Most bizarre ejections in MLB history

A variety of adrenaline-fueled emotions manifest themselves in the heat of the moment in the MLB. There is nothing more amusing than a good old-fashioned scuffle on the diamond to fuel the entertainment juices for our viewing satisfaction. That's what we're here for, and we've brought you the five most bizarrely entertaining ejections in MLB history.

#5 Joey Votto: June 19, 2021

Cleveland Guardians v Cincinnati Reds

Joey Votto gets number 5 on our list because of the variety of bizarre ejections that resulted from Votto's strong opposition to a check-swing call. The game had just gotten underway in the top half of the first when Votto was rung up on a questionable check-swing call. Bell came out in an attempt to remove his first-baseman from the equation, but it was to no avail as he also ended up getting ejected.

What made the play even more bizarre was the trickle-down of ejections handed out. When it was all said and done, Votto, David Bell, and a fan were ejected, supposedly for saying something to Votto after the fact. Considering the matchup took place in San Diego, we're assuming those words weren't very kind.

#4 Jon Rauch: David and Goliath

It's a scary prospect when an enraged 6' 11" figure comes charging your way, especially when you lose it like Jon Rauch did with the home plate umpire in the 2011 MLB season. After a late throw to the plate following a two-run single, Rauch broke out his best hulk imitation. After breaking free from his jersey when the initial restraint from his coach failed, it took three teammates to successfully hold him back from getting in the face of the home plate umpire. Other officials were so concerned for their colleague that they stepped in between Rauch and the recipient of his rage. In the officiating crew's defense, that's quite a brave "David and Goliath" endeavor.

#3 Manny Machado: Charge it!

Miami Marlins v San Diego Padres

Manny Machado is already one of MLB's most despised players for his unnecessary slide into Dustin Pedroia at second base. In 2016, a year before the infamous slide that ended Pedroias' career, another incident took place where Machado ended up charging the mound. This time, it was instigated by right-handed pitcher Yovani Ventura. Manager Buck Showalter had reportedly informed Machado before the at-bat of his suspicions of Ventura's intentions of pegging him. Sure enough, the very next pitch, he saw was a 99mph MLB fastball right in his abdomen. That's when all hell broke loose.

"Well then. Yordano Ventura hits Manny Machado...and Machado charges the mound swigning. #Royals" -@ChrisLilly_

One thing's for certain, whether with his bat or with his fists, Manny was determined to go down swinging.

#2 Pedro Martinez: The Don Zimmer Throwdown

Colorado Rockies v Philadelphia Phillies, Game 1

Game 3 of the 2003 ALCS had a little bit of everything, including a then-32-yr-old pitcher, Pedro Martinez, throwing a 72-year-old senior bench coach to the ground. The incident started when Martinez threw a pitch, unintentionally according to him, behind hitter Karim Garcia. That got everyone's attention in the Yankee dugout. In the second half of the inning, Clemens gave Manny Ramirez some chin music in retaliation. The rest was history. Pedro wasn't even in the dugout when the benches-clearing brawl commenced. When he returned to the dugout and onto the field with the rest of his teammates, the heat of the moment was at its peak. Zimmer had some choice words for Pedro and charged toward him, and Martinez literally threw him to the ground. You can view the entire incident here from start to finish.

"OTD: Red Sox Ace Pedro Martinez pigeon tosses Yankees' coach Don Zimmer after benches clear in ALCS game 3." -@thescore

In the aftermath, Martinez tried to cover for himself to no avail, saying he was merely "guiding" him to the ground. That's an awful harsh "guide." New York ended up winning the series in seven games.

#1 Juan Marichal: MLB's "Incident at Candlestick"

Statue of Juan Marichal

The first most bizarre and scary MLB ejection has to go to a man wielding a bat as a weapon. This was a blemish that Major League Baseball wore as a badge of shame for decades to come. On August 22, 1965, Giants Hall of Fame pitcher Juan Marichal absolutely lost his gorde. Widely known as "The Incident at Candlestick," Marichal took exception to a brush-back pitch by Dodger legend Sandy Koufax by charging the mound. Weilding the bat as if it were a sword, Marichal's intentions were clear as evidenced by this infamous picture in MLB history.

"55 years ago today, the infamous, ugly "incident at candlestick"- @KevG163

Marichal ended up clubbing the catcher Johnny Roseboro twice, drawing blood. Marichal was suspended for 9 days and fined $1,750 for his actions, a steep bill for the mid-60's. From that moment on, Marichal was booed incessantly every time he stepped to the plate. Luckily for him, the incident seems lost in the gutters of Giants history as they've since erected a statue in his honor. But that doesn't erase the fact that he charged the mound with a piece of lumber, a sight we've yet to see matched in MLB history. Ironically enough, both Marichal and the catcher he blungeoned later became good friends.