a timely fashion, forfeited the game to Texas. He too was a victim of the rioters, as one struck and cut his head with part of a stadium seat and his hand was cut by a thrown rock. He later called the fans "uncontrollable beasts" and stated that he'd never seen anything like what had happened "except in a zoo". The rioting continued for 20 minutes. As Joe Tait and Herb Score called the riot live on radio, Score noted the security guards' inability to handle the crowd. Tait said, "Aw, this is absolute tragedy." The Cleveland Division of Police finally arrived to restore order, arresting nine fans. Indians players escorted the Rangers to the team bus. A local sportswriter, Dan Coughlin of the Chronicle-Telegram, attempted to interview fans but was punched in the face twice. Cleveland general manager Phil Seghi blamed the umpires for losing control of the game. The Sporting News wrote that "Seghi's perspective might have been different had he been in Chylak's shoes, in the midst of knife-wielding, bottle-throwing, chair-tossing, fist-swinging drunks". American League president Lee MacPhail commented, "There was no question that beer played a part in the riot." The next Beer Night promotion on July 18 attracted 41,848 fans with beer again selling for 10 cents per cup but with a limit of two cups per person at the reduced price. Box score Notable attendees Among the Indians players fleeing was outfielder Rusty Torres. In his career, Torres wound up seeing three big-league baseball riots close up (all of which resulted in forfeits); in addition to this game, he had been with the New York Yankees at the Senators' final game in Washington in 1971, and he would be with the Chicago White Sox during the infamous Disco Demolition Night in 1979. NBC newscaster Tim Russert, then a student at the Cleveland–Marshall College of Law, attended the game. "I went with $2 in my pocket," recalled the Meet the Press host. "You do the math." See also Bottlegate, a 2001 Cleveland Browns game ended early due to unruly fan behavior Bounty Bowl Disco Demolition Night Forfeit (baseball) for a list of similar events Hooliganism References External links Box score and play-by-play at Retrosheet 1974 in sports in Ohio 1974 Major League Baseball season 1970s in Cleveland 20th century in Arlington, Texas Alcohol abuse in the United States Cleveland Indians Drinking culture Hooliganism June 1974