Top 6 Most Shocking MLB Events of All-Time: The Games - #4 The Pine Tar Game

Just a regular game in 1983.  Reliever Mike Armstrong got the win.  Dan Quisenberry got the save.  Game-winning home run by George Brett in Yankee Stadium.  Only Brett got ejected after the home run, as did manager Dick Howser, coach Rocky Colavito and pitcher Gaylord Perry.  Why was Perry ejected?  For giving Brett's home run bat to a bat boy and telling him to hide it.  Why did they hide the bat?  Pine Tar.

What is Pine Tar?  It's a sticky substance that's source is pine tree stumps and roots that, after an intensely high-heating process, "has a long history as a wood preservative, as a wood sealant for maritime use, in roofing construction and maintenance, in soaps such as Packer’s Pine Tar Soap and in the treatment of skin diseases, such as psoriasis, eczema, and rosacea (pronounced roh-ZAY-sha)." [source: Wikipedia]

Pine Tar is also used on baseball bats to give hitters a better grip.  The rules state Pine Tar is allowed on a bat from the knob up to 18 inches.  In the Pine Tar game, Brett was accused by Yankees manager Billy Martin that the Pine Tar on Brett's bat exceeded what the rules allow.  Brett was ejected and his home run disallowed after the umpires discussed the rule.  Famously, Brett stormed out of the dugout and had to be restrained.  If you read his lips as he erupted, you can see his choice of language was not appropriate for too many churches or mosques.

The Pine Tar Game is most famous for Brett's eruption, Martin's protest, and the resumption of the game 25 days later after the umpire ruling was overturned by the American League office.  Approximately 1,200 fans showed up to watch the final four outs of the game, one in which the Royals would win 5 to 4.

For an interesting viewpoint by winning pitcher Armstrong, read THIS.

To read the #3 Most Shocking Event: Games, go HERE.

To read the #2 Most Shocking Event: Games, go HERE.

To read the #1 Most Shockng Event: Games, go HERE.