The top ten brawls in Red Sox history

A comprehensive list of every Red Sox melee in recent history.

“All of a sudden we were punching each other. No reason. These things just happen sometimes.” – Lou Piniella, 1976

The Boston Red Sox have not had a good old-fashioned bench-clearing brawl in a long time. They’re due. In fact, they’re overdue. Throughout the 1990’s, 2000’s, and 2010’s, there were a plethora of skirmishes, fracases, and donnybrooks. We saw fisticuffs, frays, melees, and brouhahas. We saw pushing, shoving, and, in some cases, pushing AND shoving.

The Lou Piniella quote from after his 1976 dust-up with Carlton Fisk at home plate could succinctly describe each of the incidents below. Any competitive event, whether fighting is legal or not, could lead to people punching each other at some point and there isn’t always a good reason. Sometimes those people pretend that they want to punch each other and really just want to be held back. The benches clear, the bullpens empty, cooler heads prevail and we get back to playing sports again.

Baseball brawls are great and the Red Sox have been involved in plenty of them. But what are the best brawls in Red Sox history? Here’s a list of the times in Red Sox history when cooler heads did not prevail … when punches were thrown. In ranking them, whether the punches landed or not, as well as the general level of chaos, are major factors in where the fight lands on this list.

To be clear, this article does not condone violence. I would never condone violence. That being said, here are 3,000 words about violence in Red Sox history.

Honorable Mentions:

David Ortiz vs. Kevin Gregg (Orioles at Red Sox, 7/8/11)

Some nights, David Ortiz just showed up in a mood. That may have led to him smashing the bullpen phone with a bat, throwing a few bats onto the field, or barging into a Terry Francona press conference to yell about an RBI that was taken away from him. On this night, Ortiz had already been unhappy that O’s reliever Kevin Gregg had missed inside with his first three pitches of the at-bat, pointing out at the mound and being held back by the home plate umpire. On the 3-0, he flew out to center field and Gregg suggested Ortiz run to first base. And when Ortiz instead ran out to the mound … man, is Gregg lucky that this left uppercut missed from Ortiz. It reminded me of when Shaq whiffed on the overhead smash directed at Brad Miller. As Miller later said, “I would’ve been sucking through a straw” if he had connected.

Trot Nixon vs. Ryan Rupe (Red Sox at Devil Rays, 5/5/02)

Normally after a couple of your teammates get hit by pitches, you’d get in a pitcher’s ear to return the favor. Trot Nixon chose to take this into his own hands and went with the “hammer throw” approach on the follow-through of a swing and miss. Devil Rays pitcher Ryan Rupe didn’t see the bat until it was flying past his head. Yikes! At least when Bert Campaneris threw his bat at the mound in the 1972 ALCS, the pitcher had a chance to duck.

Everyone on the Orioles vs. Everyone on the Red Sox (Orioles at Red Sox, 7/28/02)

This one started because Gary Matthews Jr. wouldn’t stop chirping at Derek Lowe after getting hit in the butt by a pitch, which was in retaliation for Manny Ramirez getting hit in the shoulder the inning before. However, it wasn’t Matthews or Lowe who ever went at it. Instead, every player and coach on both teams (and every umpire) got shoved or put into a headlock at some point over this five minute span.

If you were a fan of the McDonough/Remy announcing tandem, this was them at their best. Between Remy yelling (at 3:00) “Who’s this guy, without a uniform!?”, and McDonough deadpanning (at 7:15), “I mean what a big tough guy he is. Gesturing the whole time to ‘come get me’ while backing up, and then the only person he wants to push is the umpire.” Along with numerous digs in between about the Orioles not having any chance at making the playoffs that year, it’s a perfect example of how McDonough was the first to bring out Remy’s personality on the broadcast.

The biggest takeaway here, and in several subsequent clips, is that Jason Varitek was prominently in the middle of every one of these fracases, always having his teammate’s backs.

Every Red Sox vs. Yankees fight before 1975:

The Boston Globe on 7/25/04 (the day after a rather important Sox/Yanks brawl) gave a historical overview that should suffice here.

Boston Globe, 7/25/04, pg. 49

The only one of these incidents in which the cameras were running was in 1967, and while it’s fun to watch a brawl between these two teams from 58 years ago, the camera work and the lack of punches landed weren’t quite advanced enough to make the top ten.

