BALTIMORE -- Sammy Sosa's first road game since being caught with an illegal bat featured warm applause, a potentially dangerous fan and, of course, plenty of cork.
Sammy Sosa says he's willing to accept responsibility for using a corked bat last week, which has drawn no shortage of reactions behind his back.
Sosa doubled and scored the Chicago Cubs' first run, and Shawn Estes pitched seven innings of six-hit ball Tuesday night in a 4-0 victory over the Baltimore Orioles.
Hours after appealing his eight-game suspension for using a corked bat on June 3, Sosa went 2-for-5 to raise his batting average to .290. A decision on his punishment could come as soon as Wednesday.
If he gets to play another game at Camden Yards, it probably won't be as strange as this one.
First, Sosa received a cordial ovation from the crowd of 32,484 when he went to right field in the first inning.
"It's something that made me feel very good, very proud,'' he said. "I've been doing a lot for this game, so they respect that, and they show me that appreciation.''
But not all the fans were so kind -- some of them in the bleachers threw cork at him in the outfield.
"You know, I got to deal with that,'' Sosa said. "Someday, I'm probably going to get tired of it.''
The game was interrupted in the bottom of the eighth when a fan ran onto the outfield, threw cork at Sosa, removed his shirt and bowed to the slugger.
"That was another comedian, another idiot,'' Sosa said.
No one was laughing.
"Usually they run around, very rarely do they just stand there,'' Cubs manager Dusty Baker said. "He just kneeled there. I didn't know what he was thinking, or what he was about to do. But as it turned out, he was harmless.''
And until they get the final word on Sosa's status, the Cubs will continue to keep their focus on the playing field.
