Last Updated: June 17th, 2026 by Michael Griffin
There have been a TON of on-field fights between baseball opponents. We’d probably have to do at least 50 slides, bare minimum. But there have been plenty of times when friction has spilled into one team’s dugout. You try spending six months or more with 25 guys … there are bound to be times when something rubs someone the wrong way. The results are here — from brawling in the dugout to inadvertent injuries to a reporter to inanimate objects being assaulted.
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John Tudor vs. Electric Fan: Cardinals’ $7,000 Punch (1985)
After getting pulled in the third inning of World Series Game 7, Cardinals pitcher John Tudor took out his frustrations on an innocent clubhouse fan. It appears that the man who looked more like a college professor from Boston had a temper. The ensuing severely injured pitching hand required surgery and cost Tudor $7,000 in damages. Talk about adding insult to injury.
Goose vs. Cliff: The Shower Fight That Cost Yankees Their Closer (1979)
A clubhouse shower became a wrestling ring when Yankees teammates Goose Gossage and Cliff Johnson got into it after a night out. Gossage broke his thumb in the scuffle, missing two months of the season and likely costing the Yankees crucial games in the pennant race.
Big Papi’s Baltimore Phone Destruction (2013)
David Ortiz took batting practice with the dugout phone after a disputed strike call, demolishing it with his bat. The Orioles later gave him the phone as a retirement gift – after properly reinforcing it, of course.
Paul O’Neill’s Water Cooler Crusade (1995)
The Yankees’ perfectionist right fielder made water cooler abuse an art form. His most memorable attack came after a tough at-bat in ’95, when he turned the dugout cooler into a pinstriped punching bag. The coolers of the American League lived in fear for years.
Hal McRae Makes Reporters Flee Room After Rampage (1993)
The Royals manager turned his office into a war zone after a tough loss, sending phones, staplers, and tape recorders flying. One reporter even needed stitches from the shrapnel. McRae later apologized, but the incident lives on in managerial meltdown lore.
Zambrano vs. Barrett: Cubs’ Dugout Drama (2007)
Carlos Zambrano and Michael Barrett turned the Cubs dugout into a boxing ring, with their scuffle continuing into the clubhouse. Barrett ended up in the hospital with a split lip, and the battery mates were never quite the same.
Harper vs. Papelbon: Nationals’ Choke Out (2015)
When Jonathan Papelbon decided to teach Bryce Harper about hustle, he chose the wrong teaching method – grabbing the MVP by the throat in the dugout. The incident was caught on camera and effectively ended Papelbon’s time in Washington.
Billy Martin vs. Reggie: Fenway Dugout Showdown (1977)
The Bronx Zoo reached peak chaos when Billy Martin pulled Reggie Jackson mid-inning for “loafing” in right field. The ensuing dugout confrontation became a symbol of the Yankees’ tumultuous yet successful late-70s era.
Kevin Brown’s Clubhouse Wall Punch (2004)
After a rough outing, the Yankees’ $15-million-a-year pitcher took on a clubhouse wall. The wall won, leaving Brown with a broken hand and his team without a starter during a crucial playoff race.
Barry Bonds vs. Jeff Kent: Giants’ Dugout Clash (2002)
Two MVP-caliber talents but zero love lost between them. Their dugout shoving match was just the public peak of a long-simmering feud that defined the Giants’ clubhouse dynamic for years.
Chris Sabo Vs. Jose Rijo (1991)
Goggles vs. The Veteran. It was 1991, and the good feelings of their World Championship the year before had faded into the August heat. Sabo had booted a ball, and Rijo wasn’t happy. Who knows? Maybe they were arguing about who had the coolest last name ending with -o.
Carlos Perez Destroys Cooler (1999)
You thought Paul O’Neill taking a few backhanded whacks at a water cooler was enough entertainment? Carlos Perez took it a step further and began mercilessly smashing the water cooler in the Dodgers’ dugout. He made sure that cooler regretted it ever existed.
Albert Belle’s Thermostat Tirade (1995)
Look at that scowl. Would you want to make Albert Belle mad? When teammates adjusted the clubhouse thermostat, Belle went ballistic, destroying the temperature control and parts of the clubhouse. Even the weather couldn’t escape Belle’s notorious temper. Fernando Vina probably shuddered when he heard about what happened.