And now…

The Top Ten:

10) George Bell vs. Aaron Sele Mo Vaughn

George Bell went after Aaron Sele and found Mo Vaughn instead. No punches landed in this one. Sele threw too close to the head for anyone’s liking and Bell understandably took umbrage. Bell missed the punch and paid for it as Vaughn came in with a full head of steam and executed a perfect form tackle, looking like he was rushing the stage at the Providence Foxy Lady.

9) Manny Ramirez vs. Roger Clemens leads to Pedro Martinez vs. Don Zimmer (Yankees at Red Sox, ALCS Game 3 – 10/11/03)

There wasn’t much to feel good about when watching this one. Pedro Martinez threw near the head of “Who is…” Karim Garcia and then when Jorge Posada took offense, Pedro pointed at his own head. The meaning behind that head point was conflicting, depending on who you ask.

A short while later, Ramirez overreacted to a pitch that wasn’t overly close to him, which led to 72-year-old Don Zimmer charging at Pedro and being thrown to the ground. All the while, we had to listen to local Yankees commentator Tim McCarver treating a national broadcast like he was Tommy Heinsohn calling a Celtics game. The Yankees won the series in seven, and it really was just a precursor to a more memorable donnybrook a year later.

8) Coco Crisp vs. James Shields (Rays at Red Sox, 6/5/08)

Crisp had slid hard into second base the previous night, which irked the Rays clubhouse. The tone of Don Orsillo and Jerry Remy was a “not if, but when” that he would receive retaliation.

The hats came off on the way out as both Shields and Crisp were ready to throw haymakers. Crisp doing a Matrix-style dodge of the Shields punch probably avoided quite a bit of damage. I’d love to see one of those “tunneling” videos of a Shields fastball release alongside this attempted right-hander.

Of course, the Rays got the last laugh that season by winning the 2008 ALCS in seven games over the Red Sox. Shields said in recent years that, “It was a pivotal moment in our season that year. We really came together after that. No hard feelings. He knew he was going to get hit. It’s part of the game.” Appreciate it, Coco!

7) Kevin Youkilis vs. Rick Porcello (Tigers at Red Sox, 8/11/09)

Some players were born with magnets on them when they step into the box. Craig Biggio, the modern-day leader in hit-by-pitches, was nailed 285 times in his career. Youkilis is just 94th on the all-time list with 104, but he is easily the all-time leader while wearing a Red Sox uniform.

mlb.com

He only took offense once, and poor Rick Porcello at the age of 20, hit him at the wrong time. As Porcello recalls,

“Youkilis told me he was pissed because he had been getting hit a ton and nobody basically had his back. One of their guys had told him, ‘Well, that’s not our job. You’ve got to go out there and basically charge the mound and then everyone will stop hitting you. I was the guy he chose to charge.”

Miguel Cabrera had been hit two straight days by Red Sox pitchers and it seems that Youkilis knew he’d be the one to get the retaliatory beaning. In a broadcast last year, Youkilis said that it was John Lackey who had gotten in his ear about it. That feels on-brand with Lackey. Porcello held his own fairly well given the situation, avoiding the fury of Youkilis and getting him down to the ground.

6) Joe Kelly vs. Tyler Austin (Yankees at Red Sox, 4/12/18)

Yankees backup first baseman Tyler Austin had spiked Brock Holt while sliding into second base earlier in the game, causing the benches to clear initially, in what the Red Sox felt was a hard slide. Joe Kelly missed him earlier in the at-bat and then hit him with a 98 mph fastball up and in, on an early April night, which couldn’t have felt great. Austin shattered the bat on the ground, Kelly said “Come on,” and we had a brouhaha. Catcher Christian Vazquez got just enough of Austin on the way out to stop his momentum, which allowed Kelly to get some shots in, providing a good defense for the case on our #5…

5) Izzy Alcantara vs. Jeremy Salazar (Scranton Wilkes/Barre Red Barons at Pawtucket Red Sox, 7/3/01)

Amongst the numerous people that I messaged to make sure that I didn’t have any major omissions, every single one of them wanted to make sure that “Izzy” was included. Therefore, this is the only minor league scrum that made the list. One of the commenters on that YouTube video described it as “The greatest moment in baseball history!!!!” and frankly, there’s a case to be made for that.

