Boston Red Sox: 9 Best Fights Since 2000

The Boston Red Sox have had a great number of exciting fights since 2000. The most memorable of those have been with the New York Yankees and the current matchup between the two squads has reminded me of these brawls.

So, I decided to make a list of Boston's best fights since 2000, which include some of the most fun and exciting moments from the past 11 years.

9. Brook Fordyce Gets Put in a Headlock

All hail former Red Sox pitching coach, Tony Cloninger!

In 2002 against the Baltimore Orioles, Derek Lowe hit Gary Matthews Jr. with a pitch that caused a bench-clearing brawl .

Brook Fordyce ended up grabbing Jason Varitek's suspenders and Cloninger put him in a headlock.

Great fight. Awesome picture. 

8. Gerald Williams Charges Pedro Martinez

In a game during the 2000 season, where Pedro Martinez nearly threw a no-hitter, eight Tampa Bay Rays' players were ejected.

Brian Daubach of the Red Sox was hit twice. But when Gerald Williams of the Rays was hit, he charged the mound and landed a punch. 

7. Julian Tavarez Punches Joey Gathright

When Joey Gathright was tagged out at home in 2006 by Julian Tavarez, he was left on his knees with Tavarez standing on his arm.

When Gathright attempted to push Tavarez off, Tavarez proceeded to punch Gathright in the face while he was still on his knees. 

Ouch.

The benches proceeded to clear and Tavarez took great criticism for hitting like a girl. Tavarez has since claimed that it was an ancient "slap-punching" form.

6. David Ortiz vs. Kevin Gregg

The most recent Boston fight is the one that broke out between David Ortiz and Kevin Gregg in July of this year.

After Gregg looked as if he had thrown at Ortiz, the benches cleared without any physical contact ensuing. But when Ortiz popped out on the next pitch, Gregg waved at Ortiz as if to tell him to hurry over to first base, and Ortiz lost it.

He went straight for Gregg and threw a haymaker. Unfortunately, or fortunately if you're Kevin Gregg, he didn't connect.

This one was definitely a lot of fun to watch.

5. Kevin Youkilis Goes After Rick Porcello

Kevin Youkilis gets hit a lot while he's at the plate, but this time he had enough.

When Rick Porcello hit Youkilis in 2009, Youk charged the mound and tried to take down Porcello. Youkilis, however, was the one who ended up being thrown down.

Boston may have lost the fight but sometimes comedy exceeds victory.

4. Coco Crisp Dodges James Shields

What a dodge!

Coco Crisp must have had some training in avoiding punches because when James Shields took a swing at Crisp, Coco looked like a pro avoiding the hit.

And for all you wrestling fans, Dioner Navarro landed a Rock Bottom on Crisp after the fight with Shields.

Awesome.

3. Izzy Alcantara Kicks Catcher

Okay, so this was the Pawtucket Red Sox and not the Boston Red Sox, but it should definitely count.

Izzy Alcantara of Pawtucket gets a second straight pitch inside and, knowing that he wanted the catcher out of the way, kicked him square in the chest. 

He then proceeded to try and take on the entire infield of the opposing team.

2. Jason Varitek Gloves Alex Rodriguez

If you ever ask a Yankees' fan which Red Sox player they hate the most, many will say Jason Varitek.

A friend of mine told me that a few weeks ago and I wasn't sure why until I remembered this fight. Varitek gloved A-Rod square in the face as he was walking to first base in 2004. 

Obviously, Red Sox fans love this moment and Yankees' fans absolutely hate it. I wouldn't be surprised if several Boston fans have a picture of Tek hitting A-Rod hanging in their homes.

This was also in the midst of the most heated point of the Red Sox-Yankees' rivalry, which also included this fight from the previous October...

1. Pedro Martinez Takes Down Don Zimmer

We all remember this one.

When Manny Ramirez overreacted to a pitch by Roger Clemens in the 2003 ALCS, the benches cleared and, for some reason, little old Don Zimmer thought it would be a good idea to charge Pedro Martinez.

Martinez swiftly stepped out of the way, took Zimmer by the head and threw him to the ground.

This was easily one of the craziest moments in recent baseball history and it's still a bit of a shock to watch. Zimmer is so old!

Hope you enjoyed reading and share your thoughts!