Today in Sports History – Clemens Beans Piazza

On this day, 12 years ago |7/8/00|, Roger Clemens hit Mike Piazza in the head with a pitch, in the second game of the Mets/Yankees double-ballpark doubleheader.

In the summer of the 2000 season, the Yankees and Mets got together for their “Subway Series”. It was a yearly tradition of interleague play, but things got  extra fiesty this time around.

In the second inning at Yankee Stadium, power-hitting catcher Mike Piazza came up to bat against the Rocket, Roger Clemens.

The count was 0-1 when Clemens threw a 92-mph pitch that hit Piazza straight in the helmet, sending Piazza straight to the ground in a daze. After a few moments, Piazza was taken off the field and later diagnosed with a concussion which forced him to miss the 2000 MLB All-Star Game.

The most notable consequence of this pitch was the the rivalry it escalated, one that saw its peak in Game 2 of the 2000 World Series, where the two teams faced off again. Piazza was up to bat, and ended up shattering his bat on a foul ball. Clemens picked up a piece of the broken bat, and tossed it towards Piazza as the two exchanged words.

Both benches emptied as the two walked towards each other. Post-game, Clemens said he was tossing the bat to the ball boys. The Yankees won Game 2 and later, the Series.

Who doesn’t enjoy a competitive rivalry in sports, right?