The actual “fight” at the mound was generally uneventful. However, Alcantara clearing a path for himself by karate kicking the catcher (Jeremy Salazar) in his facemask was unprecedented and probably hasn’t happened since. He was suspended six games for the incident. Chad Jennings of The Athletic covered this one in detail on the incident’s 20th anniversary in 2021, with quotes from all of the parties involved. And, yes, our own Bryan Joiner made a recipe out of it.

4) Jaret Wright vs. Darren Lewis, Rhael Cormier vs. Jim Thome (Cleveland Indians at Boston Red Sox, 4/23/99)

This one has gotten lost in the shuffle over the years and I’m not sure why. The Sportscenter clip encapsulates the lunacy perfectly, as only 90s Sportscenter could. (Seriously, what’s better than this backdrop?)

Four World Series titles have caused Jaret Wright to be forgotten as a fiery nemesis of the Red Sox. From 1991 to 2002, the Red Sox only made the playoffs three times and in all three instances, they were matched up against the Cleveland Indians in the ALDS (‘95, ‘98, ‘99). In 1998, The Sox roughed up Wright for six runs, with Pedro Martinez gaining a Game One victory before the Indians took the next three games. Wright wouldn’t fare any better in the ‘99 playoffs, getting the loss in his one appearance (Game 3), a series which Boston won in five.

In between those two playoff matchups, Wright hit Darren Lewis with an inside breaking ball and when Lewis stared out, Wright threw his glove and invited him out to discuss. Lewis did not execute his kick as well as Alcantara did, but it led to a solid skirmish and ended with Wright pointing to his head in a threat to Lewis.

Pedro took notes on this move from Wright to use in later years, while holding back manager Jimy Williams. In melee number two of the evening, future Hall of Famer Jim Thome gets plunked by the late Rheal Cormier and charges the mound while a side fight between Jason Varitek and David Justice occurs with Varitek driving Justice into the ground.

This is one where we need the real-time clip uploaded to YouTube, with McDonough and Remy commentary attached. Someone out there must have it on VHS, make it happen.

3) Pedro Martinez vs. Gerald Williams (Boston Red Sox at Tampa Bay Devil Rays, 8/29/00)

It’s hard to think of any regular season game in my lifetime that was more off the rails than this one. Gerald Williams, the first batter of the game for the Devil Rays is hit on the wrist by a pitch and, after careful consideration, decides to charge Martinez and gets a couple of solid shots in. In the pile, the Rays seem particularly offended by some Brian Daubach cheap shots, which leads to Roberto Hernandez (6’4’’, 220) literally scolding Daubach with his index finger raised, presumably for crossing the picket line in 1995.

By the time the game ended, eight Rays had been ejected. Williams’ ejection goes without saying, but he was followed minutes later by manager Larry Rothschild who couldn’t believe that Martinez was not tossed. Starting pitcher Dave Eiland went in the third for hitting both Daubach and Nomar Garciaparra with pitches. In the seventh inning, two pitchers were ejected in the same at-bat, when Cory Lidle threw behind Daubach and then Tony Fiore actually hit Daubach three pitches later.

Peter Gammons noted that the Devil Rays relievers had told Red Sox players, ‘We had to throw at Daubach because Roberto (Hernandez) ordered us to.’”

In the days that followed, Pedro said of Williams,

“He was crying. I could hear him crying, “Get them off me! Get them off me!’“ Martinez then took another shot in a Boston TV interview, saying, “There’s no crying in baseball.”

Pedro really was the best. That includes on the field, of course, as a minor footnote in this game was Martinez’s line:

Baseball Reference

After the Williams HBP, Pedro retired the next 24 batters in order, taking a no-hitter into the ninth before allowing a hit to catcher John Flaherty and then finishing off the shutout. Well worth the price of admission!

2) Jason Varitek vs. Alex Rodriguez (New York Yankees vs. Boston Red Sox, 7/24/04)

I can’t tell you anything about this one that you don’t already know. There have been countless documentaries about this game and season, including The Comeback released in 2024, which was A+.

