Charging the mound

[2] The first incidence of a professional charging of the mound has not been identified, but the practice dates back to the game's early days.

Though serious injuries have occurred from charging in the past, usually fights are either broken up or joined by all other players so the conflict turns into posturing and name-calling; in baseball parlance, this is known as a rhubarb.

There is long-standing etiquette in baseball regarding what is an acceptable offense to warrant a beaning, and there are similar unwritten rules for charging in response to being hit.

[citation needed] Whereas suspensions in the past were rare and usually short, Commissioner Fay Vincent and his successor Bud Selig reacted harshly to instances of both beaning and charging during their respective tenures.

Recently, most incidents which have caused the benches to clear under Rob Manfred's commissionership have been met with large fines and lengthy suspensions.