May 11, 1996: John Franco ejected after Mets, Cubs engage in bench-clearing brawl on ‘John Franco Day’

John Franco, described over the years as having a “wise-guy smile” and “look[ing] more like the owner of a pizza joint than a pro athlete,” typically didn’t appear until the later rounds. Aside from a fourth-and-fifth-inning relief mission as a Cincinnati Reds rookie in 1984, the son of a sanitation worker from Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, had begun all his major-league outings no earlier than the sixth. His jogs in from the bullpen to the tune of Chuck Berry’s “Johnny B. Goode,” while sporting an orange New York City Department of Sanitation T-shirt under his Mets orange-and-blue, had colored many of Shea Stadium’s ninths since 1990.

Yet on “John Franco Day,” the southpaw closer made his presence known sooner than usual.1

Pregame festivities on May 11, 1996, honored Franco for his 300th career save. He had reached the milestone on Monday, April 29, and had overtaken seventh place all-time with his 301st at almost 10 PM. on Friday, May 10. The decision to hold a Saturday afternoon ceremony at Shea allowed him to celebrate face-to-face with more people – including blue-collar Bensonhurst’s early-to-bed, early-to-rise masses, on a day that respected their Monday-to-Friday grind. As he’d told Sports Illustrated in 1988: “I don’t want to forget where I grew up.”2

After the cheers, trophy-giving, handshakes, backslaps, and waves, a crowd of 23,237 awaited Franco’s 302nd. But with a 79-degree game-time temperature marking Shea’s hottest of the season at that point, heated moments got in the way.

The Mets had a rollercoaster first inning. The Chicago Cubs, winless for six days, scored two runs in the top half: on a standup double by Brian McRae and a home run by Sammy Sosa, Sosa’s 10th in what became his then-career-best 40-homer season. In the bottom half, a single by José Vizcaíno and a walk to Bernard Gilkey brought up Todd Hundley, eight home runs into his career-best 41-homer year.

Hundley, according to Cubs starter Kevin Foster, was standing too close to home plate. The pitcher threw a two-strike fastball near Hundley’s head, prompting the cleanup hitter to duck. Foster insisted that he only wanted the pitch to nudge Hundley off home plate, not hit him.3 But Mets starter Pete Harnisch said Foster’s explanation didn’t matter, “not when the ball is at someone’s freakin’ head.”4

Hundley popped out, but Rico Brogna tried making up for it. Following Foster’s high pickoff throw that escaped second base and advanced Gilkey and Vizcaíno, Brogna lined a single to left field. It didn’t give New York the lead, as a homer by Hundley would have done, but it evened the score.

Harnisch plotted his own score-settling. In line with a then-common code among players – a hit-by-pitch for a hit-by-pitch – his first delivery to Foster in the Chicago second struck the number-nine hitter’s left elbow. Asked later if he meant to hit Foster, Harnisch said, “I’d rather not answer that.”5

Home-plate umpire Greg Bonin did not issue a warning. After striking out McRae to strand Foster, Harnisch prepared for his upcoming at-bat, expecting to get plunked at some point before his outing was done.6

But the Cubs didn’t retaliate, at least not yet. A walk to Butch Huskey and a full-count single by rookie shortstop Rey Ordóñez, which sent Huskey to third base, presented enough trouble for Foster. Drilling Harnisch now would have loaded the bases with no outs. “You certainly don’t want to hit the batter in this spot,” said Mets broadcaster Ralph Kiner on WWOR-TV.

Harnisch, temporarily spared, advanced Ordóñez with a sacrifice. Later that inning, Gilkey singled to left-center, scoring both Ordóñez and Huskey. Mets 4, Cubs 2.

Tensions briefly resurfaced at the end of Chicago’s scoreless third. After his frame-ending groundout, Cubs catcher Scott Servais confronted Harnisch, his friend since their four years as Houston Astros teammates: “Why do you gotta hit Kevin? We’re not throwing at Todd.”7

Harnisch didn’t answer.

The New York third yielded more actions than words. Brogna homered to deep left, his fourth round-tripper of the season. A walk to Jeff Kent knocked Foster from the game. Off Cubs rookie reliever Rodney Myers, Huskey singled and Ordóñez was intentionally walked. Bases were loaded.

