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Doctored Bats and Baseballs

Compiled by David Vincent and updated with additional information by Rob Wood.

The first list contains the known instances of a batter using a doctored bat in a game. The second list contains the known instances of a pitcher throwing a doctored baseball. Many of these players were ejected from the contest.

Please contact the webmaster with additions or corrections


Doctored Bats
06/06/1954 Clint Courtney    BAL  Nails in end of bat (not allowed to use bat, not ejected)
09/07/1974 Graig Nettles     NYA  Superballs in bat (called out, single disallowed, not ejected)
07/06/1975 Davey Lopes       LAN  Pine tar too far up handle (called out, single disallowed, not ejected)
07/19/1975 Thurman Munson    NYA  Pine tar too far up handle (called out RBI single disallowed, not ejected)
07/21/1975 Ted Simmons       SLN  Grooved bat (called out, home run disallowed, not ejected)
08/10/1975 Jerry DaVanon     HOU  Pine tar too far up handle (called out, single disallowed, not ejected)
08/18/1975 Steve Stone       CHN  Pine tar too far up handle (called out, single disallowed, not ejected)
08/24/1975 Bill Buckner      LAN  Grooved bat (called out, RBI single disallowed, not ejected)
09/04/1981 Dan Ford          CAL  Corked bat (ejected after grounding out, 3-game suspension)
04/27/1982 Toby Harrah       CLE  Doctored bat; cut out some of handle to shorten bat (called out, single disallowed, ejected)
07/24/1983 George Brett      KCA  Pine tar too far up handle (called out, HR disallowed, ejected after arguing
                                    HR restored by league president, game resumed from that point)
09/01/1987 Billy Hatcher     HOU  Corked bat (called out, reached-on-error disallowed, ejected, 10-day suspension)
07/15/1994 Albert Belle      CLE  Corked bat (bat confiscated before first at bat, not ejected
                                    7-game suspension after bat was determined to be corked)
07/29/1996 Chris Sabo        CIN  Rubber balls in bat (ejected after popping out, 7-game suspension)
06/01/1997 Wilton Guerrero   MON  Corked bat (ejected after grounding out, 8-game suspension)
06/03/2003 Sammy Sosa        CHN  Corked bat (ejected after grounding out, 7-game suspension)

Doctored Baseballs
06/11/1920 Slim Sallee       CIN  Throwing doctored ball (ejected, 10-day suspension)
07/27/1922 Dave Danforth     SLA  Throwing doctored ball (cover of ball cut, ejected, 10-day suspension)
08/01/1923 Dave Danforth     SLA  Throwing doctored ball (discolored. ejected, 10-day suspension)
08/14/1924 Bob Shawkey       NYA  Throwing doctored ball (discolored, ejected, 10-day suspension)
07/20/1944 Nelson Potter     SLA  Spit ball (ejected, 10-day suspension)
04/27/1968 Rich Nye (and others)  Spit ball (six automatic balls called in game; Durocher ejected)
08/18/1968 Phil Regan        CHN  Vaseline ball (three ejected in rhubarb; ruled twice in game)
07/14/1978 Don Sutton        LAN  Scuffed ball (ejected)
09/30/1980 Rick Honeycutt    SEA  Sandpaper and tack (ejected, 10-day suspension carried over into 1981 season)
08/23/1982 Gaylord Perry     SEA  Throwing doctored ball (ejected, 10-day suspension)
08/03/1987 Joe Niekro        MIN  Emery board in back pocket (ejected, 10-day suspension)
08/10/1987 Kevin Gross       PHI  Sandpaper on glove (ejected, 10-day suspension)
10/08/1988 Jay Howell        LAN  Pine tar on glove (NLCS Game 3, ejected, 2-day suspension during NLCS)
05/01/1999 Brian Moehler     DET  Sandpaper on left thumb (ejected, 10-day suspension)
06/09/1999 Byung-Hyun Kim    ARI  Heat balm on bandage in sleeve (ejected)
05/17/2003 Zach Day          MON  Glue on hand (ejected)
08/20/2004 Julian Tavarez    SLN  Pine tar on cap (ejected, 8-day suspension)
06/14/2005 Brendan Donnelly  ANA  Pine tar on glove (ejected, 8-day suspension)
10/22/2006 Kenny Rogers      DET  Foreign substance on heel of pitching hand (World Series, not ejected)
06/19/2012 Joel Peralta      TBA  Pine tar on glove (ejected before pitching, 8-game suspension)
04/23/2014 Michael Pineda    NYA  Pine tar on neck (ejected, 10-game suspension)
05/21/2015 Will Smith        MIL  Foreign substance on non-pitching arm (rosin and sunscreen; ejected, 6-game suspension)
05/23/2015 Brian Matusz      BAL  Foreign substance on non-pitching arm (ejected, 8-game suspension)


Page Updated: 2/15/2021
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