Cubs Hall of Fame weekend dates announced; Sammy Sosa and Derrek Lee to be honored

After an emotional announcement at Cubs Convention back in January that named them the newest members of the Cubs Hall of Fame, Derrek Lee and Sammy Sosa will get their weekend in the sun in early September at Wrigley Field.

The Cubs will spend the weekend celebrating two of the more recent faces of the franchise, kicking off the three days of festivities on Friday, Sept. 5 with the game dedicated to Sosa. The next day, Sept. 6, will be dedicated to Lee and the duo will officially be inducted into the Cubs Hall of Fame that Sunday, Sept. 7, before the matchup against the Washington Nationals.

Derrek Lee, Sammy Sosa join the Cubs Hall of Fame in early September

Sosa made his long-awaited return to the Friendly Confines more than two decades since he last set foot there earlier this season and you can count on him setting the tone for the weekend with a lot of energy on Friday. There's nothing like a 1:20 Friday game at Wrigley. Throw in Sosa's presence, Slammin' Sammy highlights on the videoboards and you're checking every box.

Decades of PED allegations and subsequent denials kept Sosa out of the organization since 2004, but there's no disputing his place in franchise lore. He's the Cubs' all-time home run leader, helped put baseball back in the national eye during his 1998 MVP season and, to this day, remains the only player in MLB history with three 60-home run campaigns.

Although Lee never matched the popularity Sosa did during the late 90s, his own run as the leader of the Cubs was remarkable in and of itself. He's remembered most for his monster campaign, when he finished third in NL MVP voting, posted an OPS north of 1.000 and led the league in hits, doubles, batting average, slugging percentage, OPS, OPS+ and total bases.

On Sunday, though, they'll receive their Cubs Hall of Fame plaques and jackets - and fans can see the new additions in the Cubs Hall of Fame display under the left field bleachers. Between them, this pair anchored baseball on the North Side of Chicago for much of the 1990s and early 2000s and it feels fitting they enter the organization's highest ring of honor together.