Corked bat

In baseball, a corked bat is a specially modified baseball bat[?] that has been filled with cork or similar light but dense substances to make the bat lighter without losing much power. A lighter bat gives a hitter a quicker swing and may improve the hitter's timing. Since the bat is lighter, the ball does not necessarily travel as far as with a heavier bat, but usually only by a few feet at most. In Major League Baseball, modifying a bat with foreign substances and using it in play is illegal and subject to ejection and further punishment.

To modify a wooden bat to a corked bat, a hole approximately 1/2-inch in diameter is drilled down through the thick end of the bat roughly six inches deep. Crushed cork, super ball[?], sawdust, or other similar material is compacted into the hole and the end is typically patched up with glue and sawdust. Placing cork beyond roughly six inches into the bat threatens the bat's structural integrity and makes it more susceptible to breakage. Corked bats breaking while in play during games is the most typical way that their use is discovered.

Using a corked bat in Major League Baseball is in violation of Rule 6.06 (d), which reads in full:

A batter is out for illegal action when:

(d) He uses or attempts to use a bat that, in the umpire's judgment, has been altered or tampered with in such a way to improve the distance factor or cause an unusual reaction on the baseball. This includes, bats that are filled, flat surfaced, nailed, hollowed, grooved or covered with a substance such as paraffin, wax, etc. No advancement on the bases will be allowed and any out or outs made during a play shall stand. In addition to being called out, the player shall be ejected from the game and may be subject to additional penalties as determined by his League President.

Since 1970, six players have been caught using corked bats. The following table summarizes these events:

Player	Team	Date	Suspension	Offense
Sammy Sosa	Chicago Cubs	June 3, 2003	Seven games	Corked bat
Wilton Guerrero[?]	Los Angeles Dodgers	June 1, 1997	Eight games	Corked bat
Chris Sabo[?]	Cincinnati Reds	July 29, 1996	Seven games	Corked bat
Albert Belle[?]	Cleveland Indians	July 15, 1994	Seven games	Corked bat
Billy Hatcher[?]	Houston Astros	August 31, 1987	Ten days	Corked bat
Graig Nettles[?]	New York Yankees	September 7, 1974	No suspension	Six super balls in bat

External links

• Doctored bat infractions (http://espn.go.com/mlb/s/2003/0603/1562807) - ESPN report
• MLB Official Rules, Section 6 (http://www.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/mlb/baseball_basics/mlb_basics_batter.jsp)