CHICAGO— Chicago Cubs star Sammy Sosa was ejected in the first inning of Tuesday night's 3-2 win over the Tampa Bay Devil Rays after umpires found cork in his shattered bat.
"I use that bat for batting practice," Sosa said. "It's something that I take the blame for. It's a mistake, I know that. I feel sorry. I just apologize to everybody that are embarrassed."
The Cubs had runners at second and third when Sosa broke his bat with a grounder to second that at first appeared to drive in a run.
But crew chief Tim McClelland gathered with the other three umpires to examine the bat. Cubs manager Dusty Baker came out and the umpires showed the bat to him.
Mark Grudzielanek was sent back to third base, the run was wiped off the board and Sosa was ejected as he stood in the dugout.
Sosa said he hoped fans will believe he didn't intend to use a corked bat.
"That's why I'm here right now, to explain that it was a mistake ... I just picked the wrong bat. I don't really need to use that."
Sosa, who hit his 500th career homer earlier this season and gained national prominence in 1998 during his home run race with Mark McGwire, said he had the corked bat "for batting practice — just to put on a show for the fans ... I like to make people happy and I do that in batting practice."
Cork inside a wooden bat is thought to help players hit the ball farther and is against baseball rules. Several players have been caught using altered bats in the past, including Albert Belle, Wilton Guerrero, Chris Sabo, Billy Hatcher and Graig Nettles. All were suspended.
Chicago won in the ninth when Al Levine (2-2) threw a wild pitch that allowed Troy O'Leary, who had replaced Sosa, to score from third.
Mike Remlinger (4-0) got the win with a scoreless ninth.
REDS 4, YANKEES 3: At Cincinnati, Juan Castro slapped a run-scoring single just inside first base with two outs in the ninth inning, giving Cincinnati a victory in New York's long-awaited return.
Fifteen of the Reds' 28 wins have come in their final at-bat. Seven of them came on game-ending hits at Great American Ball Park.
In his first game as the Yankees' captain, Derek Jeter managed only a harmless single in five at-bats, extending his hitting streak to a season-high 10 games.
ANGELS 15, EXPOS 4: At San Juan, Puerto Rico, Troy Glaus, Tim Salmon and Jeff DeVanon homered in the first inning to spoil the opener of Montreal's second homestand in San Juan.
While the fans were still settling into their seats, the World Series champion Angels struck for five runs against Tomo Ohka (4-6) before the first out.
Those who showed up late still got to see the biggest moment: Bengie Molina's three-run homer for the Angels in front of his home fans.
Molina, who was born in a suburb of San Juan, had four of Anaheim's season-high 22 hits. The Angels scored their most runs since beating Seattle 15-3 last July 19.
MARLINS 13, ATHLETICS 2: At Miami, Mike Lowell hit a pair of three-run homers and Florida sent Mark Mulder to his worst start in nearly two years, beating Oakland.
Brad Penny (4-3) pitched seven strong innings and hit a three-run triple for the Marlins, who won for the eighth time in 11 games.
The six RBIs set a career high for Lowell, who homered off Mulder as part of a six-run third inning, then connected again off John Halama in the fifth.
MARINERS 4, PHILLIES 0: At Philadelphia, Jamie Moyer pitched seven sharp innings and Bret Boone homered, leading Seattle to its seventh straight victory.
The AL West-leading Mariners improved the majors' best record to 38-18. The Phillies had won three straight.
Moyer (9-2) gave up four hits, struck out eight and had no walks to win his sixth consecutive start.
BRAVES 6, RANGERS 5: At Atlanta, Andruw Jones came off the bench and hit a two-out, two-run homer in the eighth inning, lifting Atlanta over Texas.
Rangers closer Ugueth Urbina (0-2) got ahead 0-2 before Jones connected for the first pinch-hit homer of his career.
ASTROS 11, ORIOLES 6: At Houston, Morgan Ensberg hit his first career grand slam in a six-run eighth inning, and Houston rallied past Baltimore.
Craig Biggio, Lance Berkman and Jeff Kent also homered for the Astros, who moved within a game of the first-place Chicago Cubs in the NL Central.
CARDINALS 11, BLUE JAYS 5: At St. Louis, Matt Morris won his third straight decision and Jim Edmonds' two-run homer sparked a four-run seventh inning as St. Louis beat Toronto.
Edgar Renteria had three hits and three RBIs, Tino Martinez had two hits and three RBIs and Scott Rolen had three hits and scored twice as the Cardinals evened their record at 4-4 on a 13-game homestand, the longest of the season.
ROCKIES 7, INDIANS 3: At Denver, Juan Uribe, playing for the first time this season after breaking his right foot in spring training, hit a pair of two-run homers to power Colorado to a win over Cleveland.
TWINS 6, GIANTS 4: At San Francisco, Doug Mientkiewicz homered and doubled twice and Joe Mays won his fourth straight start as the Twins defeated the Giants.
DIAMONDBACKS 2, WHITE SOX 1: At Phoenix, Chad Moeller singled home Shea Hillenbrand in the ninth inning Tuesday night, giving the Diamondbacks a 2-1 victory over the White Sox.
TIGERS 3, PADRES 2: At San Diego, Dmitri Young hit a three-run homer in the ninth inning to give the Tigers a win over the Padres in a matchup of the worst teams in the majors.
DODGERS 4, ROYALS 3: At Los Angeles, D.J. Carrasco walked Adrian Beltre with the bases loaded and two outs in the ninth inning, giving the Dodgers a victory over the Royals.