BALTIMORE -- The third bench-clearing brawl in major league baseball this week erupted Saturday in the sixth inning of a game between the Chicago White Sox and the Baltimore Orioles.
With the score tied 1-1 with two out and none on in the bottom of the sixth, Baltimore's Rick Dempsey charged Gene Nelson after the Chicago pitcher had hit him in the back with a curveball.
Dempsey threw down his bat and helmet, ran to the mound and wrestled Nelson to the ground.
Both benches emptied as players from both teams tried to separate Dempsey and Nelson. Meanwhile, Orioles starting pitcher Ken Dixon and White Sox third base coach Doug Rader engaged in a separate fight between home plate and the mound. Dixon landed a few clean punches while Baltimore players were trying to pull Rader away.
The incident interrupted the game for more than 10 minutes. Dixon, Rader and Dempsey were ejected.
Orioles manager Earl Weaver immediately announced he was playing the game under protest. Weaver claimed the umpires singled out Dixon for fighting when he saw other players fighting who were not ejected.
Dixon went six innings, allowed four hits, struck out eight and walked four. His wild pitch allowed run Chicago's first run. Brad Havens replaced Dixon.
Two brawls occurred Tuesday night in National League games. One took place in Cincinnati between the Mets and the Reds, while the other was in St. Louis between the Cardinals and the Giants.
