While a lot of attention this weekend will be focused on Chicago Cubs all-time home run leader Sammy Sosa going into the Cubs Hall of Fame, former Cubs first baseman and Sosa’s 2004 teammate Derrek Lee will also be receiving his blue jacket on Sunday.

Lee appeared on “Cubs Pregame Live!” on the Marquee Sports Network on Saturday and described the emotions he felt upon receiving the honor.

“Going in with Sammy…it’s something to be on that list,” Lee told Cole Wright and Ryan Dempster. “It’s very humbling. It’s a cool honor, and it’s very, very cool to have my old teammates and my family and friends here to experience and go through it with me.”

Lee played seven seasons on the North Side of Chicago and was day in and day out one of the best first basemen in the National League during his tenure. Lee earned a pair of All-Star selections, three Gold Gloves, a Silver Slugger and MVP votes in four different campaigns. Lee was responsible for 22.9 bWAR, 179 home runs, 239 doubles and a .298/.378/.524 (.903 OPS) slash line in nearly 1,000 games with the Cubs.

Just one year after his fellow hot corner companion Aramis Ramírez went into the Cubs Hall of Fame, it’s finally Lee’s time.

“I think coming to Chicago, it really elevated my game,” Lee said on “Cubs Pregame Live!”. “Being around Dusty, being around guys like Aramis, Sammy Sosa, Moises Alou, how they approached hitters and attacked them. The game was starting to slow down for me, and when I got to spring training, I knew I was going to have a good year.” 

Lee had his best year of his career in 2005, slashing .335/.418/.662 (1.080 OPS), leading the National League with 199 hits, 50 doubles, total bases (374), batting average (.335) and OPS+ (174), racking up 7.7 bWAR to finish third in NL MVP voting.

Lee also helped guide the team to back-to-back division titles in 2007 and 2008, marking the first consecutive postseason appearances for Chicago since 1908, which included a 97-win season in 2008.

Lee celebrated his 50th birthday on Saturday and it’s hard to imagine a better gift than the blue jacket he will get to wear on Sunday, cementing his place in Wrigley Field lore forever.