Pittsburgh Pirates’ Brandon Inge gets into altercation with fan
By Matt Shetler
Many may wonder when exactly Brandon Inge will make his Pittsburgh Pirates debut, but he found his way into the news while working his way back to the majors.
March 14, 2013; Clearwater, FL, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman Brandon Inge (78) throws the ball to first for an out during the fifth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Bright House Networks Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
As he works on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Indianapolis, Inge was reportedly the victim of an abusive and idiotic fan Tuesday night, which nearly ignited a brawl between Inge and the fan.
The Toledo Blade described the incident.
"According to eyewitness reports, in the early innings of the contest the unidentified fan was throwing peanuts at the Indians’ Brandon Inge, who spent significant time with both the Detroit Tigers and Hens.Before the fifth inning began, the fan came to railing on the far side of the Indianapolis dugout and exchanged words with Inge. A number of Inge’s teammates came to his defense, with several attempting to jump the railing that separated them from the fan. The fan was escorted out of the ballpark but attempted to throw beer on the Indians before leaving."
Before signing with the Pirates, Inge spent the majority of his professional career in the Tigers’ system. That included 177 games for the Triple-A Toledo Mud Hens.
This is just a case of a fan acting out of line public, like we have never seen that before.
Luckily things didn’t escalate any further than they did.