When former Royals right-handed pitcher Gaylord Perry was caught red-handed while desperately attempting to cover up for George Brett's pine tar bat

The Pine Tar Incident between former Royals right-handed pitcher Gaylord Perry and George Brett is one of the wildest tales in baseball history. In 2022, remembering the 1983 incident when Perry tried to sweep Brett's infamous pine tar bat under the rug, crew chief Joe Brinkman said:

“Gaylord got the bat and passed it back and tried to get it to the clubhouse. The security people went after it.”

The bat is now housed in the Royals Hall of Fame, but prior to that, it caused a stir in the league offices when Lee MacPhail, the president of the American League, was given the duty to decide if the Royals should contest umpire Tim McClelland's decision to call Brett out. Strong opinions were expressed on all sides of the contentious topic, including those of a former president and a New Yorker.

“Dear George,” Richard Nixon wrote in a letter to Brett. “As one who roots for the home team I am a Yankee fan. As a long time George Brett fan, I thought you got a lousy deal. I'll wager they change the rule in the future. In the meantime - Keep slugging."

Brett's outburst resulted in him being removed from the game. Gaylord Perry attempted to flee with Brett's bat during the commotion near home plate but was stopped by security before he could tamper with it. The Royals lost after Brett was called out and Perry was also sent off.

George Brett's views on Gaylord Perry's pine tar bat incident

Although the incident probably wasn't the kind of moment that would define his legacy, Brett has since come to view it as a pretty good one.

"It was a positive thing, you know? It wasn't a ground-ball that went through my legs or a strikeout," Brett said. "I hit a home run off one of the toughest relief pitchers in baseball."

On May 30, 2013, Brett was named the Royals' temporary hitting coach. He relinquished the role on July 25 to resume his duties as vice president of baseball operations.