Introduction
In Major League Baseball, a corked bat is an illegal bat which has been altered by drilling a hole in the barrel of the bat and inserting a cork, rubber, or superball mixture. This illegal alteration of a bat is intended to give the hitter an advantage by making the bat lighter and easier to swing. The use of corked bats has been around since the earliest days of baseball, and even today, some players still attempt to gain an edge by using these illegal bats.
The most infamous example of a player caught using a corked bat occurred in 2003, when Cubs slugger Sammy Sosa was caught with a corked bat. This incident caused a scandal in the world of Major League Baseball, and to this day, Sosa remains the last player to be caught with a corked bat.
Sammy Sosa’s Infamous Corked Bat
On June 3, 2003, Sammy Sosa was at-bat for the Chicago Cubs against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. In the first inning of the game, Sosa was caught using a corked bat. After being alerted to the use of the illegal bat, umpires inspected the bat and found that it had indeed been corked.
The incident caused an uproar in the baseball world, as Sosa was a beloved player who had been one of the most feared hitters in the game at the time. Following the incident, Sosa was ejected from the game and suspended for eight games by the MLB commissioner’s office.
The Aftermath of the Incident
The aftermath of the incident was one of the most memorable moments in the history of Major League Baseball. The incident caused shockwaves throughout the baseball world and Sosa was heavily criticized for his actions.
Despite the heavy criticism, Sosa did not deny his actions, and instead accepted responsibility for what he had done. In a press conference following the incident, Sosa stated that he had used the corked bat by mistake and that he had never used one before.
The incident also sparked a debate about the use of corked bats in Major League Baseball. While some argued that the use of corked bats should be strictly prohibited, others argued that the incident was an isolated one and that the practice of using corked bats was not widespread.
Conclusion
The incident involving Sammy Sosa and the corked bat remains one of the most infamous moments in Major League Baseball history. To this day, Sosa is still the last player to be caught using a corked bat, and the incident sparked a debate about the use of corked bats in the game.
Whether or not the use of corked bats is widespread in baseball continues to be a topic of debate, but one thing remains certain: the incident involving Sammy Sosa remains the most famous example of a player caught with a corked bat.