July 24th, 1983, the New York Yankees were squaring up against the Kansas City Royals in a American League game. This normal game would become one of the most bizarre match ups in Major League history.
The game was being played at Yankee Stadium where the Royals were trailing the Yankees 4-3 in the top of the ninth inning. George Brett, one of the game’s best, came up with one runner on in the ninth. Yankees’ pitcher, Goose Gossage, tossed him a high fastball that was sent over the right-field fence. The Royals took the lead 5-4 in the ninth.
As Brett was trotting the bases, Yankees’ manager, Billy Martin, came out of the dugout wanting to take a look at Brett’s bat. It became clear that Martin was pointing out that Brett’s bat had too much pine tar, and the umpires met to take a look.
The MLB rule (cited as Rule 3.02(c) in the 2018 Rulebook) says: “The bat handle, for not more than 18 inches from its end, may be covered or treated with any material or substance to improve the grip.”
The umpires decided that the bat was in violation of the rule and called Brett out. As you can see here, Brett was not too happy with the call.
Due to his outburst, Brett was ejected from the game and since he was called out, the Yankees ended up winning 4-3. Royals’ pitcher, Gaylord Perry, tried giving the bat to the bat boy during Brett’s eruption to hide the evidence. He was stopped by a guard and was ejected as well.
Protest
The Royals protested the game. Four days later, American League president Lee MacPhail upheld the protest. He explained that the rule was to avoid discoloring the ball, and Brett’s pine tar did not effect the distance of the hit. MacPahil restored Brett’s home run and the two clubs resumed the game in the bottom of the ninth. So the Royals were leading 5-4 heading into the bottom of the ninth.
The final four outs of the game were recorded and the Royals won 5-4.
This is one of the most memorable games in MLB history. The theatrics, protest, and appeal all show how weird of a game baseball can be. Brett had this to say about the game: “It was a positive thing, you know? It wasn’t a ground-ball that went through my legs or a strikeout. I hit a home run off one of the toughest relief pitchers in baseball.”