Chicago Cubs: Remembering the Sammy Sosa Corked Bat Game

Since there’s no baseball to speak of, let’s remember a game that no Chicago Cubs fan will ever forget. The Sammy Sosa ‘corked bat’ game.

In most other Chicago Cubs seasons, Sammy Sosa’s corked bat fiasco way back in 2003 is probably the main headline as opposed to a cliff note to the other events that happened that season.

Sosa’s corked bat complicated an already confusing legacy of an all-time great home run hitter burdened with baggage that cast doubts on how many of those dingers he earned.

One of the greatest dings on his legacy in the eyes of many happened on June 3, 2003.

In the first inning of a battle against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Sosa waved at a sharp 3-2 breaking ball from pitcher Geremi Gonzalez shattering his bat as the ball blooped out to second base.

Mark Grudzielanek scored on the seemingly routine and inconsequential sequence (he was sent back to third base). Unfortunately for Sosa, it was far from either.

After a thorough examination of the bat, the umpire crew determined that it was corked.

What exactly does this mean?

The strategy behind corking a bat is that if you hollow out the inside of the sweet spot and replace the lumber with a cork, it reduces the weight of the bat. A lighter bat theoretically means a hitter can whip it through the strike zone at higher velocities. Faster barrel speed should mean longer dinger distance.

Chicago Cubs: Cool off, Sammy

Followup research from scientists puts into question whether a corked bat makes a ball go further with one researcher noting the advantage of a corked bat is mostly a psychological one. Others say that a faster swing (that corking a bat encourages) allows players to put the ball in play at a higher rate and avoid those pesky strikeouts rather than adding distance to well-struck balls. 

Of course, regardless if corked bats offer an advantage in the long ball department or not, MLB doesn’t allow hitters to use corked bats. So Sammy did cheat either way.

After examining the shattered bat and seeing the cork where wood should have been, the umpire crew ejected Sosa. He received an eight-game suspension for the incident.

Which brings us to the million-dollar question: did he do it on purpose?

Sosa immediately admitted to using the corked bat (which he kind of had to since the evidence was right there). But, he said it was an accident per a 2003 article from the New York Times:

‘I just want to say that I first want to apologize to my teammates, the fans, and the commissioner of Major League Baseball. What happened today was something that wasn’t meant to have happened. I took the wrong bat and I went up there and it happened. It’s a bat I used for batting practice. It’s a mistake. I apologize from the bottom of my heart. I guarantee to you, I never used anything illegal. I feel bad and I take the blame for it, and I have to move on.”

Sosa said that he used corked bats in batting practice to put on a show for the Wrigley Field faithful. He had unknowingly grabbed a batting practice bat for an in-game plate appearance.

Sosa’s manager Dusty Baker, General Manager Jim Hendry, and his teammates came to his defense.