“When you charge the mound, you’re in for a beating” - When Mike Sweeney rushed to the mound after Jeff Weaver insulted him

During his 13 seasons with the Kansas City Royals, Mike Sweeney was considered one of the nicest players in the MLB. The five-time All-Star was often seen talking to opponents, however, one man would find out that even the friendliest player can turn when they are pushed.

The unlucky customer who found out that Sweeney was not to be messed with was Jeff Weaver. During a 2001 matchup between the Royals and Detroit Tigers, Sweeney uncharacteristically and literally took matters into his own hands.

During the matchup, Tigers reliever Jeff Weaver was on the mound in what would become one of Sweeney's most infamous moments. After asking the home plate umpire to have Weaver move a rosin bag that was sitting on top of the pitcher's mound. Weaver refused to do so, instead cursing out Sweeney, which led to the Royals star to storm the mound.

Sweeney rushed at Weaver, throwing his helmet at the pitcher before tackling him to the ground. Although Sweeney was in the heat of the moment, he knew the incident would spark a bench-clearing brawl and that he would likely be on the wrong side of it.

“When you charge the mound, you’re in for a beating, you’ve got 25 guys charging like a stampede of bulls, and you’ve got to be prepared to get beat, kicked, punched and whatever," Mike Sweeney told The Topeka Capital-Journal in 2015.

It goes without saying that Sweeney was ejected from the game, which was the first of his career. It also led to the first time that the Royals first baseman was suspended, earning a 10-game ban.

Although the punishment may have been excessive, Sweeney hurt himself during the brawl, so it did allow him to have some extra time to recover. Despite playing 13 seasons with Kansas City, the fight with the Detroit pitcher may have been his most memorable moment with the club.

Mike Sweeney's character is so admired that the Kansas City Royals present an annual award in his honor

Mike Sweeney, who was inducted into the Kansas City Royals Hall of Fame in 2015, continues to have his name be honored by his former team. Each year, the Royals hand out awards that honor some of their great stars, including Paul Splittorff, George Brett, Alex Gordon, and Sweeney himself.

The Mike Sweeney Community Service Award is presented each year to the player within the Royals organization whose character and philanthropic work best represents the team. In 2023, that honor went to minor league infielder Austin Charles, who volunteered his free time with food banks and youth baseball clinics.