The Best Baseball Bashes

“Ding, Ding, Ding,” and we’re off! Picture this: you go to the game to kick back, watch your team, grab a beer and call it a day. Then, suddenly, there is this abrupt and undeniable energy that overtakes everyone at the stadium. Your confusion is quickly suppressed when you see two teams hashing it out on the field. Gloves drop, and the dugouts are empty. The players, fans and umpires are all whipped into a frenzy.

Although primal and, frankly, lizard brained at its core, fights throughout baseball history have supplied fans with some of the game’s most lasting memories. Here are three fights that genuinely shook the stadium.

Fool me once

Boston Red Sox vs. Baltimore Orioles: July 8, 2011

Early July 2011 at Fenway Park is a great place to start for big brawls. While at the dish, the showboating DH David Ortiz was pushed to his limits after Baltimore Orioles RHP Kevin Gregg lived a little too inside for Ortiz’s liking. A frustrated Ortiz aggressively approached Gregg after the 2-0 pitch nearly drilled him, but they were quickly stopped by the umpires, who issued warnings to both clubs. 

Well, that was a mistake. After hitting the next pitch to shallow right-centerfield, Ortiz took only a few steps toward first before he and Gregg exchanged some choice words. Ortiz promptly rushed Gregg with intent. Shortly after, the players, teammates and coaches got involved. Pandemonium broke out as the crowd went crazy. The players involved received four-game suspensions for the incident, as well as fines.

Calm Down Coach

San Diego Padres vs. Los Angeles Dodgers: April 11, 2013

Unlike the last fight, this one had no significant climatic build-up. Instead, this fight was essentially just on sight. Dodgers SP Zack Greinke sent a fastball right below OF Carlos Quentin’s shoulders. With little-to-no hesitation, Quinten dropped his bat, dropped his shoulder and ran full speed into Greinke so hard that the pitcher broke his collarbone. Surrounding teams rushed over, but the players were locked and there was no easy way to deescalate the scuffle. The altercation had Greinke sidelined for two months and Quinten in a whole lot of trouble.

Clear The Benches

Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Arizona Diamondbacks: June 11, 2013

Welcome back Greinke, the core of yet another violent exchange! This time the fight goes far above and beyond a simple one-on-one or a quick scuffle amongst two teams. This fight ended up being a war that even the coaches got involved in. People were getting body slammed, pushed, punched, kicked, held back, yelled at — you name it. There was so much mayhem that the camera crew couldn’t even pinpoint the most exciting part. And if the roar of the crowd told you anything, fans weren’t precisely averting their eyes from the scramble. Players held back coaches. Coaches held back players. Helpless umpires were breaking up a fight only to turn around and see another. The ramifications for this situation didn’t even really do it full justice because only 12 total people were brought in on the manner.