Note: This article was originally published on May 20, 2020.
You might be tired of seeing all of these Sox flashbacks, or maybe you’re enjoying them given the lack of baseball. Either way, one of the most iconic moments in recent memory happened 14 years ago today.
What a fight. I’m probably a little biased but this is up there at the top of my list of all-time baseball brawls. From the collision at the plate to the fireworks that ensued, it’s an absolute all-timer. Let’s break it all down.
So first, a little background to refresh your memory. It’s May 2006 and the crosstown rivals are in the second game of a three game series at The Cell. Fresh off their World Series title, the South Siders took the first game 6-1 after pouncing on Greg Maddux. Southpaw Rich Hill got the nod for the North Siders in game two and just had a nightmare of a start. He walked three straight batters to open up the second inning, which is where we pick up the action. With A.J. on third, Brian Anderson sends a routine fly ball out to left fielder Matt Murton. Once Murton fields it, Pierzysnki breaks for home and it’s on!
Let’s begin with the throw. What a puny effort. I mean, this ball barely makes it over the cut off man at third and then completely dies en route to Barrett, who is blocking the plate. Back in ’06 when a catcher would set up like this, it was fair game for opposing runners and A.J. showed him what happens when you don’t get off the tracks when the train is coming through. On one side, you have Barrett who went flying as he awaited the ball to arrive in his glove. Then, you’ve got our guy A.J. fired up and slamming the plate emphatically after the collision, which is the Crosstown Classic energy I LOVED from Pierzynski.
Once A.J. gets up, we all know the rest. Barrett grabs him as he walks by and gives him the weak sucker punch to the jaw that resulted in the classic pic below and full on melee. One of the best things ever and underappreciated aspects of this whole thing might be Scotty Pods wrestling the Cubs catcher to the ground. Our Jonnie Nonnie summed it up perfectly:
Barrett’s punch didn’t do a thing to A.J. and then you got Scotty freaking Pods wiping him out two seconds later. If you look back at the footage, it seems that Barrett was reaching for another punch but he’s held back by the ump and after Brian Anderson comes at him fired up, Pods takes him down. Anderson also threw some hooks at John Mabry before flipping him over as it were Cubbies being taken to the ground left and right by the Sox.
My favorite part of this whole situation came when A.J. is heading back to the dugout. He gets the crowd fired up, hits himself in the face as to say you can’t f*ck with me, and then takes off every teammate’s arm with his high fives. It’s the epitome of what the Crosstown Classic means to this city.
When all was said and done, four players were tossed and Iguchi capped off the inning with a monster grand slam for the 4-0 lead. The Cubs winded up losing this game 7-0, which was one of the team’s 96 losses on the year. The Sox on the other hand, went in the opposite direction record-wise and even had some fun with the whole incident come July when Pierzynski was named one of five players in the All-Star Final Vote campaign. The slogan “Punch A.J.” wrote itself honestly, and worked quite effectively. He received the most votes at 3.6 million and landed in his second All-Star game.
Oh, and he also hit this bomb on the North Side just before the Final Vote campaign to deliver a blow back to the Cubs.
To celebrate today’s anniversary, the White Sox will be airing the “Punch AJ” game over on their YouTube channel at 7:00 PM CST. You can also stream it below.
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Featured Photo: Getty Images
