Although Bud Harrelson was a key member of the 1969 New York Mets and a two-time All-Star, he might be best remembered for his infamous bust-up with Pete Rose in the 1973 NLCS. Irked by Harrelson’s flippant comments about the Reds offense after a dominant start by Mets ace John Matlack, Rose slid hard into Harrelson at second in the next game, sparking a fight between the two and a benches-clearing brawl between the two teams. In his own words, Harrelson writes “After Matlack won Game 2 I did an interview about the ‘Big Red Machine’ I jokingly said they looked like me hitting. The next day was a day off. We were getting ready to hit when Joe Morgan came over to let me know that Pete was coming after me to fire up the Reds. The next day after a double play throw Rose elbowed me in the face. ‘And the rest is history’ He may have won the fight but the Mets won the N.L.D.S. (sic)”. Harrelson signed his name beneath the inscription in the same blue marker. This 16 x 20 inch photo shows Harrelson and Rose in the middle of their scuffle, and comes with a COA from Steiner Sports and a Fanatics Authenticated hologram (0542681). 

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