The 10 Most Epic Bench-Clearing Brawls In MLB History
Baseball is a game of patience, diligence and self-restraint. Ain't nobody got time for that!
One of the best reasons to still watch America's "favorite" pastime is the potential of an epic bench clearing brawl.
Emotions run high during the course of a 162 game season and players and coaches' true colors show when they're faced with adversity.
Though it may seem like one of the least dangerous sports, baseball can often provide some of the most violent scenarios. When players can wield a bat around when they're pissed, the chances of things getting out of hand are out of the park.
Luckily, most of these men fight with class and have provided some great memories with their outrageous behavior. Check out the 10 most epic bench-clearing brawls in MLB history:
10. Dodgers vs Diamondbacks, 2012: Don Mattingly bodies Alan Trammell
A lot of good sh*t happening here. First off, Yasiel Puig pushes the action when he was the first to get into the Diamondbacks' faces (God knows he wasn't speaking any English), then things got really poppin' when Dodgers coach Don Mattingly got involved.
Diamondbacks manager Alan Trammell never stood a chance when coaches collided and Mattingly got the best of him, taking him to the ground and walking off like a boss.
Punches were thrown and even Dodgers coach Mark McGwire got involved. Shout out to LA's coaching staff.
9. Red Sox vs Yankees, 2003: Pedro Martinez disrespects Don Zimmer
RIP to Don Zimmer. However, he should've known never to go after the much younger -- and stronger -- Pedro Martinez. We all admire his tenacity for standing up for his club, but it only took was one move to disarm the 72-year-old.
8. Yankees vs Orioles, 1998: Armando Benitez gets nailed by Tino Martinez
The Yankees and Orioles always make for must-watch TV, and in 1998, we got just that when a dirty pitch thrown by Tino Martinez got things to get ugly.
After things appeared to simmer down, punches were finally thrown. But none were more legendary than Darryl Strawberry's action in the dug out.
He went to work and it wasn't until Joe Torre stepped in to take him back to the locker room when the madness finally ended.
7. Giants vs Dodgers, 1965: Hall of Famers throw it down
Fighting in baseball has been around for years. This is evidenced in this classic 1965 fight between Giants Hall of Famer Juan Marichal went after John Roseboro after he was intentionally trying to hit him in the head.
Needless to say, things got out of hand quickly and Marichal decided to use his bat to resolve his issues. Luckily, nobody got their skull cracked and he was still inducted into the Hall despite this minor hiccup.
6. Marlins vs Capitals, 2010: Nyjer Morgan keeps it real
Nyjer Morgan may have a reputation of losing control, but that's why we love him. Especially because of his epic 2010 fight against the entire Marlins team.
While he didn't get hit by the intended bean, he stormed after Volstad only to take a lick from first baseman Gaby Sanchez. The rest of the team came in to subdue him, but his G status was solidified by the time his teammates got there.
That man is reckless!
5. Expos vs Phillies, 1996: Pedro Martinez charges the mound
Getting plunked is a surefire way to start a baseball fight. After doing a bit of plunking himself, a young Pedro Martinez took a fast one from Phillies pitcher Mike Williams that actually missed.
Considering he was setting up for a bunt, the disrespect went both ways. Martinez stormed the mound, threw down his helmet and it was on.
The fight was taken to the ground and it's hard to tell what happened from there, but we can only imagine terrible things.
4. Cubs vs White Sox, 2006: Home plate collision starts all-out brawl
White Sox star A.J. Pierzynski was notorious for being an assh*le during his playing days, and that all spilled over in his epic fight with crosstown rival Cubs.
Back when home plate collisions were allowed, he barreled into catcher Michael Barrett. The two got up like men and immediately started scrapping.
Benches cleared and, luckily, it deescalated after that, but the hit and immediate cross to the face was what made this fight special.
3. Padres vs Braves, 1984: Bats get involved and everyone scraps
Now this is some good old-fashioned scrapping. Two teams who have no reason to hate each other, but seemingly do anyways, going at it is a must-watch.
Things got a little scary when Pascual Perez began walking around with bat, looking for trouble, but it was the several other fights taking place in the in field that catches all the attention.
Bodies were flying, balls were being beaned and a fan even got arrested. That's baseball in the 80s!
2. Yankees vs Red Sox, 2004: A-Rod fights Jason Varitek
This was, hands down, one of the greatest moments in the history Yankees-Red Sox rivalry. Before we knew A-Rod was a scumbag, he was one of the most talented players in the league and when Jason Varitek beaned him, it was on.
After getting hit with a pitch, Rodriguez began mouthing off, saying some very inappropriate things when they met halfway and threw it down.
Benches took the field immediately, and it was on. A string of other fights began and chaos ensued as the rivalry was taken to the next level that day.
1. Rangers vs White Sox, 1993: Robbie Ventura gets worked by Nolan Ryan
What happens when a young rookie tries to step up to a wily veteran? He gets choked out and punched in the face repeatedly: 46-year-old Nolan Ryan held it down for old dudes everywhere when he dominated Robbie Ventura in this bench-clearing brawl.
However, with Ventura's relentlessness, he managed to get Ryan to the ground where it became an all-out slobber knocker. When it comes to fighting in baseball, this is how it should be done!
Bonus: Mexico vs Canada, 2013
Baseball fights don't just happen often in the MLB and Mexico vs Canada in 2013 was one of the greatest of all time.
There was nothing but pure hatred through the air as the brawl itself had nothing to do with baseball, but a total lack of respect for each other as opponents.
Top Photo Courtesy: Twitter
