Sosa hits first homer for Rangers, No. 589 in career

 

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) -Sammy Sosa hit his first home run since 2005 on Saturday night, a two-run shot for the Texas Rangers against Boston.
Sosa hit the first pitch he saw from reliever J.C. Romero in the sixth inning into the left-center field seats. The 409-foot shot was his 589th homer, fifth on the career list.
It was Sosa’s first homer ever at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, the 43rd different stadium where he has homered. That tied Ken Griffey Jr. and Fred McGriff for the most stadiums with a homer.
Sosa’s last home run was Aug. 4, 2005, a two-run shot at the Los Angeles Angels during his only season with the Baltimore Orioles.
After sitting out last season, Sosa signed a minor league contract with the Rangers – the team he made his major league debut with in 1989. He made the team by hitting .408 with five homers in 17 games this spring.
Sosa, the only player with three 60-homer seasons, was 3-for-13 with only one RBI for the Rangers before his home run.
As a rookie for the Rangers, Sosa hit only one home run in 25 games before being traded to the Chicago White Sox. That was five years before the current Texas stadium opened, but that lone homer came in Boston off Roger Clemens.