5 MLB teammates who hated each other
When you're playing in the MLB, it is not always the case that you get along with your teammates. In fact, baseball history is rife with examples of players who could not stand each other. In a setting where egos take a front-row seat, it can often be the case that rivalies can devolve into all-out hatred and ill will.
Often, fans do not know half of what is going on behind closed doors and inside clubhouses. Here are five MLB teammates who hated each other.
5 MLB teammates who did not get along
#1 Evan Longoria and B.J. Upton, Tampa Bay Rays
The Tampa Bay Rays were one of the best teams in the MLB throughout the early to mid-2000s. The two players central to their success were outfielder B.J. Upton and third baseman Evan Longoria. Unfortunately, they did not get on well at all. As both players were top producers, a rivalry emerged. In 2010, Evan Longoria called out Upton for being "lazy." Upton took offense and charged Longoria in the dugout. The feud fizzled out until Upton eventually went to the Braves in 2013.
#2 Freddie Freeman and Ronald Acuna Jr., Atlanta Braves
Even championship MLB teams can have hidden feuds unfolding within them. After the Atlanta Braves won the World Series in 2021, Freeman left the club citing issues with management and the general team culture. Following Freeman's departure, Acuna Jr. was asked what he would miss about the former MVP. "Nothing" was what Acuna Jr. replied, referencing Freeman's overbearing attitude toward him that began as a rookie.
#3 Ty Cobb and Sam Crawford, Detroit Tigers
Old-time baseball rivalries are often the most fierce. Antics and pettiness that players simply would not get away with today were commonplace on the MLB fields of old.
Ty Cobb, Joe Jackson and Sam Crawford chatting https://t.co/wK8kTltqr9
"Ty Cobb, Joe Jackson and Sam Crawford chatting" - @ Baseball in Pics
One such old-time rivalry was between Ty Cobb and Sam Crawford of the Detroit Tigers. Initially a mentor, Crawford was eclipsed by Cobb, seven years his junior. It got so bad that the two would openly call for each other's failure and push each other aside in attempts to catch fly balls.
#2 Avisail Garcia and Prince Fielder, Detroit Tigers
Another Motor City meltdown. During the 2013 season, rumors began that Tigers outfielder Avisail Garcia was having an affair with the wife of first baseman Prince Fielder. Miguel Cabrera, a veteran, allegedly took it upon himself to stick up for Fielder and confront his countryman, Garcia, in the Tigers locker room. Apparently, Miggy injured himself as the skirmish came to blows. Garcia was promptly traded to the Chicago White Sox shortly before the season ended.
#1 Barry Bonds and Jeff Kent, San Francisco Giants
Two of the most prolific hitters of their time evidently had trouble containing their mammoth-sized egos.
06/25/2002: teammates (2000 MVP) Jeff Kent and (1990, 1992, 1993, 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004 MVP) Barry Bonds fight it out and then later both homer but the Padres would go on to defeat the Giants 10-7. @PadresHistory baseball-reference.com/boxes/SDN/SDN2… https://t.co/BQvRgqMIyE
"06/25/2002: teammates (2000 MVP) Jeff Kent and (1990, 1992, 1993, 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004 MVP) Barry Bonds fight it out and then later both homer but the Padres would go on to defeat the Giants 10-7." - @ Brad B
Kent joined the San Francisco Giants as a 29-year-old in 1997. By that time, Bonds had been with the club since 1993 and been an MLB MVP three times already. The fact that they did not like each other was put on display for all to see during a game in 2022 when they began shoving each other during a regular season match. It can only be surmised that two MVP-quality players might have dueling egos.
It's not really surprising to see rivalries develop, and in some situations, it is bound to happen. Imagine spending six months of the year in very close day-to-day interations with a group of 25 others. Some drama is bound to happen.
Can you think of any teammate rivalries in the MLB we missed? Let us know in the comments below.