Robin Ventura was a two-time All-Star, six-time Gold Glove winner, and he holds the NCAA baseball record with a 58-game hitting streak. But what fans remember him most for is when he charged Nolan Ryan in 1993 and got beat up.
Ventura is now the manager of the White Sox, and he was asked about the incident during a fan event this weekend.
“What the teams were going through at the time, there was a lot of back and forth,” said Ventura, alluding to four hit batters in the first two games of the series. “Sometimes as a player, you pick a spot that something needs to happen.
“It’s not like he derailed a promising UFC career. So it is what it is, but that was something I had to do as a teammate.”
Team broadcaster Hawk Harrelson says Ventura didn’t fully realize what he was doing until after he ran out to the mound and said ‘My God, that’s Nolan Ryan out there.’
Yup, big mistake Robin. I’m not sure any incident that embarrassing is worth it just to stand up for your teammates. This dude is haunted for life because of it.
Of course I only posted this story as an excuse to show the video:
