In , Ventura saw his batting average drop 20 points to .262, though both his slugging and on-base percentages rose slightly. He also collected his 500th hit that May and won his third straight Gold Glove, while becoming the first AL third baseman with three consecutive 90-RBI campaigns since Graig Nettles (1975–78). On August 4, 1993, during a game against the Texas Rangers, Ventura was hit by a pitch thrown by Nolan Ryan. Ventura charged the mound, where Ryan, 20 years Ventura's senior, placed Ventura in a headlock and punched him several times, causing a bench-clearing brawl. This brawl was voted the top baseball brawl of all time by ESPN's "SportsCenter". The White Sox won the AL West that year, which resulted in Ventura's only playoff trip while in Chicago. They would lose in the ALCS to the Toronto Blue Jays.