“Throwing the helmet, that’s a wrong thing. It’s a chicken s*** move” - When Richie Sexson opened up on attacking Kason Gabbard after an inside pitch
Former Milwaukee Brewers slugger Richie Sexson was one of the biggest players to ever don an MLB uniform. At 6'7", Sexson was a massive presence on the field, however, the hulking two-time All-Star also had a temper that could get the best of him from time to time.
One such occasion came in 2008 when he was a member of the Seattle Mariners. During a divisional matchup against the Texas Rangers, Sexson let his anger get the better of him. Pitcher Kason Gabbard was on the mound for the Rangers, and after one of his pitches went too close to Sexson, he soon found himself face-to-face with the burly Mariner.
While rushing to the mound, the furious Mariners slugger threw his helmet at Gabbard. Sexson's helmet hit Gabbard in the back before taking him to the ground. Quickly, the altercation led to a bench-clearing brawl with a number of Texas Rangers getting to Sexson before his teammates could make it out.
The decision to throw his helmet is something that Sexson would later come to regret in an interview with ESPN in 2008.
“It’s a rage at that point, I mean you get out to the mound, I know throwing the helmet, that’s a wrong thing. It’s a chicken **** move," the Mariners slugger said.
Gabbard ended up on the IL with back stiffness, although he was unsure what led to the injury given the pile of bodies that was on top of him.
“I know in the end that wasn’t the right thing to do, but I lost it right there," Richie Sexson continued.
Following the altercation at the mound, as well as the decision to throw his helmet at Kason Gabbard, Sexson received a six-game suspension from the MLB, which was later dropped to five games following the appeal process.
Richie Sexson's MLB career came to an end later that same year
Although Richie Sexson was only 33 years old at the time of his brawl with Kason Gabbard and the Texas Rangers, he would find himself out of the MLB only a few months later. At the time of the fight with Gabbard, Sexson had struggled mightily at the plate, posting a .218 batting average with 11 home runs and a .696 OPS, leading to his release by the Seattle Mariners.
Nearly one week after his release, Sexson joined the New York Yankees, however, things did not improve at the dish. In only 22 games with the Yankees, Sexson managed only one home run and was released at the end of August 2008. That was the last time Richie Sexson appeared in the MLB.