Chicago Cubs: Sammy Sosa’s sneeze makes B/R list of weirdest MLB injuries

Chicago Cubs: ‘The sneeze’

Before a May 2004 game against the San Diego Padres, Sosa sneezed so violently that he sprained ligaments in his lower back. It happened when he was talking to reporters before the game no less. He missed about a month with the injury. In the 91 games that he played that season after the injury, he slashed .238/.311/.488 and struck out 98 times.

Of course, all of this preceded Sosa’s ugly falling out from the team, which included the previously mentioned refusing to play in the Cubs final game of the season stint, leaving the game early, and then getting traded to the Baltimore Orioles in the offseason.

The Cubs, a team one year removed from a National League Championship Series appearance against the Florida Marlins, actually won more games in 2004 than they had in 2003. However, they finished third in the division in 2004.

As Bleacher Report notes, Sosa isn’t the only player to land on the disabled list after a sneeze gone wrong.

"Terrible Cases of the Sneezes One is unanticipated. Two is bizarre. But this? What an absurd trend. More than a handful of players have missed time after a sneeze gone wrong. The most notable is Sammy Sosa in 2004, while more recent cases are Ricky Romero in 2009 and Kevin Pillar in 2015. h/t David Kenyon, Bleacher Report"

Even though the injuries didn’t happen while they were Chicago Cubs, other guys made the list who Cubs fans will recognize as guys who once called Wrigley Field home.