Corked bat

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In baseball, a corked bat is a specially modified baseball bat that has been filled with cork or other less dense substances to make the bat lighter. A lighter bat gives a hitter a quicker swing [1] and may improve the hitter's timing. [2] Despite popular belief that corking a bat creates a "trampoline effect" which causes a batted ball to travel farther, [2] physics researchers have shown this is not the case. [3] In Major League Baseball, modifying a bat with foreign substances and using it in play is illegal and subject to ejection and further punishment. [4]

Contents

Construction

To cork a bat, a hole 1⁄2 inch (13 mm) in diameter is drilled down through the thick end of the bat roughly 6 inches (150 mm) deep. Crushed cork, bouncy balls, sawdust, or other similar material is compacted into the hole and the end is typically patched up with glue and sawdust. However, this weakens the bat's structural integrity and makes it more susceptible to breakage, even more so if the cork is placed beyond six inches into the bat. Corked bats are sometimes discovered when they break during the moment of impact upon hitting a baseball.

Major League Baseball

Using a corked bat in Major League Baseball is in violation of Rule 6.03 (a)(5), which states

A batter is out for illegal action when:

(5) 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. [4]

It has been a popular belief that the material used to cork a bat creates a "trampoline effect", causing a ball hit with a corked bat to travel further than one hit with an uncorked bat. Research has shown this not to be the case. [3] Another perceived advantage of using a corked bat is its effect on the bat's weight. Corking a bat causes it 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. [5] A lighter bat can, however, create an advantage by letting the batter delay a swing for a fraction of a second, which would allow for more accuracy. [5]

History of use

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

PlayerTeamDateSuspensionOffenseReason givenRef.
Sammy Sosa Chicago Cubs June 3, 2003Eight gamesCorked batBat was meant to only be used in batting practice [6]
Wilton Guerrero Los Angeles Dodgers June 1, 1997Eight games, fined $1,000Corked batNone
Chris Sabo Cincinnati Reds July 29, 1996Seven games; Reds fined $25,000Corked batBorrowed bat from unnamed teammate [7]
Albert Belle Cleveland Indians July 15, 1994 Seven gamesCorked batNone [7]
Billy Hatcher Houston Astros August 31, 1987Ten daysCorked batBorrowed bat from pitcher (Dave Smith) meant only for batting practice [7]
Graig Nettles New York Yankees September 7, 1974No suspensionSix super balls in batReceived bat as a gift from a fan [8] [9]

Some of those six players may have been more guilty than others. Nettles avoided a suspension after explaining that the bat was given to him by a fan. Hatcher had used a teammate's bat after his own shattered, and was backed up on that claim by his manager, Hal Lanier. Sabo also denied knowledge that his bat had been tampered with, moreover the bat audibly cracked on a foul ball before breaking, leading the broadcast crew to question whether Sabo would have knowingly risked continuing to use a cracked illegal bat. On the flip side, Guerrero chased bat pieces after his lumber shattered, a rather unusual reaction, and later admitted to using it intentionally the prior few months. Belle's teammates broke into the umpire's room and swapped the bat with an innocent one, but were caught doing so. [10]

In addition, a number of former players have been accused of and/or admitted to using corked bats. Former Kansas City Royals star Amos Otis is one of them. [11] Another is former player announcer, and National League president Bill White. Former player and Major League manager Phil Garner admitted in January 2010 on a Houston radio station that he used a corked bat against Gaylord Perry and "hit a home run" with it. [12] [13] Garner also admitted that the 2005 Houston Astros used corked bats during the 2005 MLB season and 2005 World Series of which he was the manager. [12] In 2010, Deadspin reported that Pete Rose used corked bats during his 1985 pursuit of Ty Cobb's all-time hits record. Two sports memorabilia collectors who owned Rose's game-used bats from that season had the bats x-rayed and found the telltale signs of corking. [14] [15] Rose had previously denied using corked bats. [16]

See also

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References

  1. ↑ Russell, Daniel (2011). "What about corked bats?". Physics and Acoustics of Baseball & Softball Bats. Penn State University. Retrieved August 1, 2019. A bat which has less mass, and especially which has a lower moment of inertia, may be swung faster.
  2. 1 2 Solomon, Christopher (June 23, 2011). "The physics of cheating in baseball". smithsonian.com. Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved August 1, 2019.
  3. 1 2 Nathan, Alan M.; Smith, Lloyd V.; Faber, Warren L.; Russell, Daniel A. (2011). "Corked bats, juiced balls, and humidors: The physics of cheating in baseball". American Journal of Physics. 79 (6): 575–580. arXiv: 1009.2549 . Bibcode:2011AmJPh..79..575N. doi:10.1119/1.3554642. S2CID   18919590.
  4. 1 2 Major League Baseball. Official Baseball Rules, 2019. Rule 6.03 (a)(5) § Batter Illegal Action.
  5. 1 2 Emerging Technology from the arXiv (September 16, 2010). "The misleading myth of the corked bat". MIT Technology Review. MIT. Retrieved August 1, 2019.
  6. ↑ "Corked bat-related penalty reduced by one game", ESPN.com news services, June 11, 2003 (accessed March 6, 2009)
  7. 1 2 3 "Sosa gets eight games, appeals Archived 2004-10-18 at the Wayback Machine ", MLB.com (accessed June 28, 2006)
  8. ↑ "Doctored bat infractions". ESPN. Retrieved March 19, 2022.
  9. ↑ Snyder, Matt (January 22, 2015). "No deflating balls, but MLB has had several equipment controversies". CBS sports. CBS sport. Retrieved March 19, 2022.
  10. ↑ Sabin, Benjamin (March 15, 2021). "The Corked Bat: To Cork Or Not To Cork". Last Word On Baseball. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  11. ↑ "Otis Confesses Use of Corked Bats to Help Hit .277 as Major Leaguer". Los Angeles Times. April 28, 1992. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  12. 1 2 "2154640".[ permanent dead link ]
  13. ↑ Meltzer, Peter E. (June 10, 2013). So You Think You Know Baseball?: A Fan's Guide to the Official Rules. W. W. Norton & Company. p. 51. ISBN   978-0-393-34667-1.
  14. ↑ Petchesky, Barry (June 8, 2010). "This Is Pete Rose's Corked Bat". Deadspin . Gawker Media. Archived from the original on March 31, 2021. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
  15. ↑ Littmann, Chris (June 8, 2010). "Corked Bats Reportedly Belonging to Pete Rose Come to Light". SBNation . Retrieved June 16, 2016.
  16. ↑ "Pete Rose interview". The Cincinnati Enquirer . January 13, 2004. Retrieved June 16, 2016.[ permanent dead link ]
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