Ten Cent Beer Night
In order to understand the full scope of this evening, it's important to know the background.
The date is June 4, 1974, the Rangers and Indians had gotten in a huge brawl, just six days prior to this game.
Not one of those fights where players just yell profanities at each other and do the ole “hold me back” routine.
You know the vibes.
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This beef was real.
Benches had cleared, and punches were thrown.
It's also worth noting that, during this time, Cleveland (as a whole) wasn’t in the greatest collective headspace either.
In the decades prior, the city had seen tons of layoffs from the closure of several hundred factories.
Drug use was surging, unemployment was through the roof, and the Cuyahoga river was on fire.
Literally, it caught fire several times.
Cleveland was essentially a ticking time bomb.
Meanwhile, the Indians were also struggling to get people to come to the ballpark.
Attendance had been brutal all year long; averaging only a few thousand fans per game.
The marketing team came up with a genius idea: 10 cent beer night.
What could possibly go wrong?
The first part of the promo actually worked.
25,000+ people showed up to the ballpark that night.
Shortly after the first inning, though, all hell broke loose.
In the second, a woman ran onto the field and flashed everyone from the on deck circle.
Then she tried to kiss the head umpire before being escorted off.
Fans were allowed six beers per person, per trip.
Not six beers for the whole game, just for each trip to the concession stand.
In the fourth, a full nude streaker ran on the field and slid into second base.
He was never caught, maybe by choice.
Mid-way through the game, the stadium started having trouble keeping up with the demand.
In an effort to serve the thirsty fans, they brought in the beer trucks, set them up beyond the outfield fence, and had two teenage girls dispensing drinks to thousands of rowdy fans.
Naturally the girls got overwhelmed, and abandoned their post.
10 cent beer night turned into FREE beer night.
In the fifth inning, two men jumped over the outfield wall and mooned the Rangers' outfielders; creating another stoppage in play.
As play resumed, Rangers manager Billy Martin went out for a mound visit.
Outraged with the delay, fans started throwing full cups of beer onto the field.
Billy blew kisses to the fans as he returned back to the dugout.
In return, they shot fireworks into the Texas dugout.
Yes you read that right, in the 70's fireworks were somehow allowed in the ballpark.
By the way, there were 50 security guards at this game.
50….. for 25,000 fans.
Stoppages continued as more naked people ran on the field, bases were stolen, and various debris was chucked from the stands.
In a complete miracle, they were able to make it to the 9th inning, and the Indians staged an epic comeback to tie the game at 5.
Another drunk fan ran onto the field and tried to steal the hat of a Texas outfielder.
That was the straw that broke the camel’s back.
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The Rangers, thinking their outfielder was being attacked, ran onto the field with bats in hand, ready for war.
This led to an eruption in the stands and people started pouring onto the field.
Both ball clubs were now fighting TOGETHER side-by-side; defending themselves from the fans!
This whole situation got so out of hand, that the SWAT team had to come in and clear the scene with tear gas.
In the end, the game was forfeited to the Rangers.
60,000 beers were consumed.
19 streakers ran onto the field.
7 fans went to the ER.
9 people were arrested.
The Indians have never ran the 10 cent beer promo again.
