Ten Cent Beer Night

Ten Cent Beer Night was a promotion held by the American League’s Cleveland Indians during a game against the Texas Rangers at Cleveland Municipal Stadium on June 4, 1974.

The idea behind the promotion was to offer as many eight-ounce (237 mL) cups of Stroh’s beer as the fans could drink for just 10¢ each, thus increasing ticket sales. Ultimately, the game was forfeited to Texas on the orders of home plate umpire Nestor Chylak because of the crowd’s uncontrollable rowdiness, and because the game could not be resumed in a timely manner.

The game had a special significance for both teams, as there had been a bench-clearing brawl in a Rangers/Indians game one week earlier at Arlington Stadium in Texas, during a “cheap beer night” there.

A batter hit a double play ball to Indians third baseman John Lowenstein; he stepped on the third base bag to retire Grieve and threw the ball to second base, but Randle disrupted the play with a hard slide into second baseman Jack Brohamer. The Indians retaliated in the bottom of the eighth when pitcher Milt Wilcox threw behind Randle’s head. Randle eventually laid down a bunt. When Wilcox attempted to field it and tag Randle out, Randle hit him with a forearm. Indians first baseman John Ellis responded by punching Randle, and both benches emptied for a brawl. As Rangers players and coaches emerged from the dugout, they were struck by food and beer hurled by fans. As the intoxicated crowd began to storm the field, WJW-TV, Cleveland’s CBS affiliate, suspended their live telecast of the game.

Six days later, the Ten Cent Beer Night promotion enticed 25,134 fans to come to Municipal Stadium for the Rangers/Indians game. The past season’s average attendance had been 8,000.

After pounding 10¢ beers for nine innings, a drunk fan attempted to steal Texas outfielder Jeff Burroughs’ cap. Confronting the fan, Burroughs tripped, and Texas manager Billy Martin (thinking that Burroughs had been attacked) charged onto the field, his players right behind, some wielding bats. A large number of intoxicated fans – some armed with knives, chains, and portions of stadium seats that they had torn apart – surged onto the field, and others hurled bottles from the stands. WJW producer Tony Lolli then suspended the station’s live telecast of the game. Realizing that the Rangers’ lives might be in danger, Ken Aspromonte, the Indians’ manager, ordered his players to grab bats and help the Rangers. Rioters began throwing steel folding chairs, and Cleveland relief pitcher Tom Hilgendorf was hit in the head by one of them. Hargrove, involved in a fistfight with a rioter, had to fight another on his way back to the Texas dugout.