Major League Baseball is often referred to as “America’s pastime”. However, one thing about America, is that we love to hate. MLB players are no exception to this, and over the almost 150 years of the MLB fans have seen dozens of players that absolutely hate each other. Rivalry is what fosters the growth of sport; however, this list crosses the line from rivalry into pure spite.
Here are ten pairs of MLB players that absolutely hate each other.
10. Evan Longoria and B.J Upton
The Tampa Bay Rays’ success in the 2000’s was aided by the solid play of outfielder B.J Upton and third baseman Evan Longoria. While they may have been important on the field, what’s more important is the hatred that these two had for each other. Both players were fighting to be the face of the franchise, and a rivalry emerged between the two star players. In 2010, Longoria called out Upton, claiming he was “lazy” and questioned his effort throughout the season.
The two feuded some more and the frustration ultimately fizzled over when Upton jogged after a groundball hit into deep mid-field, then lobbed it back into play. Longoria got into Upton’s face when the team returned to the dugout, and teammates had to separate the two to present the altercation from becoming physical.
9. Freddie Freeman and Ronald Acuna Jr.
Championship caliber teams hold each other to a high standard. Because of this, frustration forms due to a constant pressure to be perfect. After the Atlanta Braves won the World Series in 2021, Freddie Freeman left the team, claiming he disliked the team’s management, and overall culture. Freeman was known to have an overbearing, and almost perfectionist attitude. This led to earn a sort of resentment from his teammates. When asked about what Acuna Jr. would miss about Freeman’s departure, Acuna Jr. said “nothing”, and cited Freeman’s overbearing attitude that he has carried with him since his first season.
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Freeman went on to end his career with two more All-star selections as a member of the Dodgers to add to the six he already had. Acuna has gone on to be a star player for the Braves and has made three consecutive All-star lists.
8. Ty Cobb and Sam Crawford
Old-school baseball rivalries are often times the most intense. Back when players would call each other “buddy” and “pal” to get under each others’ skin. In the case of the Detroit Tigers, Sam Crawford was initially a mentor for Ty Cobb. However, Cobb eclipsed Crawford as one of the team’s star outfielders.
Not wanting to be overshadowed by a player six years younger than him, Crawford openly called for the downfall of his former mentee. Cobb returned these comments to Crawford, and the friction got to the point where the teammates would push each other out of the way to catch fly balls. They probably called each other “buddy” and “pal” too.
7. Avisail Garcia and Prince Fielder
Sticking with the Detroit Tigers; in the 2013 season there were rumors circling that Tigers’ outfielder Avisail Garcia and Prince Fielder’s wife were having an affair. Miguel Cabrera, a teammate of Garcia and Fielder helped Fielder confront Garcia about the supposed affair. Sources claim that Miguel Cabrera was injured while trying to break up a physical altercation between Garcia and Fielder. There was a seven-year age difference between Garcia and Fielder, and both players had only short stints with the Tigers.
Following the fight, Garcia was traded to the Chicago White Sox. Subsequently, Fielder was traded to the Texas Rangers at the end of the year. There was never any confirmation on whether the affair was actually happening or if players were just blowing smoke. But these, these players hate each other none the less.
6. Barry Bonds and Jeff Kent
Two of the best batters that the MLB had seen had a hard time keeping their egos to themselves. After gaining a reputation for himself, Kent started butting heads with seven-time MVP Barry Bonds. Bonds had been with the San Francisco Giants since 1993 and had earned an All-star nod every year since he had been with the team.
As arguably two of the best players at their position, the two had developed large egos that created a feud with the other person. In addition to their egos, Bonds felt that his accomplishments spoke for themselves, and he didn’t need to conform to the norms of the game. Conversely, Kent took Baseball traditions very seriously, and often times people found his commitment to the game annoying. In 2002, this feud that had been simmering for a couple years finally boiled over when Kent and Bonds had a fight on the field. Ironically, after the scuffle Bonds and Kent both went on to hit a home run.
5. Gerrit Cole and Trevor Bauer
The beef between Gerrit Cole and Trevor Bauer started back at UCLA, when the then college teammates were complete opposites. Supposedly, Gerrit Cole shot an insult to Trevor Bauer, despite Cole being known as a quiet person, and Bauer as a smart mouth. Regardless of their personalities, Cole called out Bauer on being a smart mouth, and told him he had no future in Baseball. Cole was wrong, however, and Bauer went on to play ten seasons in the MLB. Despite both going pro, these two were never teammates in the MLB which is good because these two hate each other.
4. Jonathan Papelbon and Bryce Harper
In 2015 as a member of the Washington Nationals, Bryce Harper hit a pop fly; knowing he was going to be rule out, he didn’t exactly do his best to make it onto base. When Harper returned to the dugout, he was greeted by teammate Jonathan Papelbon who said some choice words to Harper.
The two continued to argue, then Papelbon grabbed Harper around the neck and started choking him. The outfall from the incident continued to affect the clubhouse for the next few days, and the two players continued to get into arguments, which brought team morale down.
3. Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter
One of the biggest battles in Baseball wasn’t between two teams, but instead between two teammates. As members of different teams, Alex Rodriguez poked the bear, and dissed his then friend Derek Jeter in a handful of interviews, claiming he “didn’t do the power numbers”. The feeling was mutual, and after receiving multiple disses from A-Rod, the friendship was over, and Jeter was less than excited when Rodriguez joined Jeter’s Yankees.
The feud between the two got so bad that the general manager literally begged Jeter to fake a good relationship with Rodriguez. Years later the two still hate each other, and in 2017 when the Yankees retired Jeter’s Jersey, Rodriguez never showed up as one final “screw you” to his enemy.
2. Joe Tinker and Johnny Evers
Tinker and Evers are now Hall of Fame teammates, but their feud began in 1905 when the two engaged in a fist fight on the field. Supposedly, Evers had taken a cab to the stadium and left his teammates behind in a hotel. Tinker did not like this selfish act one bit, and he didn’t speak to Evers for seven years.
The weird part is, during this time the two still worked together as a double play machine and won two world series all without speaking to each other. Their feud lasted for 33 years, and the two finally ended their beef in 1937 when they helped present a plaque in honor of their deceased manager who had passed away yeas prior to their reunion.
1. Yasiel Puig and the Entire Dodger’s Roster
Yasiel Puig never seemed to fit in with his Dodgers teammates, with one anonymous Dodger going as far to say that Yasiel is the “worst person I’ve ever seen in this game”. There are multiple reports of Puig getting into altercations with teammates, and in 2015 there was a consensus amongst players that removing Puig from the team would be beneficial, despite him being one of the best talents in Baseball.
Puig’s attitude was a problem in LA and was benched in the fifth inning of a game for throwing his bat in frustration after a strikeout. He was also benched in 2014 for showing up late to Dodger stadium. In 2014, the Dodgers were on a trip to Chicago, when teammate Zack Greinke hopped off the bus, grabbed Puig’s luggage and chucked it into the road. This almost caused a brawl amongst players, but those with calmer attitudes were able to diffuse the situation.
