When former Chicago Cubs star Sammy Sosa's infamous corked bat scandal tainted his baseball legacy

Twenty years ago, former Chicago Cubs star Sammy Sosa's infamous corked bat scandal left a black spot on his baseball legacy.

During a game between the Chicago Cubs and Tampa Bay Devil Rays on June 3, 2003, Sosa was dismissed by the umpires for using a corked bat.

Following his expulsion, the MLB seized 76 of Sosa's other bats for investigation. All of them were discovered to be cork-free. Subsequently, Sosa apologized and said that he had mistakenly used the corked bat, which he claimed was for batting practice.

Sosa's achievements in the major leagues were immediately called into question.

"Unfortunately, it's a dirty mark, when you consider all he's accomplished,'' said former Yankees manager Joe Torre. "It's really unfortunate for the game. Everybody's scratching their heads right now. ... It's embarrassing. He's too good of a player. It's too bad.''

Sosa was given an eight-game suspension without pay on June 6. Later, the MLB ban was lowered to seven games following an appeal.

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Sammy Sosa was accused of using PEDs in 2009

Sammy Sosa: 9 Mar 1999: Outfielder Sammy of the Chicago Cubs swings at the ball during the Spring Training game against the Chicago White Sox at the HoHoKam Park in Mesa, Arizona. The Cubs defeated the White Sox 13-2. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Dunn /Allsport

Six years after the corked bat incident, The New York Times reported that the former Chicago Cubs star appeared on a list of players who had tested positive for steroids in 2003.

However, Sosa never confessed to using PEDs during his MLB career. Sosa had appeared alongside Rafael Palmeiro, Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire at a 2005 hearing, where his attorney stated that he had never taken PEDs.

"To be clear, I have never taken illegal performance-enhancing drugs. I have never injected myself or had anyone inject me with anything. I have not broken the laws of the United States or the laws of the Dominican Republic. I have been tested as recently as 2004, and I am clean," the attorney said on Sosa's behalf.