Fansided

Top 20 MLB brawls of all time

By Joshua Sadlock

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
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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NEW YORK – MAY 02: The plaque of Bill Dickey is seen in Monument Park at Yankee Stadium prior to the game between the New York Yankees and the Chicago White Sox on May 2, 2010 in the Bronx borough of New York City. The Yankees defeated the White Sox 12-3. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
NEW YORK – MAY 02: The plaque of Bill Dickey is seen in Monument Park at Yankee Stadium prior to the game between the New York Yankees and the Chicago White Sox on May 2, 2010 in the Bronx borough of New York City. The Yankees defeated the White Sox 12-3. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /

19. Bill Dickey breaks Carl Reynolds’ jaw, 1932

Hall of Fame catcher Bill Dickey was as no-nonsense as they came during the rougher days of MLB in the 1920s and 1930s. On July 4, 1932, he showed just how foolish it was to mess with him on a diamond. Washington Senators outfielder Carl Reynolds scored on a squeeze play and ran right through Dickey attempting to cover the plate without so much as an attempt to avoid contact.

Dickey was in a foul temper because he had been knocked unconscious on a collision the day. There was a tangle at the plate, and the Senators outfielder never actually touched home to score his run. Dickey cut him off as he tried to get back to the bag and swung at Reynolds, breaking his jaw in two places. Reynolds had to have his jaw wired shut for over a month after the fight and nearly choked to death at one point while attempting to eat liquid food. That could have gone down as one of the worst sports deaths ever.

Dickey would be suspended and fined $1,000 for the fight. It is interesting to note that at the time of the brawl, American League president William Harridge was speaking out against the practice of pitchers targeting batters with balls. Somehow we are still having this conversation over 80 years later.

This was not the last time the Senators and Yankees would brawl. The very next April, the teams were involved in an all-out riot that involved fans and had to be broken up by police.

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