• 1965 – Juan Marichal, pitcher for the San Francisco Giants, strikes John Roseboro, catcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers, on the head with a bat, sparking a 14-minute brawl, one of the most violent on-field incidents in sports history.

Battle of Candlestick


John Roseboro and Juan Marichal, the central figures of the infamous brawl in 1965.

Date: August 22, 1965
Venue: Candlestick Park; City San Francisco, California, U.S.
Attendance: 42,807
Time of game: 2:18

The "Battle of Candlestick", also called the ""Battle of San Francisco" or simply the ""Marichal-Roseboro brawl", was an infamous bench-clearing brawl which took place on August 22, 1965, at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, California, United States. In what is considered to be one of the most violent on-field brawls in sports history, pitcher Juan Marichal of the San Francisco Giants hit catcher John Roseboro of the Los Angeles Dodgers on the head with a bat, opening a gash on Roseboro's head and starting a fourteen-minute brawl between the teams in the middle of a heated pennant race.

The brawl had short-term and long-term consequences. Marichal's subsequent suspension likely contributed to the Giants losing the pennant race that season. He received a then-record fine, also paying a financial settlement. Due to the incident, Marichal failed to get elected on his first two ballots to the Baseball Hall of Fame. However, Roseboro and Marichal later reconciled, eventually becoming close friends. Roseboro would later lobby to get Marichal elected to the Hall of Fame, while Marichal would later become a pallbearer at Roseboro's funeral.

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