Top 20 MLB brawls of all time

May 29, 2017; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco Giants relief pitcher Hunter Strickland (60) and Washington Nationals right fielder Bryce Harper (34) in a fight after Harper was hit by the pitch of Strickland during the eighth inning at AT&T Park. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /

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SAN FRANCISCO, CA – APRIL 10: A view of the Juan Marichal statue outside of AT&T Park prior to the opening day game between the Arizona Diamondbacks and San Francisco Giants on April 10, 2017 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /

6. Juan Marichal vs. John Roseboro, 1965

Juan Marichal was one of the most dominant pitchers of the 1960s. He made 10 All-Star Games, won 25 games or more in a season three times, and won the 1969 MLB ERA title. Marichal would be enshrined in the Hall of Fame after a 16-year career that saw him win 243 games. One of the first prominent pitchers out of the Dominican Republic, Marichal also had a reputation as a headhunter.

Down the stretch of the 1965 season, Marichal’s San Francisco Giants were taking on the Dodgers at Candlestick Park. This was the most tense rivalry in the league at the time, dating back to both teams’ time in New York City. Marichal had already thrown at two batters by the time he came to bat in the third inning. Ace Sandy Koufax was pitching for Los Angeles, and Marichal was prepared to be beaned.

Koufax did not throw at Marichal, but perhaps because he was so on edge, the Giants pitcher believed Dodgers catcher John Roseboro’s throw came to close to his head on its way back to the mound. Marichal went ballistic, swinging his bat wildly and hitting Roseboro at least twice in the head. Roseboro had to get 14 stitches in the giant gash in his forehead after the game.

Quality video of this brawl is hard to come by, which is surprising given how meticulously MLB keeps track of its history. It was an ugly brawl, one the league may have just wanted to forget altogether.

There was some major fallout from this brawl. Marichal was suspended for two starts and forbidden from travelling to a crucial series at Dodger Stadium. He was also fined a record $1,750 and sued by Roseboro for over $100,000. Marichal and Roseboro eventually became friends in the 1980s after years of icy relations.

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