Nolan Ryan plunked 158 batters during his Hall of Fame career, but it was his final HBP that sparked one of baseball's most surreal moments. When the 46-year-old right-hander drilled 26-year-old Robin Ventura with a pitch in the third inning on Aug. 4, 1993, nobody could have imagined what would happen next. Ventura dropped his bat, tossed his helmet to the ground and charged the mound.
Not one to back down from a fight, Ryan more than held his own against a player 20 years younger. He quickly put Ventura in a headlock and rained punches on the overmatched third baseman's head. "It was just self-preservation," Ryan said after the game. "I didn't expect that to happen. I was just trying to pitch him inside. You don't have time to think, you just react. I'm not a big believer in fights, but we'll do what it takes to win."
Ventura earned one of his four career ejections for his actions, while Ryan stayed in the game and lasted seven innings to earn the decision in the Rangers' 5-3 victory over the White Sox. Chicago had struck first on Ventura's RBI single in the first inning, and he sounded certain the HBP was no accident.
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Here's the video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIZB9O24BEE
ReplyDeleteAlmost as good as the Randy Johnson wack-a-bird pitch. Lol
The secret of becoming an old person is not fucking with old people when you're young.
ReplyDelete