The Night Beer Incited A Riot

 

On June 4, 1974, the Cleveland Indians tried to boost attendance with a simple promotion.

Ten cent beers.

Fans could buy multiple cups at once. Security was light. Many people arrived already drunk. By the middle of the game, the crowd was louder, angrier, and far less interested in baseball.

Beer cups flew onto the field. Firecrackers exploded in the stands. Fans ran the bases, and players were heckled and pelted with debris.

By the ninth inning, it was chaos.

When a fan ran onto the field and grabbed a player’s hat, players from the visiting team rushed out with bats to protect themselves. Hundreds of fans followed.

The umpire called the game. It was forfeited—one of the rare times in Major League Baseball history a game ended because of a riot.

The promotion was never repeated. Ten cents didn’t make beer affordable. It made order impossible.