Many of the great baseball brawls have been sparked by hitters charging the pitcher’s mound after getting beaned in the lower back – or even worse – the head.

It’s never a good idea to charge a mound. Batters usually become irate and no longer think clearly. The batter must remember that it is never a fair fight when charging the mound. By the time the hitter reaches the mound the infield is around the pitcher. Now it’s a five on one fight.

In this example, Izzy Alcántara understood these odds all too well. So before he charged the mound he goes Karate Kid on the catcher. The batter must get his shots in fast, and hope that his team has left the dug out to help him.

However, the best mound-charging experience goes to Nolan Ryan. Watch him as he goes Chuck Liddell on Robin Ventura.

0:05 – Ventura takes a fast ball to the back.
0:06 – Ventura is fired up! Throws his bat down. I don’t understand, you are going to a fight and you drop a bat?
0:08 – His sprint comes to a halt. He has past the point of no return. He must fight.
0:10 – Ventura walks into a Ryan head lock and now begins to take shots to head and face.
0:14 – Still taking shots to the head and face.
0:22 – Now it’s a good old-fashioned brawl.
0:33 – Ventura looks dazed and confused.
0:56 – The proper way to hold someone back.
1:14 – Nolan Ryan is your winner.

But not all pitchers are as tough as Nolan Ryan. As we travel across the ocean to a professional Japanese baseball game. This pitcher Girl Scout has no desire to stay and fight.

But most pitchers are always down to fight and won’t back down when approached by a pissed off batter. Randy “The Big Unit” Johnson offers the best advice for all pitchers:

“I am the Intimidator, he (the batter) is the Intimidatee.”