A 72-year-old bench coach in a windbreaker charged Pedro Martinez on a pitcher's mound, and Martinez threw him to the ground like a rag doll. That's the image -- Don Zimmer, face-first in the Fenway Park grass -- and it's the single most replayed moment of the entire 2003 Yankees-Red Sox rivalry that ISN'T Aaron Boone's home run. October 11, 2003. Game 3 of the ALCS. It's still uncomfortable to watch, more than two decades later.
The Series Was Already Boiling
The New York Yankees and Red Sox, coming off a hard-fought 2003 season, split the first two games of the ALCS at Yankee Stadium -- Boston took Game 1, 5-2, on October 8, and the Yankees answered with a 6-2 win the next night. That set up Game 3 at Fenway: Roger Clemens, the ex-Red Sox ace who'd left for New York in free agency, against Pedro, Boston's ace and emotional center. (You couldn't have scripted a more loaded matchup if you tried.) Martinez and the Yankees already had history -- brushback pitches, hard feelings, years of it. This was the pot finally boiling over.
The Pitch, The Gesture
Fourth inning. Yankees leading 3-2, bases loaded, nobody out. Martinez hit Karim Garcia with a pitch near the shoulder -- plate umpire Joe West ruled it a legitimate hit-by-pitch rather than a checked swing, which only threw gasoline on it. Words flew between Martinez and the Yankees dugout. Then Martinez turned toward catcher Jorge Posada, who was chirping at him, and jabbed a finger into the side of his own head. Watch your head next time. That's how everybody read it, including the guy about to lose his mind in the Yankees dugout.
Zimmer Charges
One half-inning later, Manny Ramirez took exception to a high Clemens fastball that wasn't particularly close to hitting him and charged the mound. Both benches emptied. And in the middle of that scrum, Don Zimmer -- 72 years old, Yankees bench coach, a baseball lifer since 1949 -- ran straight at Martinez and took a swing at him. (Zim had been in professional baseball longer than most of the players on that field had been alive.) Martinez sidestepped, grabbed Zimmer by the head, and put him on the ground.
Every TV in New York and Boston was locked on it live. Teammates and coaches pulled Zimmer up, walked him off, and got him to a hospital as a precaution -- he was treated and released the same night, back on the bench days later. The Yankees, somehow, still had a game to finish: they hung on and won 4-3, with Clemens getting the win and Mariano Rivera closing it out.
It Wasn't Even the Only Fight That Night
Later in the same game, a separate brawl broke out in the Fenway bullpen. Yankees reliever Jeff Nelson and Garcia -- who hopped the fence to get in on it -- tangled with a part-time Red Sox groundskeeper who'd been cheering for Boston from inside the Yankees' bullpen. (Rooting for the home team from inside the visiting bullpen -- bold move.) Prosecutors charged Nelson and Garcia with assault and battery that December; both took a 2004 probation deal and did community service to get the charges dismissed. Same night, two separate fights.
The Bill Comes Due
MLB fined Martinez $50,000, Manny Ramirez $25,000, Garcia $10,000, and Zimmer $5,000 -- Bob Watson, baseball's VP of on-field discipline, handed those down after reviewing the tape. Commissioner Bud Selig called himself "very disappointed" in the whole night. MLB skipped suspensions entirely. Fines only, then everybody went back to playing a series that still had four games left in it.
Zimmer held a press conference the next day and didn't dodge it. "I told the whole world I was wrong and that I was embarrassed by what I'd done," he said, adding he was embarrassed "for the Yankees, the Red Sox, the fans, the umpires and my family." A 72-year-old man owning up to charging a professional pitcher -- that's Zimmer in a sentence.
Martinez has spent years saying the same thing from the other side. He's called throwing Zimmer to the ground the "only regret" of his entire career -- "that's the only blemish I would love to erase." Coming from a guy who never backed down from a hitter in his life, that admission carries weight.
What It Means Now
The series went the full seven games, and the Yankees won it on Aaron Boone's walk-off homer off Tim Wakefield five days later -- you can read that one here. But Zimmer hitting the Fenway grass is the image that gets pulled up every time this rivalry needs a reminder of how personal it got. Twenty-plus years on, it's still the answer when somebody asks what 2003 actually felt like.
| Final Score | Yankees 4, Red Sox 3 |
| Starting Pitchers | Roger Clemens (NYY) vs. Pedro Martinez (BOS) |
| WP / LP / SV | Clemens (W), Martinez (L), Rivera (SV) |
| Zimmer Fine | $5,000 |
| Martinez Fine | $50,000 |
| Attendance | 34,209 |
Series Opens
The Red Sox win Game 1 at Yankee Stadium, 5-2.
Yankees Even It Up
New York answers with a 6-2 win in Game 2. Series tied 1-1 heading to Fenway.
Martinez Hits Garcia
Bases loaded, nobody out, Yankees leading 3-2. Pedro Martinez hits Karim Garcia with a pitch. Words are exchanged; Martinez gestures toward his own head while looking at Jorge Posada.
Benches Clear
Manny Ramirez charges Roger Clemens over a high pitch. Both benches and bullpens empty.
Zimmer Charges the Mound
72-year-old Yankees bench coach Don Zimmer runs at Martinez and swings. Martinez throws him to the ground. Zimmer is taken to a hospital as a precaution and released that night.
Bullpen Brawl
A separate fight breaks out in the Fenway bullpen between Jeff Nelson, Karim Garcia, and a Red Sox groundskeeper. Yankees win the game, 4-3.
MLB Hands Down Fines
Martinez, Ramirez, Garcia, and Zimmer are all fined. No suspensions are issued.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happened between Don Zimmer and Pedro Martinez in the 2003 ALCS?
During a bench-clearing brawl in Game 3 of the 2003 ALCS on October 11, 2003, at Fenway Park, 72-year-old Yankees bench coach Don Zimmer charged at Red Sox pitcher Pedro Martinez and swung at him. Martinez sidestepped, grabbed Zimmer by the head, and threw him to the ground. Zimmer was taken to a hospital as a precaution and released the same night.
What started the brawl in Game 3 of the 2003 ALCS?
Pedro Martinez hit Yankees outfielder Karim Garcia with a pitch in the fourth inning with the bases loaded, sparking a shouting match. Martinez then gestured toward his own head while looking at catcher Jorge Posada, widely read as a threat. The benches fully cleared one half-inning later when Manny Ramirez charged Roger Clemens over a high pitch.
Was Pedro Martinez suspended for throwing Don Zimmer to the ground?
No. MLB fined Martinez $50,000, Manny Ramirez $25,000, Karim Garcia $10,000, and Don Zimmer $5,000, but no suspensions were issued to anyone involved in the incident.
What was the final score of Game 3 of the 2003 ALCS?
The Yankees won 4-3 at Fenway Park. Roger Clemens got the win, Pedro Martinez took the loss, and Mariano Rivera earned the save. The series was tied 1-1 entering the game.
Did Don Zimmer and Pedro Martinez ever talk about the incident again?
Yes. Zimmer apologized publicly the next day, saying he was "embarrassed" by what he'd done. Martinez later called throwing Zimmer to the ground the "only regret" of his career in multiple interviews.