I know what you’re thinking. “MLB Slugfest”? The crazy baseball video game from the early 2000’s that many of us spent hours playing either on PlayStation 2, GameCube, or Xbox?
If you’ve never played that game, we’ll for sure write about it soon. 👀
How did they play that in 1984?
Well, the Braves and Padres weren’t playing MLB Slugfest on their Atari in 1984. They were playing their own version of “MLB Slugfest” on an actual baseball diamond. August 12th, 1984 turned into one of the most wild days of baseball we had ever seen. We want to revisit that date in history and tell the story of what happened. Obviously none of us at The Three Spot were alive in 1984, so doing research on this game made our eyes open wide with intrigue. The hit batters, ejections, and arrest numbers were ridiculous. Let’s break the game down by each pivotal inning, talk about what went down, and provide you some stats that we can compile at the end.
1st Inning
The first pitch of the game out of the hand of 27-year old Braves pitcher Pascual Perez drills Padres OF Alan Wiggins right in the ribs. It has been said that during the game the day before, Wiggins laid down 2 bunts for hits and Perez didn’t think that was the most macho way to play baseball.
His no-bunting attitude would have fit in well with the Savanna Bananas.
Inning Stats
- 1 Pitch
- 1 Hit Batter
- 1 Angry Pascual Perez
2nd Inning
Perez comes up to hit in the Bottom of the 2nd, an ironically enough, attempts to bunt his guy at second over. Padres pitcher Ed Whitson decides to give him nothing to bunt and instead throw behind his back. It seemed like there was a bit of an understanding until Perez takes his helmet off and seemed ready to use his bat for his own protection as if he was on fire in MLB Slugfest. As he begins to run with the bat, he gets swarmed by Padres ready to come to the defense of their pitcher.
Inning Stats
- 1 Hit Batter
- 1 Pitch Thrown at Perez
- 1 Bat Used as a Weapon
- At Least 6 Angry Padres
- 1 Warning Given to Each Team
- 1 Angry Pascual Perez
4th Inning
Padres Pitcher Ed Whitson faces Perez once again, and attempts to brush him off the plate with 3 consecutive pitchers way inside on Perez’ mid-thighs. Whitson gets ejected along with Padres manager Dick Williams.
Inning Stats
- 3 Pitches Thrown at Perez
- 1 Angry Pascual Perez (Still)
- 2 Ejections
6th Inning
Pascual Perez comes up for the 3rd time, and Padres reliever Greg Booker throws at Perez once again! He automatically gets ejected, their acting manager is ejected, and they haven’t even yet made contact with Pascual Perez in the box.
Inning Stats
- 1 Pitch Thrown at Perez
- 1 Angry Pascual Perez (Still)
- 1 Ejection
8th Inning
Ok you thought the rest of the game was weird, this is where things get really wild. We finally see a successful attempt for the Padres at plunking Pascual Perez. (My God the 80’s were so different in terms of pitcher staying power. Guys would’ve been taken out in the 2nd by now in 2021). Padres reliever Craig Leffert gets Perez in the front elbow as Perez is seen stepping out of the box mid-pitch, seemingly to try and avoid what he knows is coming. Leffert is ejecte and instantly the benches erupt onto the field and an all out brawl ensues with even the umpires getting lost inside the shuffle. Fans security guards even get involved on the field.
Inning Stats
- 1 HBP
- 1 Ejection
- 1 Brawl
9th Inning
Compiled Stats
- 3 HBP
- 5 Arrested Fans
- 1 Bat Used as a Weapon
- 9 Player Ejections
- 4 Manager Ejections
- 18 Fines and/or Suspensions Between the Teams
- $11,000 in Fines (Williams & Torre)
This game was absolutely nuts. There should be a 30-for-30 on it as it’s approaching its’ 40 year anniversary.
Check out some references below we used for our research to get some more info and the full just of what happened! YouTube is also always your friend with game footage.
References:
The Atlanta Journal Constitution
JomBoy Media
The Three Spot 