Former Red Sox pitcher Pedro Martinez, right, shocked the baseball world in 2003 when he grabbed 72-year-old Yankees bench coach Don Zimmer and threw him to the ground in Game 3 of the American League Championship Series (Associated Press)

Fresh off a flight from Detroit following a disappointing four-game split against the Tigers, the Toronto Blue Jays arrived at new Yankee Stadium on Tuesday night with baseball — and visions of knocking off first-place New York — in their heads.

There seemed little to fight for, considering they opened the two-game series out of playoff contention in the American League East Division, a whopping 27½ games behind the Yankees.

What transpired was a three-hour, 52-minute game won 10-4 by Toronto, which slugged five home runs en route to its 66th victory of the season. Wait, there's more.

The dugouts emptied twice, multiple punches were thrown and at least three players were seen bleeding from a 47-player, 10-coach, two-manager melee behind home plate in the eight inning.

The Blue Jays won't taste the post-season for the 16th consecutive year, but they will be remembered for being part of one of the biggest baseball brawls of 2009.

Tuesday's proceedings conjure up memories of some of the best tussles in major-league history. They include:

Don Zimmer vs. Pedro Martinez (Yankees vs. Red Sox — Oct. 12, 2003).

Even the casual major-league fan can't forget the sight of wiry Boston pitcher Pedro Martinez throwing portly Don Zimmer to the ground after the 72-year-old New York bench coach charged after the 32-year-old Martinez in Game 3 of the American League Championship Series.

Prior to the altercation, Martinez had thrown at a Yankee player. In the ninth inning, New York relief pitcher Jeff Nelson and outfielder Karim Garcia got into it with Red Sox groundskeeper Paul Williams in the bullpen.

For the record, former Red Sox pitcher Roger Clemens outduelled Martinez in a 4-3 win by the Yankees, who won the best-of-seven series with a 6-5, 11-inning win in Game 7.

Nolan Ryan vs. Robin Ventura (Texas Rangers vs. Chicago White Sox — Aug. 4, 1993).

Picture a 26-year-old batter getting plunked by a pitch on the right elbow for the second time in two weeks, slamming his batting helmet to the ground and charging the mound, where a 46-year-old grey-beard prepared to defend himself. No chance for the old guy, right?

Wrong. Rangers fireballer Nolan Ryan, who had a long reputation for throwing at hitters, locked White Sox third baseman Robin Ventura in a headlock and began flailing away with punches, landing five roundhouse shots in a row on his opponent's head.

Ryan was allowed to stay in the game after one of the nastiest, dirtiest brawls to hit Texas in recent memory, and was brilliant on the hill, leading the Rangers to a 5-2 victory.

Juan Marichal vs. John Roseboro (Dodgers vs. Giants — Aug. 22, 1965).

After knocking down Giants hitters Maury Wills and Ron Fairly with brushback pitches, Juan Marichal no doubt realized some payback would be coming his way when he came to the plate in the third inning. But little did he know it would come from San Francisco catcher John Roseboro.

"I tried a knockdown from behind the plate, throwing the ball close to his nose when I returned it to the pitcher," recalled Roseboro. "I expected Marichal to attack me in some way. If he had said anything to me, I had studied karate, and I was ready to annihilate him."

Instead, Marichal clubbed Roseboro on the head with his bat when one of the catcher's throws came too close to his ear, opening up a nearly six-centimetre gash that required 14 stitches and ignited a 14-minute brawl.

Marichal was suspended eight games and fined $1,750 US — a huge sum in the mid-1960s — years before he and Roseboro patched things up and became friends.

VIDEO:Padres vs. Atlanta Braves (Aug. 12, 1984).

Dubbed the bean-brawl game, it is clearly remembered for three separate brawls, all of them of the classic variety. Highlights include players using a bat as a weapon, umpires getting toppled, a female spectator tackling a player and fans throwing beer.

The extracurricular activity began on the first pitch of the game when Atlanta pitcher Pascual Perez hit Alan Wiggins. The Padres answered in the second inning, with Ed Whitson throwing behind Perez's head. Perez waved his bat and the benches emptied.

More fights followed in the fifth, eighth and ninth innings while Perez was thrown at in subsequent at-bats. By game's end, there were 14 ejections, including Braves manager Joe Torre and Padres counterpart Dick Williams.

Yankees' Alex Rodriguez, left, and Red Sox's Jason Varitek received four-game suspensions and were fined $2,000 US apiece for their fight in July 2004. (Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

VIDEO:Alex Rodriguez vs. Jason Varitek (Yankees vs. Red Sox — July 24, 2004).

