The Rockland Boulders and New Jersey Jackals of the independent Can-Am League last week squared off in one of the crazier baseball brawls you’ll ever seen.
The scrap started when, during the middle of an at-bat, Jackals pitcher Fernando Cruz sprinted out of his dugout, behind home plate and up to the railing of the Rockland dugout, at which point he promptly was put in a chokehold and tossed to the ground by a Boulders player.
Both benches cleared, but everyone’s focus was on Cruz, who had to be dragged away from the ruckus by about five of his teammates. He was ejected (obviously) and proceeded to taunt fans as he exited the field.
And the craziest part of this whole situation? It happened in the 10th inning of a tie game.
Cruz pitched in the previous frame, allowing two runs on two hits in 2/3 of an inning as Rockland plated five in the ninth to force extras. The Boulders then scored on an error shortly after the brawl to win 9-8 in walk-off fashion.
Cruz’s actions earned him a five-game suspension, per Deadspin.
H/t Deadspin
