The New York Mets will likely begin the 2012 season with the young Josh Thole at catcher, the fairly inexperienced Ruben Tejada at shortstop, and the wholesome, classy David Wright starting at third base. That makes for a talented infield which may be lacking in the aggressiveness of some Mets teams of the past. Here’s a look at some of the meanest Mets teams and the top five bench-clearing brawls in franchise history.
Jose Reyes vs Miguel Olivo
Coming down the stretch in 2007, the Mets were desperately in need of a win in a late-September game at home against the Florida Marlins. The Marlins had nothing to play for except to spoil the Mets’ postseason hopes, and the playoff-like atmosphere in the crowd added to the emotional nature of the game. Mets shortstop Jose Reyes irritated the Marlins all season with his homerun dances, elaborate hi-fives, and over-the-top celebratory antics.
Finally, the Marlins decided they had seen enough of Reyes’ immature ways after he began mouthing off to Florida catcher Miguel Olivo as a pitching change was being made midway through the game. Suddenly, Olivo charged across the mound and threw a punch at Reyes, who was standing on third base at the time. Olivo’s punch didn’t connect, but both teams poured out onto the field and a massive shoving match ensued. The Mets would go on to win the game, but lose in the finale of the homestand to complete one of the most historic collapses in MLB history.
Bud Harrelson vs Pete Rose
In Game Three of the 1973 Playoffs, Cincinnati Reds slugger Pete Rose slid hard into Mets shortstop Bud Harrelson, who was covering second base at the time. What ensued was one of the most memorable fights in baseball history, as Harrelson took exception to Rose’s aggressive slide and both benches emptied after the men took each other down in epic MMA-style fashion. When Rose took his position in left field in the bottom of the fifth inning, Mets fans showered him with garbage and beer bottles. Rose and Harrelson would eventually make up and go on to profit from the incident by signing their autographs on photos of the fight.
Elio Chacon vs Willie Mays
During the 1962 season, 25-year-old Mets infielder Elio Chacon took exception to a hard slide into second base by San Francisco Giants slugger Willie Mays. Apparently, Mays caught the infielder with his spikes and Chacon responded by decking him with a roundhouse punch to the face. Mays fired right back by grabbing Chacon and slamming him to the ground, which would essentially alter the rest of the young man’s career. Chacon was a career .232 hitter with four homers in 228 games played, but he wouldn’t play another game in the big leagues after that 1962 season.
Ray Knight vs Eric Davis
No Mets fan will ever forget Ray Knight’s heavyweight tilt with Eric Davis during New York’s 1986 championship season. Knight, who was covering third base at the time, sparked a 16-minute bench clearing brawl by clocking Davis with two powerful punches to the face after he was taken down by a hard slide. Several Reds tried to get their hands on the Mets’ third baseman following the melee, but Knight emerged from the pile relatively unscathed. Looking back, the game was basically a sparkplug for the Mets’ playoff run which resulted in a championship that season.
Francisco Rodriguez vs Willie Harris
Francisco Rodriguez, the Mets closer at the time, is known to have a hot temper that flares up every now and again. Tensions boiled over during an early-season clash in 2010 with the Washington Nationals when he beaned Willie Harris with a cutter on the left forearm. Both dugouts and bullpens emptied out onto the field, but no punches were thrown. “All I was trying to do was make a pitch on the inside of the plate,” K-Rod said. “It got away. And I just barely hit him. He just said a couple of words I didn’t like. That’s pretty much why I reacted the way that I did. He was upset. It’s pretty obviously the hitters don’t really want to get hit. He said something. I took it in a bad way. That’s why you guys saw what happened out there.”
Eric Holden is a lifelong New York Mets fan because he grew up going to several games each year to Shea Stadium with his father. Follow him on Twitter @ericholden.
Sources
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/chacoel01.shtml, Baseball Reference, Elio Chacon stats
