After hitting two home runs, the Pirates' Carlos Garcia was hit by a pitch leading off the sixth. It didn't appear Cubs reliever Bob Scanlan had any intent. His pitch was high but not tight. Nevertheless, when Mark Grace led off the bottom half, reliever Blas Minor threw behind him. That emptied the benches. Though it took a little while for the players to get really riled up, the melee almost spilled into the Cubs' dugout. After order was restored, Steve Buechele and Sammy Sosa homered to give the Cubs an 118 lead.