A ticket from the night a shattered bat exposed one of baseball’s most notorious equipment violations.

Why This Ticket Matters

On June 3, 2003, Sammy Sosa hit a ground ball during the first inning of the Chicago Cubs’ game against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays at Wrigley Field. His bat broke, and umpires discovered cork inside the barrel. Sosa was ejected from the game.

Sosa said the bat was intended for batting practice displays and had been used by mistake. Major League Baseball examined 76 additional bats taken from his locker and found no other altered bats. He received an eight-game suspension, later reduced to seven games.

This ticket marks a single broken bat that immediately changed the public conversation surrounding one of the home run era’s biggest stars.

Seller’s note: Historical information in this “Why This Ticket Matters” section is presented for general context and has not been independently verified for correctness.

Ticket Details

• Date: June 3, 2003
• Teams: Chicago Cubs vs. Tampa Bay Devil Rays
• Venue: Wrigley Field, Chicago
• Incident: Cork discovered when Sammy Sosa’s bat broke
• Result: Sosa was ejected and later suspended