Annals Of Sportsmanship

Another anniversary. On 22 August 1965, a beat-down was administered by Giants pitcher Juan Marichal on Dodgers catcher John Roseboro. Brawling is not uncommon in baseball, but it's usually a few wild swings that don't connect, followed by the original participants being restrained as they make a lot of noise. Pro wrasslin', in other words. Not this time though.

dodger blues tells the story:

Dodger catcher John Roseboro was a clutch hitter and classy fielder, but he's remembered most for an incident in 1965, considered by many to be one of baseball's uglier moments. Juan Marichal, the San Francisco Giants pitcher, came up to bat in the third inning of a game at Candlestick Park. Marichal had hit a Dodger player earlier and a peeved Roseboro had been firing Sandy Koufax's pitches back to him just inches from Marichal's ear as he took his turn at bat.

Marichal turned around to tell Roseboro to stop and Roseboro stood up and took off his mask. Marichal saw this as a threat and immediately hit the catcher over the head with the bat twice, opening a 2-inch gash in Roseboro's head. With blood gushing down Roseboro's face, the two teams—already heated rivals battling for the NL pennant—brawled for 14 minutes. Marichal was suspended for eight games, and Roseboro later sued him for $110,000 in damages. Yet, the two men somehow became friends in the 1980s.

And from BASEBALLLIBRARY.com:

On August 22, 1965, Marichal faced Sandy Koufax at Candlestick Park in the heat of a tight pennant race. The Giants and Dodgers had come close to a brawl two days earlier over catcher's interference calls. Los Angeles's Maury Wills had allegedly tipped Tom Haller's mitt with his bat on purpose, and Marichal's best friend, Matty Alou, retaliated by tipping John Roseboro's face mask. Roseboro nearly beaned Alou with his return throw to the mound. In the August 22 game, Marichal had flattened Wills and Ron Fairly with pitches when Roseboro purportedly asked Koufax to hit Marichal. When Koufax refused, Roseboro's return throw came close to Marichal's head. Name-calling ensued, until Roseboro suddenly ripped off his mask and stood up. Marichal rapped the catcher on the head with his bat. What followed was one of the most violent brawls in major league history. Willie Mays led away Roseboro, who had suffered a concussion, while Dodger Bob Miller tackled Marichal, Alou slugged Miller, and Tito Fuentes menaced the Dodgers with his bat. Roseboro sued Marichal, but eventually dropped the suit. Marichal was fined $1750, was suspended for a week, and missed two starts as the Giants finished two games behind the Dodgers. Years later, Marichal said, "I feel sorry that I used the bat."

Photo from Neil Leifer.

The former New York Giants & former Brooklyn Dodgers moved to California in 1958, and have continued their rivalry to this day.

Currently, they are battling for last place in the NL Western division.