Chicago Cubs: Top five memorable bench-clearing incidents

Chicago Cubs: The team is not known for getting into bench-clearing brawls as often as other teams, but the ones they do get into are very memorable.

Emotions run very high on the field as the players are in competitive mode. Sometimes they reach a boiling point, and chaos ensues. Every team goes through some sort of bench-clearing incident a year, but not often to all-out brawls happen. Like every team, the Chicago Cubs have seen their share of benches-clearing events happen.

Fights start in various ways, which can be the result of one thing in the game just escalating quickly or a series of events throughout leading to a volcanic eruption. It all usually ends the same way, with players getting ejected and further exchange of words in the form of yelling while being restrained. What we do not like seeing are players or anyone on the field getting hurt. Nobody should have to see anyone getting seriously injured intentionally.

Without further ado, here are the top-five most memorable benches-clearing incidents in Cubs history.

Chicago Cubs: In Chicago, they say that Anthony Rizzo became captain of the team that day.

In the hot July sun at Great American Ballpark, the Cubs and Reds got into it back on 7/10/14. It was around the time the team started showing signs of promise for the future with their young guys, including Anthony Rizzo. This conflict would begin with Rizzo and future Cubs reliever Aroldis Chapman, who was still on the Reds at the time.

It was a 4-4 tie in the ninth inning with Nate Schierholtz facing Chapman. The first two pitches flew right up and over Schierholtz’s head at 100+ MPH. Rizzo and the Cubs dugout began to jaw a little at Chapman. The at-bat eventually ended in a strikeout with Chapman staring down the Cubs dugout, which made Rizzo mad as he leaned over the railing and began shouting again at him. As Junior Lake made the final out on a groundout, Champan waived his glove at the Cubs dugout.

In between innings, Rizzo at first and the Reds dugout exchanged words, and it all went down from there. Rizzo dropped his hat and glove and walked towards the dugout, ready to take them on. Benches cleared, and the shoving match began. It did not get too physical, but there was plenty of shouting and shoving. Looking back at the replay, Rizzo mainly wanted Champan and Reds pitcher Alfredo Simon tried holding him back.

This was not much of a brawl, but this helped give Rizzo the reputation of team leader. Ironic how Rizzo and Chapman would become teammates later and win a World Series.

Chicago Cubs: The North Siders and New York Mets have had plenty of scuffles, but this was a big one.

On May 11, 1996, the Mets and Cubs faced off in a Saturday afternoon game at old Shea Stadium. Younger fans might not remember it, but the Mets were once one of the Cubs’ most bitter rivals, and the two sides have gone at each other before. This was a brouhaha waiting to happen after Mets pitcher Pete Harnisch hit Cubs pitcher Kevin Foster in retaliation to Foster throwing a pitch up and into Todd Hundley earlier.

These chains of events got Harnisch very upset, as well as Cubs catcher Scott Servais. It all blew up in the fifth inning when Harnisch was at the plate, and Terry Adams threw behind him. As the umpire began to warn the dugouts, Harnisch and Servais started barking, and the next thing everyone knew, Harnish landed a punch on Servais, and the benches swarmed the two. The teams dog-piled on each other with Harnish and Servais pinned on the bottom as they continued to flail their arms and legs.

The pile of players migrated over towards the backstop with guys shoving each other against the wall and into the netting. Several individuals broke off into groups with at least one guy being held back by others when they wanted to keep the punches rolling.

The fight was a roller coaster as it began starting up again just when it looked like it was calming down. It took a while to get everything settled, a little over 15 minutes finally.

Harnisch and Servais have long since made up for the incident, but they have not stopped getting asked about it.

Chicago Cubs: One of the most significant takedowns on a baseball diamond ever.

One key thing to remember about former Cubs reliever Kyle Farnsworth, he was a big dude. This is not someone a typical person would want to mess with as he stood 6-4, 230 pounds, and had massive arms. Former Reds pitcher Paul Wilson decided to try to get a piece of Farnsworth on June 19, 2003, at the Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati.

It was a close game in the seventh inning, and Farnsworth relieved Mark Prior, who pitched well, but Wilson was pitching even better. With a man on first and Wilson at the dish trying to lay down a bunt, Farnsworth flung a pitch up and in towards him that ended up going to the backstop. Wilson and Farnsworth started barking back and forth, then the gloves dropped and the two lunged towards each other.

Farnsworth went low in on Wilson, wrapped his arms around him, and using his momentum, tackled him to the ground UFC style.

As Farnsworth began trying to whale on Miller like he was Ralphie beating up Skut Farkus in A Christmas Story, the benches swarmed the scene and began to pile on each other. There was some shoving and holding back, but the two teams were not on the field long, and no other significant fights broke out. The main event of the incident is what started it.

Luckily nobody was seriously hurt, but this brawl is still often talked about until this day.

Chicago Cubs: There is no moment in Cubs-White Sox history more memorable than the infamous brawl in 2006.

2006 was heaven for White Sox fans and hell for Cubs fans. The Sox were coming off their 2005 World Series win, and the Cubs were heading for a 96-loss season as the Dusty Baker era was coming to an ugly end. Things got particularly unpleasant on May 20, 2006, when the two Chicago teams faced off on the South Side.

In the bottom of the second inning, Rich Hill walked the bases loaded for Brian Anderson. On a 1-1 count, Anderson lifted a flyball to Matt Murton in left who made the catch and fired home quickly as A.J. Pierzynski tagged from third and headed home. Pierzynski rammed into Cubs catcher Michael Barrett, knocking him down before slamming his hand on home to officially score.

Barrett went to Pierzynski, grabbed hold of him, and punched him square in the face. The benches cleared, and what followed was a mass collection of punches, shoving and dog-pilling on home plate. Scott Podsednik went after Barrett as the two teams continued to scrap. Eventually, it was broken up, and the crowd on the South Side roared as Pierzynski pumped up the crowd as we went back to the dugout. Both catchers, among others, would be ejected from the game.

This season was awful, and the only real memorable thing from it was a brawl in a game the Cubs eventually lost 7-0.

Have any other notable bench-clearing incidents in mind? Please do share them. These five are certainly not the only ones to happen in Cubs’ history.