Base Stealers Ignite Cards-Giants, Reds-Mets Brawls

It was Brawl Night in the National League Tuesday.

At St. Louis, Managers Whitey Herzog of the Cardinals and Roger Craig of the San Francisco Giants got into a battle of words that turned into a shoving match during a bench-clearing altercation.

At Cincinnati, the brawl between the Reds and the New York Mets was touched off by a battle at third base between Ray Knight and Red pinch-runner Eric Davis. Knight landed a right to the face of Davis and, naturally, it brought players from both benches onto the field.

After the smoke cleared at St. Louis, the Cardinals, scoring eight runs in the second inning, beat the Giants, 10-7.

At Cincinnati, the teams battled into the 14th before Howard Johnson hit a three-run home run to give the Mets a 6-3 victory.

After Andy Van Slyke hit a triple and a home run in the eight-run inning that gave the Cardinals a 10-2 lead, Vince Coleman rubbed salt in the Giants’ wounds when he stole second and third in the fifth. On a short passed ball, he was tagged out by pitcher Juan Berenguer. Berenguer and Coleman had words, the dugouts emptied, but no punches were thrown.

However, in the seventh, Frank Williams, the fourth Giant pitcher, brushed Coleman back. Both managers were warned by umpire Bob Davidson. On the next pitch, Williams hit Coleman on the foot to touch off the melee.

Herzog and Craig shouted at each other, then began shoving and wrestling. This triggered other wrestling matches. Before order was restored, Herzog also wrestled with Giant players Joel Youngblood and Randy Kutcher. Craig, Williams and Chris Brown of the Giants, who tackled Coleman, were the only ones ejected.

At Cincinnati, the altercation occurred in the 10th. Davis ran for Manager Pete Rose, who had singled. Davis stole second and third,the play at third touching off the fight. A number of punches were thrown, and the Mets filed a protest.

Davis, Knight and Kevin Mitchell of the Mets and the Reds’ Mario Soto, who came out of the dugout to do battle, were ejected.