NEW YORK, July 31 -- Cincinnati Reds third baseman Chris Sabo was suspended Wednesday by the National League for seven games for using a corked bat in Monday night's 2-1 loss to the Houston Astros. National League President Leonard S. Coleman also fined the team $25, 000 for the incident. 'The use of illegal equipment of any kind hurts the integrity and image of the game,' Coleman said. 'Players and their clubs are responsible for the equipment used during a game.' The suspension will begin Thursday and Sabo will next be eligible to play on Aug. 7. Sabo has maintained it was not his bat and said he took the corked bat from a bunch of old bats in the Reds' clubhouse. 'I've never used a corked bat in the past and I don't plan to,' he said Monday. 'If you look at my numbers, you can tell I'm not using one this year. 'If I was going to use a corked bat, I would have taken it up in the first place. I broke it on the pitch before, but I didn't want to break three in one at-bat. I was hoping he'd walk me or something.' Team officials reportedly were not pleased that Sabo was seen laughing as he made his way from the dugout to the locker room following his ejection. 'I thought it was funny. If it happened to another team, I'd laugh,' Sabo said after the game. 'I can barely change a light bulb, I don't have the knowledge to do something like (cork a bat).
And with my numbers, it certainly wouldn't be an endorsement for the cork industry if I used a corked bat.' 'You don't try to gain an edge in this game, I abhor it,' Reds manager Ray Knight said after Wednesday's game. 'Whether corking a bat or doctoring a pitch. I believe that it wasn't his bat. 'The penalty outweighs the benefits. It's appropriate. I'm not going to argue for a second.' In his first plate appearance Monday, Sabo was jammed on a pitch by Houston starter Mike Hampton and popped weakly to short. At contact the bat broke in half and unknown substances flew onto the field. Home plate umpire Tom Hallion and first base umpire Ed Montague, the crew chief, examined the bat and ejected Sabo. 'I told Chris, 'You're done,' crew chief Montague said after Monday's game. 'He said, 'It wasn't my bat.'' The 34-year-old Sabo is hitting .262 with three homers and 16 RBI in 51 games. He did not play Wednesday and will miss the entire seven-game road trip in Montreal and San Francisco. Albert Belle of the Cleveland Indians was suspended for 10 days by American League President Bobby Brown for suspicion of using a corked bat in July 1994. The suspension was reduced to seven games.