The situation allowed Harnisch one more reprieve. As hitting the Mets’ starter would have only widened Chicago’s deficit, Myers shied away from throwing inside. On a down-the-middle pitch, Harnisch grounded to first baseman Mark Grace, who threw Kent out at home.

A sacrifice fly by Lance Johnson one batter later gave New York a four-run edge.

Brogna almost widened the lead. A fourth-inning shot to right-center field nearly became his second home run of the day. Comedian and Mets fan Jerry Seinfeld, visiting Kiner and Tim McCarver in the WWOR booth, offered play-by-play: “It’s going back. It’s against the wall. Oh, it’s off the wall! … He’s going for three. There won’t be a play, and he’s in for a triple!” But the triple went for nothing, as Kent grounded out to end the inning.

The margin shrunk by one in the Chicago fifth. A home run by Grace cleared the right-field fence, making the score 6-3. Noting the afternoon’s breeze – 12 mph to the right at game time – Seinfeld said, “I think he had a little help there with the wind.”

Harnisch retired the next two Cubs. Reliever Terry Adams retired the next two Mets.

Which brought up Harnisch, prompting Chicago’s revenge. With no Mets baserunners to threaten the Cubs this time, Adams threw a fastball behind Harnisch’s leg. Umpire Bonin finally warned both teams not to escalate the conflict. Too late.

A 16-minute brawl ensued.

Though Seinfeld had left the announcers’ booth minutes earlier, the scene held the absurdity of his self-titled sitcom. Harnisch slapped Servais in the face.8 Servais tackled Harnisch. Grace ran to break up the fight unsuccessfully. Benches and bullpens cleared. Cubs and Mets dogpiled. Brogna was pinned against the wall of the opposing team’s dugout.9 “We had some born-again Christian guys throwing haymakers and stuff,” Harnisch recalled. “It got pretty biblical.”10

Also involved was the day’s honoree. John Franco escaped with a cut under his eye. The 35-year-old denied hitting anyone, saying he was “too old to be doing that kind of stuff” and was “just holding guys.”11 Nonetheless, the umpires ejected him.

Eight others also were ejected. From the Cubs: Servais, Leo Gómez, Scott Bullett, and Turk Wendell. From the Mets: Harnisch, Hundley, Blas Minor, and bullpen coach Steve Swisher.12

The ejectees returned to quiet clubhouses. In underwear and a T-shirt, Franco broke the silence to Harnisch: “John Franco Day. You got me thrown out on damn John Franco Day.”

The two broke out in laughter.13

As play continued, the Mets faced serious concerns. The Franco-less bullpen struggled. Dave Mlicki surrendered two eighth-inning singles, including one to Luis Gonzalez, who later reached third and scored on a 5-4-3 double play. Mlicki started the ninth by allowing a single to McRae and walking Ryne Sandberg. After left-hander Bob MacDonald came in solely to face the lefty-hitter Grace, who flied out to right field, the Cubs greeted substitute closer Doug Henry with a double steal. The tying run was now in scoring position.

Three batters later, with two outs and the Mets a strike from winning, José Hernández tied it. His single to center field scored McRae and Sandberg. New York’s four-run lead was gone, as was Henry’s save opportunity. Mets 6, Cubs 6.

Franco could only watch. But for the melee, he said later, “I could have been out there in the ninth.”14

Then New York’s fortunes brightened. A groundout by Brian Dorsett, batting in the spot of the ejected Gómez, stranded Chicago’s go-ahead runner at third. As the Mets came to bat, rightward winds strengthened. Despite nursing a punched cheek and bruised forearm, Rico Brogna was still in the game.15

Brogna, already 3-for-4, connected again. He took reliever Doug Jones to deep right field.16 Wind carried the ball. Right fielder Sosa jumped at the wall in vain. Brogna’s second home run of the afternoon was the game-winner.

