OTD 1993: Vince Coleman Threw Explosives at Fans

23-year-old Vince Coleman made his MLB debut with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1985. He may not have been an elite hitter or slugger, but he was a superior base-stealer. In each of his first three seasons (with STL), Coleman posted 100+ SBs, instantly joining the ranks of the best and fastest baserunners (currently sixth all-time). However, the public’s perspective of him did a complete 180 on this day in sports history after a horrific incident.

July 24, 1993: After a game at Dodger Stadium, New York #Mets OF Vince Coleman threw an explosive device at fans, severely injuring a 2-year-old and 2 others; he was charged with a felony and never played for the Mets again pic.twitter.com/zMYoeRIZjB
— Pro Sports Outlook (@PSO_Sports) July 24, 2021

INTERESTING FACTS

After a game at Dodger Stadium, Vince Coleman threw an explosive at fans injuring a 2-year-old and 2 others on July 24, 1993
Most consecutive SB without a single CS in MLB history: 1. Vince Coleman (50), 2. Ichiro Suzuki (45), 3. Tim Raines (40)
Most career SB in Cardinals franchise history: 1. Lou Brock (888) 2. Vince Coleman (549) 3. Ozzie Smith (433)

MAIN SIGNIFICANCE

VINCE COLEMAN THROWING AN EXPLOSIVE DEVICE AT FANS WAS AT BIZARRE AS IT GETS

After going 1-for-5 in the Mets’ victory over the Dodgers, Coleman was caught throwing an M-80 firecracker from his car in the stadium’s parking lot. The explosion directly injured three people, including a 2-year-old girl named Amanda Santos. The device was said to be “equivalent of more than one-quarter of a stick of dynamite“, resulting in a felony charge for the NYM outfielder. Coleman faced a max sentence of three years in prison but still played four more seasons with four more MLB teams.