10 Most Revolting On-Field Acts in Baseball History

Baseball is our national pastime, and it has given us some of the greatest moments in the history of professional sports, from World Series heroics to stunning individual performances and everything in between.

However, it is not all good as there have certainly been some darker moments in the sport's history as well, stemming from a player's anger boiling over or simple stupidity on the part of players and fans alike.

Here are the 10 most revolting on-field acts in baseball history, moments that will forever be ingrained in the history of the sport. 

Rick Monday Prevents Flag Burning

Rick Monday had a solid MLB career, but he will always be remembered for two things: He was the first overall pick in the first-ever MLB draft, and he saved an American flag from being burned on the field at Dodgers Stadium.

On April 25th, 1976, two protesters ran onto the field during a Cubs-Dodgers game and attempted to set fire to an American flag that they had brought with them out in left field.

What could have been a terrible display at a venue as American as the flag itself instead turned into a heroic moment for the then 30-year-old.

Monday, playing center field, saw what was going on and sprinted over, grabbing the flag off the ground before it was ignited. The two were arrested, and Monday received a standing ovation from the Dodgers fans in his next at-bat, while the scoreboard read "Rick Monday...you made a great play."

White Sox Wear Shorts

Bill Veeck was a legend for his "innovative" approach to running a baseball team, as he was constantly coming up with out there idea on how to boost attendance. While some were a hit, and some were a failure, none was as embarrassing as the now legendary game when the White Sox wore shorts.

In the first game of a double-header in 1976, the White Sox took the field in shorts in what was almost certainly a baseball first.

The team gave off the vibe of a beer league softball team, and by game two they made the move back to pants. The damage was done, however, in what is easily the worst uniform in baseball history and a terrible sight for any fan of the game.

Pedro Martinez Throws Don Zimmer to the Ground

The Yankees and Red Sox have one of the most storied rivalries in all of sports, and tempers have boiled over on more than one occasion. There may be none more memorable, however, than the one that took place during the 2003 ALCS.

Martinez, notorious for throwing inside on guys and never being afraid to hit a batter, had plunked the Yankees Karim Garcia earlier in the game. Not only that, but a fight had broken out in the Yankees bullpen with a Red Sox grounds crew member.

So when benches cleared later in the game, Zimmer, in a sudden daze of Hulk-like rage, ran at Martinez, and the 32-year-old pitcher promptly threw the 72-year-old coach to the ground.

Regardless as to who was at fault, seeing a 72-year-old man thrown to the ground on national television is a shocking moment to say the least.

Roberto Alomar Spits on Umpire John Hirschbeck

One of the greatest second basemen in baseball history, Roberto Alomar was inducted into the Hall of Fame last year after a stellar 17-year career and two years on the ballot.

However, his legacy will forever be sullied, at least to a point, for an incident that occurred during the 1996 season.

Following a third strike call, Alomar got into a heated argument with home plate umpire John Hirschbeck and wound up spitting in his face. 

Alomar claimed it was spurned by a racial slur, and further commented that Hirschbeck was bitter following the death of his son, leading to Hirschbeck needing to be restrained from attacking Alomar post-game.

The two eventually publicly made up, but it was a dark day for the Hall of Famer and the likely reason he was not a first ballot Hall of Famer.

Frank Francisco Throws Chair into Stands

As a rookie reliever during the 2004 season, Frank Francisco took quickly to life in a big league bullpen, as he posted a 3.33 ERA in 45 appearances and 51.1 innings of work.

However, his season will be best remembered for an incident that occurred on September 13, 2004 when he threw a chair in the stands at a heckling fan but hit the woman sitting next to him instead, breaking her nose.

Francisco was eventually arrested on assault charges, and teammates claim the fan made racial slurs against him and heckled fellow Rangers reliever Doug Brocail about his stillborn child so it was not completely unprovoked, but it was still a scary moment.

Jose Offerman Charges Mound with a Bat

A two-time All-Star who enjoyed a 15-year playing career, Jose Offerman was playing for one more chance at the big leagues in 2007 at the age of 38.

A member of the Long Island Ducks of the Atlantic League, Offerman was hit in the leg by a pitch from Matt Beech in a game on August 14, 2007 after homering in his first at-bat.

As soon as he was hit, Offerman charged the mound with the bat over his head and took two swings, with the results being a broken finger for Beech and a concussion for his catcher John Nathans.

He was charged with assault and arrested, and Nathans sued him for $4.8 million in damages as the concussion effectively ended his playing career.

Ben Christensen Beans Batter in On-Deck Circle

A first-round pick by the Chicago Cubs in the 1999 MLB draft, Ben Christensen put together a 20-1 record in his college career at Wichita State and looked to be headed for big-league stardom.

Facing Evansville in a late-season game, third baseman Anthony Molina stepped into the on-deck circle, and Christensen noticed Molina was timing his pitches while he warmed up. In what can only be described as atrocious, Christensen uncorked a warm-up pitch right at Molina, who turned and caught it in the left eye.

His eye was crushed, and he needed 23 stitches to close the injury. Christensen defended himself by saying pitching coach Brent Kemnitz had taught his pitchers to throw near batters who attempted to time them. The two settled out of court, but Molina would never play again and Christensen never saw the major leagues.

Tom Gamboa Attacked by Fans

Video Here at 1:07 mark.

A fan running on the field is generally a harmless act by a drunken idiot in a moment of rash decision making.

That was not the case though when a father and son ran onto the field at U.S. Cellular Field and assaulted Royals first base coach Tom Gamboa in what was one of the scarier on-field moments in recent memory.

Juan Marichal Hits John Roseboro with a Bat

One of the best pitchers in an era loaded with amazing starting pitching, Marichal won 238 games in 14 seasons as a member of the Giants, including 20 wins on six different occasions. 

He also fueled the Dodgers-Giants rivalry like few others have, as he will always be remembered for an incident in 1965 when he attacked Dodgers catcher John Roseboro with a bat after the catcher's return throws came a little close to his head.

Marichal struck Roseboro in the head several times with the bat and in the end was fined $1,750 and suspended eight games.

Beyond that Marichal was not allowed to travel to Brooklyn for the final two games the Giants had against the Dodgers, and Roseboro sued him for $110,000 in damages.

Ty Cobb Fights Handicapped Fan in the Stands

With a reputation as one of the nastiest players in baseball history, few stories surrounding Ty Cobb are surprising, but one stands out as being over the top awful.

On May 15th, 1912 a fan named Claude Lueker and Cobb went back and forth exchanging insults through the first three innings of a game.

However, when Lueker made a racial slurs in reference to the fact that Cobb's mother was black, that was the tipping point, and Cobb hopped into the stands and attacked Lueker.

Turns out, he was handicapped as he had lost all of one hand and three fingers on the other hand in an industrial accident. When that was brought to Cobb's attention by surrounding fans he replied with, "I don't care if he has no feet."