and was implicated in the federal investigation into steroids in baseball.

Sosa, despite his stellar career, remains exiled from baseball's Hall of Fame due to his involvement in a steroid scandal
Sosa began sporting his lighter complexion in 2009 and hasn't discussed it publicly

Sosa (pictured left in 1996 and right in 2017), despite his stellar career, remains exiled from baseball's Hall of Fame due to his involvement in a steroid scandal

Sammy's mysterious skin color change hasn't been explained by the slugger or his agents
Sammy's mysterious skin color change hasn't been explained by the slugger or his agents

Sammy's mysterious skin color change hasn't been explained by the slugger or his agents

A New York Times report in 2009 said that Sosa was on a list of players who tested positive for steroids in 2003 - Sosa denied wrongdoing, even testifying before a congressional panel.

Because of the steroid scandal, Sosa also hasn't been inducted the National Baseball Hall of Fame - he's been eligible since 2013, but hasn't ever gotten over 10 per cent of the vote from the Hall's voters - well short of the 75 per cent needed for induction. 

Sosa clearly doesn't look the same as he did during his playing career - and it's a source of mystery and confusion for his many fans across Major League Baseball.

Many took to social media after the cowboy picture emerged.

James Etheridge‏ wrote: 'So my childhood baseball idol from the Dominican Republic turned out to be a white cowboy #SammySosa.'  

No word on whether you'll be seeing this outside Wrigley Field any time soon

No word on whether you'll be seeing this outside Wrigley Field any time soon

Another Twitter user poked fun at Sosa with a comparison to the popular film 'Get Out'

It's unclear whether or not Sammy Sosa is a Game of Thrones fan

It's unclear whether or not Sammy Sosa is a Game of Thrones fan

We'd watch this ESPN documentary to see how he got to this point

This one pretty much says it all in one short and sweet caption

This one pretty much says it all in one short and sweet caption

'He gave it all up to be White Man from San Antonio,' TV personality Sterling Brim wrote.

Ricky O'Donnell added: 'The Cubs should build Sammy Sosa a statue, and the statue should be of this picture.'   

Chicago

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