MLB: Top 5 Baseball Brawls Last 20 Years

5. 2000 Chicago White Sox vs. Detroit Tigers

With Detroit down five-one in the bottom of the sixth inning and the bases full of White Sox, Jeff Weaver decided that this game was over and it was time to hit someone. He drilled Carlos Lee in the back with the bases loaded so there was definitely intent. Some words were exchanged between the two, and then Weaver was taken out of the game. Here’s where things start to get ugly fast…

The White Sox wasted no time in getting retaliation. The very first pitch in the top of the seventh inning hit Dean Palmer in the arm, and all hell breaks loose. Palmer charges the mound with his helmet in his hands, and decides to throw it at pitcher Jim Parque right before wrestling him down to the ground.

Benches and bullpens both clear and the scrum is in full effect. Bobby Higginson delivers the blow of the night with a flying right elbow to Parque’s face at the forty second mark. This was as clean of an elbow as you’ll see in the sport, but a cheap shot nonetheless.

"“Bottom line is, we won the game and we killed them,” said Chicago pitcher Jim Parque, who was charged by Dean Palmer in the seventh inning to start the fighting. “I hope they have enough guys so we can beat them again.”"

As soon as you think this fight is over, it isn’t. All parties charge into right field around the forty-six second mark which looked like a scene out of the Kentucky Derby where the gates open and the horses take off. The only difference is that there were no gates and instead of horses, we had angry ball-players. This brawl seems to go on forever with another benches clearing incident in the next inning.

When all was said and done, there were eleven total ejections, and relief pitcher Keith Foulke needed five stitches under his eye.

Next: Yankees-Sox