June 4 is the 39th anniversary of the “Ten Cent Beer Night”--an infamous moment in baseball history when the Cleveland Indians offered cups of Stroh’s to fans for only 10 cents each.
On June 4, 1974, The Indians hosted the Texas Rangers, drawing tens of thousands of fans on the beer promotion alone. It was estimated that more than 25,000 fans were in attendance, or more than double the average season attendance.
However, the ballpark erupted into chaos as many fans became extremely intoxicated due to the proliferation of cheap beer. The chaos turned into a riot in the ninth inning, which caused both teams to forfeit the game.
Apparently, a fan ran onto the field and stole Texas outfielder Jeff Burrough’s hat. Manager Billy Martin thought he was getting attacked and charged the field with his players, as reported by ESPN in 2008.
This caused fans to pour onto the field, causing a riot.
Now, Cleveland bar Now That’s Class will offer 10 cent beers on Tuesday night, according to Clevescene.com.
