Brian
11-26-2003, 06:47 PM
What do you think was the worst bench-clearing brawl in sports history? Baseball has had quite a few of them over the years. I don't think anything would top the August 12, 1984 game between the San Diego Padres and the Atlanta Braves. Here's an excerpt from "An Unofficial History of Baseball's Brushback and Beanball Pitches." (http://www.thebaseballpage.com/features/2003/beanball_history.htm)
On August 12, 1984, at Atlanta, the Braves and Padres were involved in a game that featured three hit batters, six brushback pitches, two bench-clearing fights, 19 ejections, and the arrest of five fans. At the center of the controversy was Atlanta starter Pascual Perez, a wiry Latin right-hander with a good fastball. Wasting little time in retaliation for what the Braves felt were Wiggins' "unsportsmanlike" bunt hits the day before, Perez plunked Padres' leadoff man Alan Wiggins with the first pitch of the contest, hitting Wiggins in the middle of the back. Tensions heightened immediately, as San Diego skipper Dick Williams shouted at the Braves' pitcher from the dugout and quietly ordered his pitchers to get Perez.
In the second inning, Padres' pitcher Ed Whitson tried to do just that, hurling his first pitch behind Perez. The action drew a warning from the home plate umpire, but did not deter Whitson, who threw another pitch at Perez's feet that got away from his catcher and moved an Atlanta runner into scoring position. Whitson then settled down and struck out Perez, but in the fourth inning, Whitson made a more concerted effort to hit the Braves' hurler. Whitson's first pitch came inside at the belt and emptied the benches briefly for some light pushing and shoving. His second pitch came up and in, nearly hitting Perez in the shoulder. Whitson was immediately ejected, and under the rules of the previous warning, Williams was ejected as well.
But Williams' edict still hung over the game, as San Diego reliever Greg Booker proved in the sixth when he aimed two pitches at Perez, who deftly avoided the baseball once again. Atlanta manager Joe Torre was incensed: "Williams didn't care if he won or lost as long as he got Perez. Once they had their shot at him, that should be it. You don't do it all game long. It didn't take any guts at all to order stuff from a place where nobody could get to him." Booker and Padres' replacement manager Ozzie Virgil were ejected.
In the eighth inning, with a 5-1 lead, Perez came to the plate for the fourth time, and this time the Padres got him. Reliever Craig Lefferts, a mild-tempered guy, nailed Perez in the side with a fastball, surprising even his catcher, Terry Kennedy, who thought the incident had played itself out. "I thought it was over. The law of retaliation is weird in baseball," Kennedy said. Lefferts' pitch sparked the first brawl of the day. Several clashes took place at several points on the field and around the dugouts, as playeres jostled with one another. Atlanta's Gerald Perry led a charge that found Lefferts near the mound, where Perry landed a few punches to the face of his opponent. San Diego's Champ Summers set out to find Perez, who was safely hiding in the dugout. Braves' third baseman Bob Horner met Summers on his mission and the two wrestled near the steps of the Braves' dugout. After order was restored, Perry, Rick Mahler, and Steve Bedrosian were tossed from Atlanta, while Jack Krol (who had prelaced Virgil as the Padres' replacement manager), Lefferts and Summers were ejected on the Padres side. The affair seemed to be over.
But boys will be boys, and in the top of the ninth, despite a warning from Torre to stay away from the Padres' hitters, reliever Donnie Moore drilled San Diego's Graig Nettles in the ribs, and round was two was underway. The main event in the second fight was Braves's first baseman Bob Watson vs. Padres' reliever Goose Gossage, who tried in vain to get to Moore. The two veterans tussled with each other, flailing punches while teammates tried to separate them. "They haven't heard the end of it," Watson promised later. Meanwhile, the situation on the field grew very ugly. As many as five fans ran on the field, and one fan threw a cup of beer at Kurt Bevacqua of the Padres. Atlanta's Moore, Torre, and Watson were ran from the game, and San Diego's Gossage and Bobby Brown were also ejected. In addition, to protect the players from each other and the growing hostile crowd, both benches and bullpens were cleared for the last outs of the game, and police were stationed on the outer rim of the field. The entire spectacle shocked umpiring crew chief John McSherry, who nealy forfeited the game to San Diego in the ninth inning after the fans, many of whom were drunk and violent, ran onto the field in the ninth. "It took baseball down 50 years. It was the worst thing I have ever seen in my life. It was pathetic."
