Today Is Anniversary Of Cleveland Indians 10-cent Beer Night At their Baseball Stadium Leading to Brawls On the Field and Nudity in the Ballpark

On June 4, 1974, In 1974, the Cleveland Indians baseball team had the genius idea of hosting a 10-cent beer night.  The Indians were hosting the Texas Rangers at Municipal Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio, with a larger than average crowd of 25,000. Who knew it would lead to brawls and nudity among the drunken fans that night?

No one believes it was the losing teams that drew that many people to the ballpark.

As might be expected, the amount of beer consumer that night had a tremendous affect on the game. In fact, the game had to be cancelled on account of out of control drunken fans. No one could have seen that coming. There was nudity, as well as fans running on the field to mess with players. The Rangers brought bats out in fear. Fans responded with knives and other weapons. The game was called with a 5-5 score in the ninth inning and the Indians lost to the Texas Rangers.

According to a report in Sports Illustrated, the Cleveland ballpark offered attendees "10 ounces of Stroh's beer for 10 cents," with a purchase limit of up to six cups.

Various reports said that fans were drunk before the first pitch, and caused problems throughout the game. Various media reports said attendees showed up with firecrackers in their pockets and one woman jumped the wall to show her breasts.

The game culminated in a riot. One report that day said the following:

The jovial, frolicking nudists had disappeared. The mob that replaced them kept its clothes on and brandished an arsenal that made Martin's Louisville Slugger look like a child's toy. The Rangers manager spotted people wielding chains, knives and clubs fashioned from pieces of stadium seats. The 25 Texas players quickly found themselves surrounded by 200 angry drunks, and more were tumbling over the wall onto the field. The Texas Rangers had been ambushed.

Umpire Nestor Chylak railed against the crowd in the dressing room after he was forced to forfeit the game to the Rangers.

"Animals, (censored) animals, that's all these (censored) people are," the umpire  shouted, according to the Dallas Morning News. Chylak continued:

"I even saw a couple of knives out there in that mob. They wanted to kill somebody. I personally got hit with a chair. I went as far as I could with this crowd and I can't say enough about the Texas team and Mr. Martin for restraining themselves so long. But when they charged out of that dugout they did it because they had to. Those animals were in control then."

Well, in celebration of that infamous night in Cleveland, a Cleveland bar will have their own ten-cent beer night.

"39th anniversary celebration sponsored by LOTUS PRINTING. June 4, 1974. 10 tickets for $1. We will have 4 kegs starting at 6 pm. It always runs out early so get here on time!"

Those Clevelanders sure know how to have a good party, don't they?