Belle Incites Wild Melee; Ump Dumped

It didn’t take long for Albert Belle to find more trouble.

Baseball’s most controversial and combative player decked Milwaukee second baseman Fernando Vina with a high, vicious forearm in the eighth inning, and Cleveland reliever Julian Tavarez slammed umpire Joe Brinkman to the ground during a bench-clearing brawl in the ninth Friday night in the Indians’ 10-4 win.

The problems started in the eighth after Belle was hit by a 3-2 pitch.

“I wasn’t going to get mad. We’re going to get even,” Belle said after the game.

Belle wasted no time, flattening Vina as he was about to be tagged out on a grounder. The 5-foot-9 Vina got up and jawed at the 6-2 Belle, but did not retaliate.

“He broke my nose,” Vina said. “It ain’t right for a guy to come at your face like that. I was shocked. He came at me like a fullback right at my face.”

The crowd booed Belle as he walked off after decking Vina, and several sheriff’s deputies converged behind the Cleveland dugout where fans were hollering.

In the ninth, Brewers reliever Terry Burrows threw three inside pitches to Belle before hitting him in the left shoulder. At the end of the inning, Belle talked to Tavarez before heading to left field.

Tavarez’s first pitch sailed behind the back of Mike Matheny, who charged the mound. In the ensuing melee, Tavarez picked up Brinkman, who had bear-hugged the pitcher from behind, and threw down the first-base umpire.