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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Jun 17, 2017; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cincinnati Reds former player Pete Rose waves as he stands next to his statue that was unveiled during a ceremony at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports /

15. Pete Rose vs. Bud Harrelson, 1973 NLCS

There are easily dozens of brawls that Pete Rose was involved in during his long career that could have found their way onto this list. You don’t get the nickname Charlie Hustle without ruffling a few feathers during your time in the big leagues. Rose was not one to back down from anyone during his 24-year career.

Rose’s highest profile fight came in Game 3 of the 1973 NLCS against the New York Mets. His Big Red Machine was heavily favored in the series. They were the class of the National League and the Mets had just barely squeezed into the playoffs. Tensions were obviously high with the Mets taking it to the Reds.

In the fifth inning, Rose went in high and hard to break up a double play at second base. Bud Harrelson did not take too kindly to Rose’s flying tackle, which he had perfected by this point of his career, and began jawing at him. Rose responded by knocking him to the ground before a roiling brawl exploded onto the turf.

Rose may have started the brawl, but the real highlight of the event goes to the side skirmish between Pedro Borbon and Buzz Capra. Somehow Borbon ended up with a blue cap instead of his red cap at the end of the fight. When he realized his mistake, he put the Mets hat in his mouth and pretended to eat it.

The Reds sent Rose back out to left field the next inning (no ejection!) where he was pelted by all sorts of debris. Sparky Anderson called his team off the field after Rose was nearly hit by a whiskey bottle (the Seventies, I tell you. So lit, fam). Harrelson became a cult hero in the Big Apple, and he and Rose eventually made up and posed for charity with boxing gloves.

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