How long was Sammy Sosa using a corked bat?
On this day in 2003, the Chicago Cubs slugger was suspended for eight games for using a corked bat two days before. Sammy Sosa had been a solid player with a nice blend of power and speed before breaking out in a major way in 1998.
How did Sosa cork his bat?
Sosa said after the game that he had used the corked bat by accident after using it in batting practice to put on a show for the fans. He said that his other bats had been taken and that none of them would be found to have cork inside.
What happened to Sammy Sosa’s skin?
Sammy Sosa admitted his appearance shift is the result of skin bleaching cream. “It’s a bleaching cream that I apply before going to bed and whitens my skin tone,” Sosa told Univision in 2009. “It’s a cream that I have, that I use to soften [my skin], but has bleached me some. I’m not a racist, I live my life happily.”
Why would someone cork a bat?
Corking a bat causes the bat to be lighter, which in turn allows the batter to swing it more quickly. However, the reduction in weight negatively affects the velocity of the ball as it leaves the bat, effectively cancelling out the advantage gained from a quicker bat speed.
Is corked bats illegal?
In professional baseball, the bat must be made from a single solid piece of wood thus the use of corked bats during games is illegal. Still, corked bats have turned up several times in major league play, most recently by Sammy Sosa.
What happened to Sammy Sosa after corked bat?
Sosa was ejected in the first inning after his bat shattered on a groundout to second base and pieces of cork were found among the shards. Plate umpire Tim McClelland conferred with his crew, then ejected Sosa for using a corked bat. Sosa apologized “from the bottom of my heart” after the game.
Why is cork illegal in baseball?
So-called “corked” bats have been hollowed out and filled with a lighter material, such as cork, to disguise the modification. They are illegal because they allow batters to hit the ball further, or so the anecdotal evidence suggestions. The reason bats are modified in this way is to make them lighter.