Bay Area vs. Los Angeles Rivalry: Ranking the Top 10 Moments of All-Time

(Photo: Catchers.Tripod.com)

3. Juan Marichal Hits John Roseboro with a Bat During Infamous Giants-Dodgers Brawl – 1965

One final moment from the great Giant-Dodger rivalry, and perhaps the most famous one.

You have to go all the way back to 1965, with the Giants and Dodgers locked in a tight pennant race in late August. The pitching matchup that day was Juan Marichal vs. Sandy Koufax, two future Hall of Famers.

Marichal had thrown at two Dodgers earlier in the game, which cause Koufax to retaliate by throwing one high and tight to Marichal when he came up to the plate.

Unhappy, Marichal turned and asked the Dodgers’ catcher, John Roseboro, “Why did you do that?”

That’s when Roseboro took a step towards Marichal, and the Giants’ starter inexplicably hit Roseboro in the head with his bat, opening up a huge gash and blood began to pour out.

Here’s video of the brawl that resulted, although the video skips over the most interesting part:

Marichal was suspended for eight games and given a $1750 fine for the incident.

However, the two combatants would eventually make up and become good friends, showing that a Giant and a Dodger can actually get along.

This was really the first major incident that led to the great rivalry that we know today.