20. When the Texas Rangers Charged the Indians Fans
So many streakers got on the field, that piles of clothes began to form up. By then, it should have begun to dawn on the Indians that they might have skimped on security; they had hired only 50 personnel to secure the entire ballpark. However, there was a huge disconnect between what should have happened and what did. How did management actually handle the mounting crisis? By the 8th inning, just about anybody in charge, or who worked for the Indians’ administration, had left.
In the 9th inning, a heavily inebriated fan jumped into the field, grabbed an outfielder’s cap, and began to run around wildly. When he finally dropped the cap, the livid outfielder kicked him. At that point the Rangers’ manager Billy Martin, who had never been known for his cool head, grabbed a baseball bat. Martin turned to the Texas players, rallied them like a Civil War colonel pumping up regiment for a bayonet charge, and urged his team: “Boys! Let’s get ‘em!”