Awaiting word on his punishment from the commissioner's office for using a corked bat, Sammy Sosa went 1-for-4 and struck out three times Wednesday as the Tampa Bay Devil Rays beat the Chicago Cubs 5-2.
Seventy-six of Sosa's bats, confiscated Tuesday night, were X-rayed and no foreign substance was discovered, and the Cubs star is sticking to his story -- he mistakenly grabbed a corked batting practice bat that shattered in the first inning Tuesday.
Many of the announced crowd of 33,317 gave him a standing ovation when he came to the plate in the first before striking out. Only a few scattered boos could be heard.
"They know everything I say after the accident happened was right. They understand," Sosa said.
"They know that I am an innocent person. When I went to right field, everybody was cheering for me. I feel very happy inside. It's something I'm never going to forget."
Seventy-six of Sosa's bats confiscated Tuesday night were X-rayed and no foreign substance was discovered, and the Cubs star is sticking to his story -- he mistakenly grabbed a corked batting practice bat that shattered in the first inning Tuesday.
But right now Sosa isn't hitting much, regardless of what bat he uses. He did have a ninth-inning single Wednesday but is 3-for-20 in five games since coming off the disabled list last Friday and has struck out 11 times.
"I'm going to hit, there's no question about it," Sosa said, adding that his concentration is not affected by possibility of a suspension.
"Whatever they decide to do, I have to deal with it," he said.
Cubs manager Dusty Baker said Sosa deserved the ovation, "especially with the fact they didn't find anything except that one bat yesterday."
"Like I said, you've got to give a guy a hearing before you convict him," Baker added. "If you don't find something in 70-some bats ... Hopefully he'll be exonerated for that one event yesterday."
The Devil Rays got solid pitching from right-hander Victor Zambrano, (2-3) who allowed one run and three hits in seven innings and struck out eight. Shawn Estes (5-5) gave up five runs and eight hits in seven innings.
Reds 6, Yankees 2
In Cincinnati, Ken Griffey Jr. hit one of Cincinnati's four homers off Mike Mussina, connecting despite an injured arm as the Reds beat New York.
Griffey strained his right biceps on a swing against Mussina in the fifth inning, but stayed in the game and hit a solo homer on the next pitch for a 4-2 lead. Griffey held the arm gingerly at his side as he rounded the bases, then left the game.
Aaron Boone, Sean Casey and Jason LaRue also homered off Mussina (7-4).
Paul Wilson (3-4) allowed seven hits in seven innings, including Jason Giambi's two-run homer.
Braves 5, Rangers 2
Atlanta, Greg Maddux (5-5) allowed two runs and nine hits in eight innings, singled home a run and made a stellar diving stop and throw on a slow roller by leadoff hitter Michael Young as Atlanta beat Texas.
Gary Sheffield hit a two-run homer off John Thomson (3-7) as Atlanta sent the Rangers to their fifth straight loss. John Smoltz pitched a perfect ninth for his 22nd save. Juan Gonzalez hit a two-run single in the seventh.
Red Sox 11, Pirates 4
Red Sox 8, Pirates 3
In Pittsburgh, Trot Nixon homered in both games of the doubleheader as Boston swept Pittsburgh.
In the opener, South Korean pitcher Byung-Hyun Kim (1-0) allowed one run and five hits over seven innings in his first start with Boston. Derek Lowe (5-3) allowed two runs -- one earned -- and five hits over seven innings to beat Jeff D'Amico (4-6) in the second game.
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