Punches thrown after brawl breaks out during minor-league game

The Memphis Redbirds and New Orleans Zephyrs brawled in the fifth inning. (Sportslogos.net Screenshot) Relievers tend to miss out on the action during a baseball brawl. Unless they are responsible for throwing the pitch that sparked the brawl, it’s pretty rare that you see them throw any punches. By the time the bullpen reaches the action, things have calmed down. Normally, relievers are crucial peacekeepers.

That wasn’t the case during Monday’s game between the New Orleans Zephyrs and the Memphis Redbirds.

Your browser does not support iframes. The brawl began in the fifth inning, after Zephyrs pitcher Jose Urena threw a pitch near Redbirds outfielder Jeremy Hazelbaker’s head. Hazelbaker immediately took offense to the pitch, flipped his bat and ran out to the mound to take on Urena.

After Urena appears to throw a punch, Hazelbaker attempts a spear. At that point, he’s placed in a headlock. Urena may hit Hazelbaker with a jab to the ribs, but then both benches envelope the two players.

At that point, the brawl continues on its normal path. Both benches try to separate the players involved. Once that happens, things normally die down.

This time around, that wasn’t the case. One member of the Zephyrs bullpen either took exception to everything that happened, or carried a grudge against one of the Redbird players coming into the game. He runs in directly from the bullpen, and throws a punch at a Redbird player as he reaches the fracas.

This immediately causes both teams to go at it again. There’s definitely some shoving going on this time, and it appears more punches may be thrown as things make their way over to the dugout.

It’s tough to spot the Zephyrs pitcher in the game video, but Deadspin posted a different angle of the fight where you can see the Zephyrs bullpen run in more clearly.