Sammy Sosa says a cosmetic cream he uses to soften his skin is the reason he was recently photographed with a noticeably whiter face.

The former Cubs slugger showed up with bleached skin at the Latin Recording Academy Person of The Year event in honor of Juan Gabriel in Las Vegas last Wednesday night. In an interview on the Univision Spanish network this week, Sosa blamed a facial blend he uses for moisture for his lighter skin tone. He says he has been using the cream for a long time, and combined with bright TV lights, it made his face look whiter than it really is.

“I’m doing well, doing well, thanks to God. A little surprised by the tsunami of attention,” Sosa said in a Spanish interview with Univision reporter Tony Dandrades Tuesday. “I use a cream to keep my skin smooth and soft. I apply it before I go to bed. When I was playing for Chicago all those years, I was in the sun a lot for 1 o’clock games,” Sosa continued. “The flashes (from the cameras) also made my skin look lighter. I’m surprised with the controversy this has caused.”

He declined to identify the cream.

The former MLB star denied he is trying to look like Michael Jackson in his later years and assures fans he is not suffering from any skin illness, like the vitiligo that reportedly plagued the dearly-departed King of Pop.

Sosa, who turns 41 on Thursday, hit 609 homers over 18 seasons in the majors with the Cubs, White Sox, Rangers, and Orioles. He retired in 2007.