Beanballs and Baseball: Private Remedies vs. Criminal Sanctions for Violence in Baseball

Beanballs and Baseball: Private Remedies vs. Criminal Sanctions for Violence in Baseball

By Kelli Amanda Metzger Knerr.
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115 Penn St. L. Rev. 727.

On August 10, 2009, the tension between the Boston Red Sox and the Detroit Tigers began to escalate when a pitch hit Detroit Tigers’ first baseman Miguel Cabrera while he was at bat in the top of the fourth inning. The beanballs continued later in the game when Boston’s third baseman Kevin Youkilis was hit by a pitch in the bottom of the fourth inning and Detroit’s Brandon Inge was hit in the top of the eighth inning.

When the two teams met the next night, the discord boiled over. A pitch once again hit Cabrera, this time in the top of the first inning. In the bottom of the first inning, Tigers’ pitcher Rick Porcello threw an inside pitch to the Red Sox’ first baseman Victor Martinez. After nearly being hit by the pitch, Martinez “took a few menacing steps toward the mound before returning to the batter’s box,” allowing the already tense situation to further intensify.

The friction between the two teams reached its breaking point when Boston’s Youkilis stepped into the batter’s box to lead off the bottom of the second inning. Youkilis was hit in the back with the very first pitch thrown by Porcello. Youkilis immediately dropped his bat and threw his helmet at Porcello as he charged the mound. The two became entangled, eventually falling to the ground. Simultaneously, both benches cleared. At the end of the brawl, Youkilis returned to Boston’s bench and subsequently was ejected from the game. Following a discussion of the events that transpired, the umpires decided to also eject Porcello for his role in the fight. After reviewing the facts, Major League Baseball (MLB) suspended both Youkilis and Porcello for five games and fined both players.

This Comment will focus on beanballs and fights that occur as a result of beanballs in professional baseball. It will examine the punishment of major league and minor league baseball players—at the hands of both the Commissioner of MLB and the criminal justice system.

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