ALDS Weirdness: How About 5 Odd Brewers' Incidents?
Game 5 of the 2015 ALDS between the Texas Rangers and Toronto Blue Jays represented all the strange, yet awesome characteristics of baseball. Even at the highest level of competition, in a winner-take-all playoff game, the oddities and beauty of America's Pastime shone through in all its glory.
Now don't get me wrong, it probably would've been awful to see a contest of this importance decided on a deflected throw back to the pitcher. At the same time, if the ball isn't dead, pay attention to what you're doing!
Adding to the chaos was the normally docile Canadian fans doing their best Chicago Cubs fan impressions by littering the Rogers Centre with garbage (and hitting a baby with a beer).
Throw in errors on three consecutive plays, a force out on a pop up that still plated a run, an emotionally charged 3-run bomb, and a pair of bench-clearing confrontations... (breathe) and it was definitely a "stranger than fiction" type of game.
As a Milwaukee Brewers fan, there have been far more disappointing moments than odd or unique ones, but there were 5 off the top of my head that I felt deserved a look back.
5) Three Runs Score on a Wild Pitch in Colorado
Normally it would be the Brewers gift-wrapping runs for their opponent, but with Milwaukee surprising everyone by sitting atop the NL Central that year, things were bouncing their way.
The wild pitch brought in one run and an errant throw sent the runner from second to home. Then Jean Segura, who began the play on first, took advantage of the lackadaisical Rockies to sneak home ahead of the diving tag of the pitcher who started the fun in the first place.
4) Mike DeJean and Jerry Royster Screaming on the Mound
You actually had to feel a little bad for Royster who had no business being a Major League manager to begin with, and took over a bad club after its first 15 games.
Not only had he stepped in for the awful Davey Lopes, he "led" the Brewers to the franchise's worst season (56-106).
In general, it's nice to see your pitchers want to stay in a game and get the job done; however, screaming like a raving lunatic (DeJean's words) crosses many lines.
It was one of the many illustrations of the hot mess the 2002 Brewers were.
3) Cleveland Indians' Albert Belle Destroys Fernando Vina
Most people have seen or heard about Belle's vicious forearm shiver to Vina's jaw in 1996. Knowing Belle's personality makes it hardly surprising that he was involved. The strange part is, there was no interference call or warning issued to Belle despite the clear intent.
In the 9th inning, the Brewers drilled Belle for a second time (no ejections). That prompted Julian Tavarez to throw behind Mike Matheny in the bottom half, inciting a benches-clearing incident where Tavarez throw an umpire to the ground. He and Matheny were ejected.
Belle was later suspended for two games and fined $25,000. He also said that former Brewers' coach and current broadcast, Davey Nelson, encouraged him to break up the double play in that manner.
2) Former Brewer, Bill Spiers, Attacked in the Outfield as a Member of the Houston Astros
This was an incident I witnessed in person back in 1999. Sitting down the right field line, eyes fixed on the pitcher's mound, a flash of color caught my in the outfield.
I couldn't believe my eyes as a moronic fan valuted out of the bleachers at County Stadium and jumped onto Spiers' back.
As they tussled, second baseman Craig Biggio and pitcher Mike Hampton sprinted at Olympic speed to help out their teammate.
I vividly remember Hampton delivering a bevy of huge kicks to the guy's ribs and back before other Astros' peeled the idiot off. The criminal was put in handcuffs and hauled off eventually.
It was an absolutely surreal scene that is still hard to fathom it happened. Spiers was a bit bruised and battered (and apparently suffered from whiplash for a few days), but fortunately it wasn't worse. The fan, from Illinois (go figure), was arrested and charged with two counts of assault.
1) Brewers and Seattle Mariners Engage in an Epic Brawl
Plenty of baseball fights start hot and fizzle out within a few moments. There's normally some pushing and yelling, but little else actually happens. That was not the case at the Kingdome in 1990 (video below).
The Brewers and Mariners had some bad blood boiling in the late 80s and early 90s, initiated by (strangely) Spiers' takeout slide in a Spring Training game. The play injured catcher Dave Valle.
Well, in this June 30th tilt between the sudden rivals, Bob Sebra intentionally hit Tracy Jones right in the ribs. As catcher B.J. Surhoff (a surly one in his own right) got in the path of Jones, they kicked off what would be a 20-minute melee that extended dugout-to-dugout and all the way into right field.
At one point, Brewers skipper Tom Trebelhorn was grabbed from behind and slammed into the hard Astroturf surface, setting off more fireworks in the group. Gary Sheffield (of all people) had to hold back Trebelhorn who had the look of a mad man.
A couple of times it looked like the incident was over, only to see players and even the managers get things started again. This was one brawl that actually saw punches connect, clothes torn and blood spilled.
Some fun notes from the fracas...
Bob Sebra, who started the fight with the hit-by-pitch, never pitched again in the majors
One umpire commented that it was the roughest baseball fight he had seen
There were 9 suspensions between the teams (5 Brewers)
A 79-year-old woman hit a Brewer with her handbag to help a pinned-down Mariners player
Yes, that is Randy Johnson partially disrobed in the fight