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According to an online report, an analysis showed a game-used bat specially made for Pete Rose had been corked.
A Stockton, Cal., man purchased the bat last year from a Cincinnati sports memorabilia store and noticed what appeared to be a hole drilled in one end, according to a report by Deadspin.com.
A photograph showed Rose had used the Black Mizuno PR4192 in a game against the Philadelphia Phillies as he chased Ty Cobb's all-time hits record in July 1985, according to the blog post written by Barry Petchesky.
After authenticating the bat had been used in a game, its current owner, Bill Schubert, took it for an X-ray analysis to determine whether a hole had been drilled into the heavy end, then filled and painted over.
That's exactly what the X-ray showed, Deadspin reported.
Analysis of several other bats used by Rose during his pursuit of Cobb's record have shown similar findings, according to the report, but they have not been able to authenticate that the former Red used them in a game.
Rose, who was banned from baseball in 1989 for gambling on games, has denied rumors that he used corked bats to aid him in his quest for history.
Some players claim that corked bats increase the distance the ball travels when struck, and the practice violates Major League Baseball rules.
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