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 /

8 of 20

BOSTON, MA – MAY 5: MLB Hall of Fame player Carlton Fisk is greeted by Fred Lynn during a celebration of the 1975 American League Champions before a game between Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway Park May 5, 2015 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images) /

13. Red Sox vs. Yankees, May 20, 1976

I’m not sure who started the baseless rumors that the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox do not like each other. There is surely no evidence of such a thing dating back over 100 years.

*Goes on Google. Types in Yankees-Red Sox brawl. Never mind.*

The brawl these two teams had in 1976 was not short on star power, and featured some of the best Old School baseball men. This fight kicked off after Lou Pinella took an incredibly wide turn around third base when attempting to score on a shallow single to right field. Sweet Lou was all the way out in the coaches’ box and angled himself right for Red Sox catcher Carlton Fisk. Pinella was clearly out as Fisk held the ball, but the Hall of Fame backstop did not even wait for the signal before he was tackling Pinella to the ground and throwing punches.

The Yankees and Red Sox went at it hard, with the brawl refusing to die down. Sucker punches were thrown all over the diamond as both dugouts and bullpens cleared.

If players need a cautionary tale to stay out of brawls and behave like gentlemen on the field, look no further than Bill “Spaceman” Lee, who injured his shoulder after a few Yankees players jumped him. He missed the rest of May and the entire month of June recovering from the injury. Lee would not fully recover until the next year, and struck out fewer than three per nine after the brawl.

Home/MLB