Ten Cent Beer Night Ends in a Riot and a Forfeit

On June 4, 1974, the Cleveland Indians hosted the Texas Rangers at Cleveland Municipal Stadium with a promotion that offered fans eight-ounce cups of Stroh's beer for ten cents each. There was a limit of six cups per purchase, but no limit on the number of purchases a fan could make during the game. The promotion drew 25,134 people to the stadium, roughly twice the expected crowd. By the end of the night, fans had consumed an estimated 60,000 cups of beer, and the game ended in a forfeit after a full-scale riot on the field.

Tensions had been building since May 29, when a bench-clearing brawl between the two teams in Arlington had left Cleveland fans nursing a grudge. Local radio hosts spent the week stoking that anger. When the Rangers arrived in Cleveland, the atmosphere was hostile before the first pitch.

Early innings brought scattered incidents. A woman ran onto the field and flashed the crowd. A man tried to steal Jeff Burroughs's glove. Fans threw firecrackers and empty cups. As the game progressed and the alcohol kept flowing, the behavior escalated. Fans lit fires in the stands. A naked man sprinted across the outfield.

The Indians trailed 5-3 going into the bottom of the ninth, then rallied to tie the game at 5-5 with runners on base. At that moment, roughly 200 fans stormed the field. Some carried knives, chains, and pieces of stadium seats they had ripped loose. Texas manager Billy Martin ordered his players to grab bats and defend themselves. Indians players, recognizing that the Rangers were in danger, ran out to help. The two teams fought side by side against the mob.

Umpire Nestor Chylak was struck in the head with a piece of a stadium seat and cut on the hand by a thrown rock. He declared the game a forfeit, awarding it to the Rangers 9-0. American League president Lee MacPhail later confirmed the ruling and said, "There was no question that beer played a part in the riot."