There are a few no-nos in the game of baseball, whether you were brought up in the Steroid Era or the Dead Ball Era. The first of baseball's unwritten rules is to never charge a 46-year-old balding pitcher on the mound, because he will 100 percent win that fight. I wouldn't advise charging at Nolan Ryan at any age, though.
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The second is to never wield a bat in a fight. That's how people get seriously hurt. Use your fists or don't square up at all. Whatever you do, don't throw your helmet and miss my by a mile like Bryce Harper did against the San Francisco Giants.
But kicking the catcher? I'm not sure that one's in the game's book of unwritten rules.
Batter Kicks Catcher, Fights Entire Team
If you hear the name Izzy Alcantara, run the opposite way.
The former MLB player spent only a couple seasons with the Boston Red Sox and Milwaukee Brewers from 2000-02, and it's probably because he was an absolute hothead.
Never was that more apparent than on July 3, 2001, when the Dominican Red Sox outfielder lost control of his temper during his at-bat in a minor league game between the Pawtucket Red Sox and the Scranton/Wilkes Barre Red Barons.
Alcantara was the International League's leader in average and home runs at the time. When Red Barons pitcher Blas Cedeno fired a fastball high and tight at the hitter, he took his anger out on catcher Jeremy Salazar at home plate before fighting the entire team.
This has to be one of the wildest baseball fight clips ever.
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Bruce Lee would've been proud of Alcantara's karate moves, because wow. And the fact that he was willing to fight the pitcher and anyone else around him is something you just don't see all that often.
Somehow, the 30-year-old Alcantara was only suspended for six games. Four players in total received fines and suspensions after the brawl, according to Bleacher Report.
What Happened To Izzy Alcantara?
Alcantara's MLB career never amounted to a whole lot despite his abilities. In 2000, he ruffled Red Sox manager Jimy Williams' feathers for not hustling in a game against the Chicago White Sox.
He was released by the Brewers in 2002 after hitting just six home runs in his career. He then played in the Mexican League, Korean League and Taiwan's Chinese Professional Baseball League, where he supposedly earned the nickname "Al-Qaeda."
Whether that nickname was given to him because he hits big home runs or because he had a short fuse remains to be seen. Based on the clip above, I'm going to guess it was a little of both.
This post was originally published on May 1, 2020 but it remains one of the craziest baseball brawls ever.