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When I saw the clip of Donnie Moore beaning Greg Nettles, I think it is sad considering what happened in an unrelated incident a few years later. Two years after this brouhaha, the reliever, who was by then playing for the then-California Angels, gave up a home run to Dave Henderson of the Red Sox that turned a possible 5-4 ALCS clinching victory to an eventual 4 games to 3 series loss. He committed suicide a few years later.
On August 12, 1984, at Atlanta, the Braves and Padres were involved in a game that featured three hit batters, six brushback pitches, two bench-clearing fights, 19 ejections, and the arrest of five fans. At the center of the controversy was Atlanta starter Pascual Perez, a wiry Latin right-hander with a good fastball. Wasting little time in retaliation for what the Braves felt were Wiggins' "unsportsmanlike" bunt hits the day before, Perez plunked Padres' leadoff man Alan Wiggins with the first pitch of the contest, hitting Wiggins in the middle of the back. Tensions heightened immediately, as San Diego skipper Dick Williams shouted at the Braves' pitcher from the dugout and quietly ordered his pitchers to get Perez.
In the second inning, Padres' pitcher Ed Whitson tried to do just that, hurling his first pitch behind Perez. The action drew a warning from the home plate umpire, but did not deter Whitson, who threw another pitch at Perez's feet that got away from his catcher and moved an Atlanta runner into scoring position. Whitson then settled down and struck out Perez, but in the fourth inning, Whitson made a more concerted effort to hit the Braves' hurler. Whitson's first pitch came inside at the belt and emptied the benches briefly for some light pushing and shoving. His second pitch came up and in, nearly hitting Perez in the shoulder. Whitson was immediately ejected, and under the rules of the previous warning, Williams was ejected as well.
But Williams' edict still hung over the game, as San Diego reliever Greg Booker proved in the sixth when he aimed two pitches at Perez, who deftly avoided the baseball once again. Atlanta manager Joe Torre was incensed: "Williams didn't care if he won or lost as long as he got Perez. Once they had their shot at him, that should be it. You don't do it all game long. It didn't take any guts at all to order stuff from a place where nobody could get to him." Booker and Padres' replacement manager Ozzie Virgil were ejected.
In the eighth inning, with a 5-1 lead, Perez came to the plate for the fourth time, and this time the Padres got him. Reliever Craig Lefferts, a mild-tempered guy, nailed Perez in the side with a fastball, surprising even his catcher, Terry Kennedy, who thought the incident had played itself out. "I thought it was over. The law of retaliation is weird in baseball," Kennedy said. Lefferts' pitch sparked the first brawl of the day. Several clashes took place at several points on the field and around the dugouts, as playeres jostled with one another. Atlanta's Gerald Perry led a charge that found Lefferts near the mound, where Perry landed a few punches to the face of his opponent. San Diego's Champ Summers set out to find Perez, who was safely hiding in the dugout. Braves' third baseman Bob Horner met Summers on his mission and the two wrestled near the steps of the Braves' dugout. After order was restored, Perry, Rick Mahler, and Steve Bedrosian were tossed from Atlanta, while Jack Krol (who had prelaced Virgil as the Padres' replacement manager), Lefferts and Summers were ejected on the Padres side. The affair seemed to be over.
But boys will be boys, and in the top of the ninth, despite a warning from Torre to stay away from the Padres' hitters, reliever Donnie Moore drilled San Diego's Graig Nettles in the ribs, and round was two was underway. The main event in the second fight was Braves's first baseman Bob Watson vs. Padres' reliever Goose Gossage, who tried in vain to get to Moore. The two veterans tussled with each other, flailing punches while teammates tried to separate them. "They haven't heard the end of it," Watson promised later. Meanwhile, the situation on the field grew very ugly. As many as five fans ran on the field, and one fan threw a cup of beer at Kurt Bevacqua of the Padres. Atlanta's Moore, Torre, and Watson were ran from the game, and San Diego's Gossage and Bobby Brown were also ejected. In addition, to protect the players from each other and the growing hostile crowd, both benches and bullpens were cleared for the last outs of the game, and police were stationed on the outer rim of the field. The entire spectacle shocked umpiring crew chief John McSherry, who nealy forfeited the game to San Diego in the ninth inning after the fans, many of whom were drunk and violent, ran onto the field in the ninth. "It took baseball down 50 years. It was the worst thing I have ever seen in my life. It was pathetic."
-----------------------------------
When I saw the clip of Donnie Moore beaning Greg Nettles, I think it is sad considering what happened in an unrelated incident a few years later. Two years after this brouhaha, the reliever, who was by then playing for the then-California Angels, gave up a home run to Dave Henderson of the Red Sox that turned a possible 5-4 ALCS clinching victory to an eventual 4 games to 3 series loss. He committed suicide a few years later.