Mets players sprang from the bench once more, to high-five their teammate. Among them was Henry, listed as the winning pitcher thanks to Brogna’s homer. Losing pitcher Jones, with his earned-run average now at 5.40, lowered his head.17

League officials issued more punishments for the fifth-inning mess. Harnisch was suspended eight games and fined $1,000. Swisher received a two-game suspension and $500 fine. The other Mets fined were Franco ($750), Minor ($500), Paul Byrd ($500), and Hundley ($350). Five Cubs were fined: Servais ($500), Adams ($500), Bullett ($500), Wendell ($750), and Gómez ($350).18

Harnisch and Servais didn’t speak for months, but they eventually reconciled. “It was a hot day,” the Mets’ starter said years later. “Cooler heads did not prevail, for the moment. They have now.”19

And the day’s namesake got a do-over of sorts. Three years later, shortly after Franco’s 400th save, New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani proclaimed April 27, 1999, “John Franco Day.” Franco, who ultimately retired in 2005 with 424 saves, received a key to the city on the steps of City Hall.20

This time, no fights.

Acknowledgments

This article was fact-checked by Bruce Slutsky and copy-edited by Mike Eisenbath. Additional thanks to Gary Belleville, Kurt Blumenau, and John Fredland for their input.

Photo credit: John Franco, Trading Card Database.

Sources

In addition to the sources cited in the Notes, the author consulted game telecasts from WWOR-TV and WGN-TV, available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xoJXs2Coxhg.

The author also used Baseball-Reference.com and Retrosheet.org for the box score and other material.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NYN/NYN199605110.shtml

https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1996/B05110NYN1996.htm

Notes 

1 For his descriptions of Franco, the author consulted these sources: Hank Hersch, “A Hometown Hero: Reliever John Franco Eats Up Batters for Cincinnati, but His Heart – and Stomach – Belong to Brooklyn,” Sports Illustrated, May 15, 1989, available at https://web.archive.org/web/20131231204752/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1068387/1/index.htm; Barry Stanton, “Special Day for Franco,” Journal News (Westchester County, New York), April 28, 1999: 2C; James Kannengieser, “My Hate/Love Relationship with John Franco,” Amazin’ Avenue, January 7, 2011, https://www.amazinavenue.com/2011/1/7/1920285/my-hate-love-relationship-with-john-franco; “11 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About John Franco,” Mets Insider Blog, October 16, 2018, https://metsinsider.mlblogs.com/11-things-you-probably-didnt-know-about-john-franco-621a808553d4?gi=8ffbcbbcee1c.

2 Hersch.

3 Jason Diamos, “Last Licks Count Most for Brogna and Mets,” New York Times, May 12, 1996: S7.

4 Gene Wojciechowski, “At Least, Cubs Are Fighting,” Chicago Tribune, May 12, 1996: 3-3.

5 Diamos.

6 Hank Gola, “Mets by KO: 9 Ejected, Rico HR Wins It,” New York Daily News, May 12, 1996: 68.

7 Wojciechowski.

8 This wasn’t the first brawl Harnisch had instigated, nor the first to prompt his ejection and suspension. While with the Houston Astros on June 24, 1992, he threw a ball behind the Cincinnati Reds’ Reggie Sanders, spawning a bench-clearing fight. The ’92 skirmish led to Harnisch’s first of two career ejections, as well as a three-game suspension. See Jayne Custred, “Ott, Harnisch See Red Over Fines, Suspensions,” Houston Chronicle, July 8, 1992: 4C.

9 Gola.

10 Larry Stone, “Buddies at Brawl: The Day Scott Servais, Pete Harnisch Will Never Forget,” Seattle Times online, March 12, 2016, https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/mariners/buddies-at-brawl/.

11 Robert Cassidy, “9 Are Ejected After Fifth-Inning Brawl,” Newsday (Long Island, New York), May 12, 1996: B13.

12 Due to the ejections, Dave Mlicki took over for Harnisch, pitching and batting in the number-nine spot. Brent Mayne replaced Hundley, catching and batting fourth in the Mets’ order. For the Cubs, Brian Dorsett replaced Servais as catcher and Gómez as the number-seven batter. José Hernández took Servais’s number-six spot and substituted for Gómez at third base.

13 Stone.

14 Diamos.

15 Diamos.

16 Jones had pitched a one-two-three eighth inning.

17 The Cubs released the 38-year-old Jones five weeks later, on June 15, 1996. He signed a new contract that July with the Milwaukee Brewers, who had drafted him in 1978. He retired after the 2000 season.

18 “Mets’ Harnisch Is Suspended,” New York Times, May 15, 1996: B13.

19 Stone.

20 Stanton. As of May 2026, Franco ranks seventh among major-league pitchers in career saves.