Let’s get something out of the way.  Nolan Ryan is a badass.

Moving on:  When someone mentions the words “Baseball Fight” to anyone that claims that they know baseball, this absolutely classic brawl will almost definitely come to mind.  If I’m having a bad day, I think of this fight and smile.

I know some of you coming to the site just want to see the fight, and that is fine by me.  Just know, that in order to get the full effect of the AWESOMENESS of Nolan Ryan, you’ll want to read on afterwards.  Without further adieu, your video:

You just watched a video of 46 year old man absolutely pummeling someone 20 whole years younger. Nolan Ryan was heading towards the end of his career, but he was still a badass. At the beginning of that season Ryan had announced his retirement effective at season’s end. This was a game on August 4th, 1993, only 2 months before Ryan would hang up the cleats for good.

Ventura’s charging of the mound cost him an ejection and an unheard of level of embarrassment. Take another look at that video, and marvel at how furious he is as he’s charging the mound. Watching him charge is really quite funny when you know the ultimate outcome of the fight. What a douche.

Ryan stated afterward that he had used the same maneuver on Ventura that he makes use of on his ranch in Texas, when branding steer. What a badass.

And while Ventura and White Sox manager Gene Lamont were ejected from the game, Ryan was allowed to continue on the mound. The decision to allow him to stay in the game was based on the fact that Ryan did not move off the mound, and simply allowed Ventura to charge, and then defend himself. Personally, I think the umps did not want to incur any of that badass wrath.

This fateful altercation ultimately led to one of the most badass baseball images ever taken.
Nolan Ryan Fights Robin Ventura

Need more badass-itude? Nolan Ryan gets hit in the lip by a Bo Jackson line drive, and stays in to pitch.

Nolan Ryan Bloody Photo