Baseball’s 50 Strangest Moments

By Paulie Knep
Love of Sports Correspondent

One of the great things about watching a baseball game is you never know when you’re going to see something you’ve never seen before.

On any given night, you may bear witness to one of those rare, strange moments which leaves every spectator speechless.

Whether it’s a fight, an inexplicable error or some other bizarre occurrence, you recount such experiences for years to come and proudly announce, “I was watching that game” every time the incident comes up in conversation.

This is a list of the 50 strangest moments at a baseball game over the past 25 years.

50. Milton Bradley throws a bottle into the stands at Dodger Stadium.

49. Frank Francisco of the Rangers throws a chair at a fan in Oakland after an altercation between the fan and the Rangers’ bullpen.

48. After smacking a ground rule double for his first career hit, Manny Ramirez continues running to third base, thinking he’d hit a home run.

47. Rickey Henderson is anything but humble during his speech upon becoming the all-time stolen base leader. “Today, I’m the greatest of all time!”

46. John Kruk walks off the field and announces his retirement after singling for the White Sox in 1995.

45. Teammates Jeff Kent and Barry Bonds exchange blows in the Giants dugout.

44. Yankees Jeff Nelson and Karim Garcia jump a groundskeeper in the bullpen at Fenway Park during the 2003 ALCS.

43. Aaron Rowand breaks his nose crashing into the chain-linked fence at Citizens Bank Park while making a spectacular over the shoulder catch.

42. Derek Jeter homers against the Orioles in the 1996 ALCS with a little help from 12-year-old Jeffrey Maier.

41. Manny Ramirez disappears into the Green Monster during a trip to the mound by the pitching coach.

40. Joe Mikulik, manager of the Lexington Legends, throws bats on the field, amongst other things, as part of his classic tirade.

39. Wade Boggs trots around Yankee Stadium on a horse after the Yankees win the 1996 World Series.

38. Vladimir Guerrero golfs a base hit off a Pete Harnisch pitch that bounced before home plate.

37. Steve Bartman infuriates Cubs leftfielder Moises Alou by interfering with a foul ball in Game 6 of the 2003 NLCS.

36. Andy Hawkins throws a no-hitter, but loses the game 4-0 on a series of Yankee errors.

35. Manny Ramirez dives in front of a relay throw from centerfield, allowing David Newhan to score on an inside-the-park home run.

34. Miguel Cabrera clubs a hit while Baltimore pitcher Todd Williams throws the ball too close to the plate during an attempted intentional walk.

33. A.J. Pierzynski advances to first base after striking out during Game 2 of the 2005 ALCS, though it appeared he had been called out.

32. Randall Simon hits the Italian sausage in Milwaukee over the head with a bat during the Sausage Races, knocking her to the ground.

31. Vince Coleman injures his knee when his leg gets caught in the tarp at Busch Stadium, causing him to miss the 1985 World Series.

30. Albert Belle throws a ball at a heckler in the stands at Cleveland Stadium.

29. Ronny Cedeno receives a flying kick from pitcher Geremi Gonzalez when he charges the mound during a game in Venezuela.

28. Chad Kreuter and his Dodger teammates entered the stands at Wrigley Field after a fan swipes Kreuter’s hat.

27. Ozzy Osbourne mumbles his way through “Take Me Out to The Ballgame” during the seventh-inning stretch at Wrigley Field.

26. Roberto Alomar spits in the face of umpire John Hirschbeck during a dispute over a called third strike.

25. Carl Lewis’ ceremonial first pitch in Seattle rivals his unforgettable version of the national anthem at a New Jersey Nets game years before.

24. Sammy Sosa’s cork-filled “batting practice bat” shatters during a Cubs home game.

23. Carlos Martinez’s fly ball bounces off Jose Canseco’s head and over the fence for a home run.

22. Delmon Young throws a bat at the home plate umpire after being called out on strikes in a minor league game. He’s suspended for a record 50 games.

21. Roseanne Barr spits and grabs her crotch after being booed for her screechy version of the Star Spangled Banner at Jack Murphy Stadium.

20. For the first time in 2,633 games, Cal Ripken was not in the Orioles lineup when they took the field on 9/20/1998.

19. Dusty Baker’s three-and-a-half year-old son Darren is almost run over at home plate by a teammate during the 2002 World Series.

18. Jose Offerman hits the pitcher and catcher with a bat in an independent league game after being plunked by a pitch.

17. Mets manager Bobby Valentine returns to the dugout wearing a black hat, tinted glasses and a fake mustache after being ejected from the game.

16. Cincinnati mayor Mark Mallory stuns the crowd when he throws the ceremonial first pitch halfway down the first base line.

15. Tommy Lasorda does a backwards somersault after being hit in the chest by Vladimir Guerrero’s bat during the 2001 All-Star Game.

14. Izzy Alcantara kicks the catcher in the facemask before charging the mound after being brushed back by a pitch in a minor league game.

13. Pedro Martinez throws Don Zimmer to the ground by his bald head after Zimmer charged him during a brawl in the 2003 ALCS.

12. Less than a year after surgery to remove cancer from his pitching arm, Dave Dravecky’s arm snaps as he throws a pitch.

11. 26-year-old Robin Ventura was beat down by Nolan Ryan, 20 years his elder, while charging the mound after being beaned.

10. Rick Ankiel throws five wild pitches in one inning during two consecutive starts in the 2000 postseason.

9. A dove explodes upon impact when it flew in the path of a Randy Johnson fastball in a spring training game.

8. George Brett was a man possessed after his home run against the Yankees was negated due to having too much pine tar on his bat.

7. Roger Clemens throws a piece of Mike Piazza’s shattered bat at the Mets catcher during the 2000 Subway Series.

6. Double-A manager Phillip Wellman’s tirade includes crawling on the field, hurling bases into the outfield and throwing the rosin bag at the umpire as if it were a grenade.

5. Minor league right fielder Rodney McCray runs through the outfield wall in pursuit of a fly ball.

4. Royals’ first base coach Tom Gamboa is randomly jumped by two fans at Comiskey Park.

3. During Game 6 of the 1986 World Series, Michael Sergio parachutes on the infield at Shea Stadium.

2. Millions of tiny bugs, called midges, swarm Jacobs Field during Game 2 of the 2007 ALDS between the Yankees and Indians.

1. An earthquake rocks Candlestick Park minutes before Game 3 of the 1989 World Series between the Giants and Athletics.

OTHER RECENT LISTS

--NBA Draft Grades

--Top 10 Best-Ever Draft Classes

--Top 10 NBA Second Round Picks

--Most Obnoxious Sports Traditions

--Top 15 Sports Mullets of All Time

Also be sure to check out our new sister site, The Love of Beer. If you love beer like we do, then you’ll be sure to love The Love of Beer!