The game was delayed by rain and the Yankees believed it was being postponed before a late left-hand turn when the Red Sox voted to play. Bronson Arroyo hits Rodriguez with a pitch in the third inning, A-Rod takes offense, Varitek confronts him, some choice words are exchanged and Varitek hits Rodriguez with a shove to the face, leading to a whole group of people wrestling. The game’s starting pitcher, Tanyon Sturtze, puts Gabe Kapler into a choke hold, which David Ortiz assists in getting him out of. Inexplicably, Kapler is tossed and Sturtze is not, as he pitches the third inning with blood on his uniform and then leaves after the inning, due to one of the toughest injuries in baseball history: a bruised pinky.

I included the Sportscenter clip rather than the brawl itself because it highlights a few key moments that are easy to forget. Francona was ejected in the sixth inning for arguing a close call at second base, because at that point, why not? That sixth inning lasted one hour and seven minutes! Rivera had converted 23 straight saves heading into the game, referenced casually.

The Boston Globe recap the following day mentions that “after witnessing the blast on television, Francona raced down the stairs, through a tunnel, and onto the field – barefoot”

“It’s a huge win for us, and then it’ll be bigger if we make it bigger,” Francona said postgame. They did, in fact, make it bigger.

1) Carlton Fisk vs. Lou Piniella, Bill Lee vs. Graig Nettles (Boston Red Sox at New York Yankees, 5/20/76)

The backstory on this one matters. Back in 1973, in a game that was sadly untelevised, there was a collision at home plate involving Red Sox catcher Carlton Fisk and Yankees catcher Thurman Munson. Gene Michael of the Yankees missed a suicide squeeze in a 2-2 game in the ninth, Munson ran Fisk over at the plate, and it led to a ten-minute brawl.

Outlined here, Sox left-hander “Spaceman” Bill Lee described that fight as looking like “two hookers fighting on 45th street.”

“Lee said the Yankees fight like a bunch of Times Square hookers, and I said, ‘I’ll remember that,’” Yankees third baseman Graig Nettles said with a laugh.

Fast forward to May 20, 1976, and the Red Sox trailed this game 1-to-0 in the bottom of the sixth inning. If you read the details in the box score it looked like this.

Baseball Reference

Pretty run-of-the-mill half-inning, if you ask me. If you opened the Boston Globe the following day, it looked like this.

Boston Globe, 5/21/76, Pg. 28

And if you were tuned in to Dick Stockton and Ken “Hawk” Harrelson on the call WSBK-TV in Boston, you were fortunate enough to see this.

There’s chaos about this video that encapsulated sports in the 70s perfectly. I’ve watched countless clips with fans on the field after winning the pennant, games forfeited on disco demolition nights, dollar beer nights, and a lot of fights between rival ballclubs. I don’t know if there were “more” brawls in the 70’s than in the other decades but it sure felt like it. Perhaps it’s just that the cameras were rolling more often. Or all the cocaine. Probably the cocaine.

Always defending his home team, it’s hard not to love Harrelson screaming “Mickey Rivers is the guy that’s trying to hit everybody with a sucker punch! He’s just running around behind everybody trying to hit ‘em in the back of the head.”

Which brings us back to Lee, who had won 17 games and thrown 260+ innings in each of the previous three years for Boston. He was on the mound at the start of the clip but ends it severely injured. Lee tore ligaments in his shoulder and was never the same pitcher for the Red Sox or elsewhere. As the fight has seemingly died down and Lee is unable to lift his shoulder, he walks over to Graig Nettles and either brings up the hookers again or asks him why his name is spelled “Graig”. Either way, Nettles clocks him, round two breaks out and Lee leaves the field in agony while the classless Yankee Stadium crowd cheers his injury. The more things change, the more they stay the same. Safe to assume that the grandparents of these two guys were in the crowd that day.

Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images

Side note: Thankfully, a year later in the 1977 ALCS, George Brett returned the favor to Nettles throwing a punch at him while sliding into third base in the middle of the play. One of my favorite brawls of all time, because no one was ejected!

I could’ve saved you all a half hour of your time by simply stating that “people punched each other. No reason. These things just happen sometimes.” But what fun would that have been?