Jesus Montero confronted a scout who sent him an ice cream sandwich during a game

Jesús Montero, a former top prospect for the Yankees who died at the age of 35 after a motorcycle accident earlier this month, produced an unforgettable moment in the summer of 2014.

It involved a minor league rehab assignment with the Mariners, a disrespectful scout, and an ice cream sandwich. 

Montero, who spent five seasons in the major leagues, was signed by the Yankees in 2006. The once-burgeoning star was traded by the Bronx Bombers after playing just 18 games in 2011, as he was sent to the Mariners as part of a high-profile swap for Michael Pineda ahead of the 2012 season. 

Montero struggled to find his footing with the Mariners and arrived 40 pounds overweight to spring training in 2014. 

Montero began the season in the minors and played just six games with the Mariners before suffering an oblique strain. He commenced a rehab assignment with the low-A Everett AquaSox in August, where he was subject to ruthless heckling from a high-ranking Mariners scout. 

Not yet added to the roster, Montero coached first base in the AquaSox’s matchup against the Boise Hawks in Idaho that August. In between innings, the scout reportedly yelled at him to hustle off the field, jeering “Rapido! Rapido!”

Mocking the catcher’s weight gain from training camp, the “cross-checker” ordered an ice cream sandwich and had it delivered to Montero in the dugout.

Bad idea. 

Montero was enraged by the disrespect he received from the club’s scout, later identified as Butch Baccala, and approached the stands with a bat in his hand. 

The catcher had to be restrained during the fracas, and while nobody was injured in the incident, Montero chucked the frozen treat right back at Baccala. 

The brazen scout was fired shortly after the incident. Montero was suspended for the rest of the year and the stunned Boise crowd left that night, having witnessed one of the wildest events to ever unfold in any ballpark.

Montero returned to play 38 games with Seattle in the final season of his career, hitting .223 with five home runs. He went on to play in the Mexican League in 2017 and the Mexican Baseball League from 2018-21.

He got into a motorcycle accident in his native Venezuela and was eventually placed in an induced coma before the Yankees announced his death on Sunday.