Matchups between these American League East rivals are usually memorable, but reach unforgettable levels when you toss in a brawl at Fenway Park, headlined by Alex Rodriguez.

The Boston faithful rose to their feet during this midsummer contest after Red Sox pitcher Bronson Arroyo hit A-Rod with a pitch in the top of the third inning. Rodriguez stared down the hurler before catcher Jason Varitek got into his face, started chirping and then gave him a facewash, courtesy of his leather mitt, as both team's dugouts and bullpens emptied.

Several scrums erupted with Rodriguez and Varitek being ejected. They were among eight players suspended for their actions, receiving four games apiece and fines of $2,000 US.

Pete Rose vs. Bud Harrelson (Reds vs. Mets — Oct. 8, 1973).

Rarely do you see a couple of players duke it out on the field, make up and get together to autograph pictures of their tussle. Rose and Harrelson did the unthinkable following Game 3 of the 1973 National League Championship Series.

Standing at first base, Rose charged for second on a Joe Morgan ground ball and slid hard to break up the double play, the precursor to a wrestling match with Harrelson that saw both benches clear in a 10-minute brawl.

When Rose took his position in left field in the bottom of the fifth inning, Mets fans showered him with garbage and beer bottles. Rose took the abuse for a brief period before taking cover in the dugout when a whiskey bottle came too close.

Armando Benitez vs Tino Martinez (Orioles vs. Yankees — May 19, 1998).

Not unlike many closers, Baltimore's Armando Benitez blew a lead, surrendering a three-run home run to New York's Bernie Williams. Then he lost it, throwing a 99-mile-an-hour fastball to the back of Tino Martinez and was immediately ejected.

The benches cleared, but many eyes turned towards Yankees relief pitcher Graeme Lloyd, who sprinted from the bullpen and made a beeline for Benitez, unleashing a flurry of left hooks at the Orioles stopper.

The fight moved toward the Baltimore dugout, with Yankees outfielder Darryl Strawberry throwing what many called a sucker punch at Benitez, swinging so hard he ended up in the dugout. Orioles pitcher Alan Mills subsequently bloodied Strawberry.

Los Angeles Dodgers players vs. Chicago Cubs fans (May 16, 2000).

Jumping out of the stands onto the field can net a baseball fan a hefty fine and perhaps jail time. Touching a player's equipment from the front row can sometimes incite a brawl.

A Cubs fan discovered as much when he grabbed the hat of Chad Kreuter as the Dodgers backup catcher sat in the Wrigley Field bullpen in Chicago. Before he knew it, Kreuter and many of his teammates went into the stands and traded punches with fans.

Nine minutes later, stadium security had restored order after numerous attempts. The brawl resulted in suspensions to 16 players, including Canadian pitcher Eric Gagné, and three coaches that totalled 76 games.

Seven suspensions were overturned on appeal, while Los Angeles manager Davey Johnson and 16 of his players were served subpoenas by lawyers for two Cubs fans, who were charged with disorderly conduct.

Dean Palmer vs. Jim Parque (Tigers vs. White Sox — April 22, 2000).

Charging the mound after being hit by a pitch gets you in the headlines. Returning to the field after being ejected to take part in a second melee probably earns you a spot in the history books.

Detroit third baseman Dean Palmer was suspended eight games after engaging in a fight with Chicago pitcher Jim Parque that turned into a 13-minute brawl that started in the infield and spread to right field.

Then, after being tossed from the game, Palmer returned to the field in the ninth inning when a second brawl started after White Sox reliever Bobby Howry hit Shane Halter with a pitch. Palmer received the largest fine at $3,000 US.

In all, 16 players, coaches and managers were suspended for a total of 82 games, at the time considered the harshest penalty for a brawl in baseball history.

A.J. Pierzynski vs. Michael Barrett (White Sox vs. Cubs — May 16, 2006).

Criticized by many, the White Sox and Cubs added some excitement to interleague play in Chicago with a dust-up featuring A.J. Pierzynski of the White Sox and fellow catcher Michael Barrett of the Cubs at U.S. Cellular Field.

It started when Pierzynski barrelled over Barrett at home plate, scoring on Brian Anderson's sacrifice fly to left field in the second inning. Following the collision, Pierzynski slapped the plate after the ball eluded Barrett, who then grabbed Pierzynski and punched him.

White Sox outfielder Scott Podsednik, who was standing in the on-deck circle, wrestled Barrett to the ground. Anderson fought with Cubs first baseman John Mabry, with all aforementioned players ejected after a 15-minute delay.