Unlike most other team sports , in which teams usually have an equivalent number of players on the field at any given time , in baseball the hitting team is at a numerical disadvantage , with a maximum of five players ( batter , up to three runners , and on-deck batter ) and two base coaches on the field at any time , compared to the fielding team 's nine players . For this reason , leaving the dugout to join a fight is generally considered acceptable in that it results in numerical equivalence on the field , a fairer fight , and a generally neutral outcome , as in most cases , managers and/or umpires will intervene to restore order and resume the game . In at least one case ( the infamous Ten Cent Beer Night promotion ) , one team ( the Cleveland Indians , who were the home team ) left its dugout to defend the other ( the Texas Rangers , the visiting team ) from its own fans ( who had stormed the field ) . Depending on the severity of the unsportsmanlike conduct , an umpire may or may not eject a brawl 's participants . Since a bench-clearing brawl by definition involves '' everyone '' on both teams , it is exceedingly unlikely that all participants will be ejected , but the player or players responsible for the precipitating event are often ejected . Fines and suspensions generally result and are issued at a later date
Ten Cent Beer Night
Ten Cent Beer Night
Bench-clearing brawl