MLB and Cubs fans have an opportunity to add a classic Cubs-related piece of memorabilia to their collection, the barrel of Sammy Sosa’s corked bat.After his five best years in the majors between 1998 and 2002 when he hit a combined total of 293 home runs, Sosa entered the 2003 hoping to add to that total.

In a game on June 3, 2003 against the Tampa Bay Rays, it was discovered Sosa was using a corked bat when his lumber broke during a time at bat. So what exactly happened to the barrel of Sammy’s bat after he was ejected from the game and the cork was exposed on that fateful day in 2003?

While the umpires kept the shaft, someone else picked up the rest of the bat and that someone was Mike Remlinger, a pitcher on the Cubs roster. It turns out Remlinger found it in the passageway between the Cubs clubhouse and dugout. He picked it up and put it in his fishing rod case. Recently, Remlinger, who no longer pitches, attempted to contact Sosa to see if he wanted the barrel of the bat, but when he didn’t hear back, he decided to put it up for auction.

Schulte Auctions has the barrel up for auction until October 31. It is estimated that the bat could bring between $15,000 and $50,000. To date, the bid for the bat barrel is at $7,393.00. The reserve has not yet been met.

Used with permission of the author.

Miriam Romain is a Chicago-based sportswriter and national columnist covering the Chicago Cubs for Examiner.com. The Windy City native is also the Associate Editor for SBNation Chicago and has been published in the Maple Street Press Cubs annuals. In her free time, Romain is working on a book titled “Summers At Wrigley With My Dad.”

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