Big boys: Major League Baseball brawls – MLB Feature
Baseball is a very serious business. It demands players to be thoroughly committed professionals. A certain discipline has to be maintained and there is no place for rowdiness that is seen in some other sports.
But one cannot deny the fact that it is, after all, played by humans and it is not always possible to control one’s emotions. Adrenaline rush can take over all human senses for a short span, causing severe outbursts. Baseball has seen its fair share of moments
of madness on the field throughout its history. Fights in baseball can start on something as petty as a simple comment by an opposing player or something more serious like a wild fast ball.
We shall discuss some of the brawls that took place in Major League Baseball in recent years.
August 10, 2010 - St. Louis Cardinals at Cincinnati Reds:
Comments about the Cardinals by the Reds’ hitter Phillips did not sit well with the St. Louis players. When the batter came to bat, he gave a friendly tap at the catchers shin pads with his bat. Not pleased with Phillip’s earlier comments, Cardinals’ Catcher
Molina gave him a piece of his mind. Soon the exchange heated up and both the men removed their respective protective headgears. In anticipation, both dugouts emptied into the playing field. Several on-field arguments ensued. The icing on the cake was the
kicking prows of Johnny Cueto of Cincinnati Reds. His shoes which had spikes left pitcher Chris Carpenter with scratches on the back and Jason LaRue with a concussion. The Cardinals were the victors in the match with an 8-4 result.
August 10, 2001 - Detroit Tigers at Kansas City Royals:
During the sixth inning of the game, Mike Sweeney asked the plate umpire to move a raisin bag as he was being distracted. Tigers’ Pitcher Jeff Weaver said something to Royals’ Mike Sweeney. It seems that whatever was said did not carry any friendly tones
to it. Sweeney threw his helmet on the ground and charged towards the 6ft 5in pitcher. The benches and the dugouts emptied in a jiffy. There were punches thrown by other players at each other as well. Weaver maintained that he had not said anything profane
in the exchange. The match ended with a 7-3 Royals victory.
July 24, 2004 - New York Yankees at Boston Red Sox:
The argument started with an unruly pitch by Bronson Arroyo that hit Yankees’ batter Alex Rodriguez. The batter started staring to the mound as he slowly moved towards first base. Boston Red Sox catcher had some unkind words for the batter and soon the two
were in the middle of a heated argument. Several others joined in, having a go at their opposite numbers and several as a result were ejected.
"Two guys fighting. They're gone. ... We had to calm down the situation," plate umpire Bruce Froemming later said. "Then my partners got together and we picked out the guys who were the most flagrant. There were other guys fighting, too. But we can't see
everybody."
The Red Sox made an amazing comeback in the bottom of the ninth inning and scored three runs to win the game 11-10.
These events and others like them leave a bad taste for those who witness them. They also can sometimes be seen in a funny light, allowing us to understand that after all, our heroes are like all of us. That’s another big reason to connect with the game
and enjoy it.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own and in no way represent Bettor.com's official editorial policy.
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