Colorado Rockies: The Four Biggest Brawls in Team History

1993 vs. Dodgers

It was very early in the history of the Rockies franchise, but Colorado came out swinging not once but twice versus the Los Angeles Dodgers on June 15, 1993.

Andres Galarraga was at the center of the fireworks. After gathering a hit in eight consecutive at-bats, the Big Cat was brushed back by Dodgers pitcher Ramon Martinez in the bottom of the seventh. Galarraga earned a walk, but couldn’t avoid a plunking as Martinez accidentally (or not, you decide) hit him on first base with an errant pickoff throw. Things got ugly from there.

Still smarting from being hit with the pickoff attempt, Galarraga tried to steal second and slid into the base with his leg high, spiking Jody Reed of the Dodgers. Martinez retaliated by hitting the batter, Colorado’s Charlie Hayes, on the next pitch. Hayes charged the mound and he and Martinez were both ejected.

“If he doesn’t like it, he ought to put a skirt on. It’s the way the game is played. He just can’t stand there,” said Colorado manager Don Baylor, who was ejected as well before the night was over, said of Reed.

But that wasn’t the end of it. One inning later, Dodgers rookie Mike Piazza smacked his second homer of the game. The next batter, Cory Snyder, was hit on the next pitch by Colorado’s Keith Shepherd, who made a “come get me” gesture after hitting Snyder with the pitch. The Dodgers poured onto the field and obliged, with Shepherd ending up with a bloody nose.

As a side note, Los Angeles won the game, 12-4. You can see the highlights on YouTube here.

Next: After a Slow Build, the Reds and Rockies Tussle