Mr. Gottschalk’s letter about Sammy Sosa’s strikeouts (“Other Views,” Aug. 23) was a bit off base. All home run hitters strike out a lot; that’s the nature of the “uppercut” swing they employ. So Sosa is in good company, with Hack Wilson, Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, Reggie Jackson and many others.
Now, does Sosa produce for the team? Cubs statistics show him with 121 hits, of which 31 are home runs, plus 52 walks and an on-base percentage of .378, tops on the club. Even after missing 24 games, he had 85 RBIs, which ranks in the top 15 in the National League in that important function.
Plus he had made only two errors all season, not bad for a guy who is not noted for his fielding.
All in all, I don’t know what else Sosa could do to offset such criticism. The Cubs should make the playoffs now; without Sosa, they wouldn’t have a chance.
