On September 1, 1987 — During the fourth inning of the Astros’ 3-2 loss to the Chicago Cubs at the Astrodome, Billy Hatcher has an apparent infield hit taken away and is immediately ejected from the game after his shattered bat reveals to have been corked.
The Houston left fielder, who will be suspended for ten days by National League president Bart Giamatti. Hatcher claims he mistakenly picked up Dave Smith’s bat, which was used by the pitcher during batting practice prior to the game. Baseball has seen a rash of protests regarding allegedly doctored bats this season‚ partly in response to the record number of home runs being hit.
