Six days earlier, the Indians and the Rangers had been involved in a widely publicized bench-clearing brawl; the game therefore drew a rowdy and belligerent crowd.

As the game proceeded, on-field incidents and massive alcohol consumption further agitated the crowd, many of whom threw lit firecrackers, streaked across the playing field, and openly smoked marijuana.

Chief umpire Nestor Chylak declared the game to be forfeited in Texas's favor due to the mob's uncontrollable behavior.

[1] However, a bench-clearing brawl during the teams' previous meeting on May 29 at Arlington Stadium in Texas angered many Indians fans, who then harbored a grudge against the Rangers.

The trouble at Arlington began in the bottom of the fourth inning with a walk to the Rangers' Tom Grieve, followed by a Lenny Randle single.

Indians first baseman John Ellis responded by intercepting and punching Randle before he reached the base, and both benches emptied for a brawl.

In addition, The Plain Dealer printed a cartoon the day of the game showing Chief Wahoo holding a pair of boxing gloves with the caption, "Be ready for anything.

"[10] As Grieve hit his second home run of the game, a naked man sprinted to second base and slid in, "probably getting dirt in places unsuitable for speculation", in the words of one sportswriter.

Rangers first baseman Mike Hargrove was pelted with hot dogs and spat at, and at one point was nearly struck by an empty gallon jug of Thunderbird.

[10] As sportswriter Paul Jackson described in a 2008 article on the event:[10] Early on, the demand for beer surpassed the Indians' capacity to ferry it to concession stands, and a luminary, perhaps the same person who suggested the promotion in the first place, decided to allow fans to line up behind the outfield fences and have their cups filled directly from Stroh's company trucks.

The promotion achieved critical mass at that moment, as weaving, hooting queues of people refilled via industrial spigot.In the bottom of the ninth, the Indians managed to rally, tying the game 5–5, and had Rusty Torres on second base representing the potential winning run.

After the Indians had tied the game, a 19-year-old fan named Terry Yerkic[11] ran onto the field and attempted to steal Texas outfielder Jeff Burroughs' cap.

A large number of intoxicated fans—some armed with knives, chains, and clubs fashioned from portions of stadium seats that they had torn apart—surged onto the field, and others hurled bottles from the stands.

Rioters began throwing steel folding chairs, and Cleveland relief pitcher Tom Hilgendorf was hit in the head by one of them.

Rioters threw a vast array of objects, including cups, rocks, bottles, batteries from radios, hot dogs, popcorn containers, and folding chairs.