He’s out of here. Major League Baseball has fined and suspended New York Yankees player Josh Donaldson for one game in the wake of his “disrespectful” comments toward Chicago White Sox star Tim Anderson.
“There is no dispute over what was said on the field,” the league said in a statement on Monday, May 23, after Donaldson, 35, and Anderson, 28, sparked a fight during their Saturday, May 21, game. “Regardless of Mr. Donaldson’s intent, the comment he directed toward Mr. Anderson was disrespectful and in poor judgment, particularly when viewed in the context of their prior interactions.”
The statement continued: “In addition, Mr. Donaldson’s remark was a contributing factor in a bench-clearing incident between the teams, and warrants discipline.”
During the fifth inning of the game at Yankee Stadium in New York on Saturday, White Sox catcher Yasmani Grandal confronted the Yankees slugger at home plate. Both teams cleared the benches and began pushing and shoving one another while Anderson’s teammates held him back. After the game, Chicago’s manager Tony La Russa told reporters that Donaldson “made a racist comment,” which caused the scuffle.
“He just made a disrespectful comment,” Anderson later revealed. “Basically was trying to call me Jackie Robinson, like, ‘What’s up Jackie?’ I don’t play like that. I don’t really play at all. I wasn’t really gonna bother nobody today. But he made the comment, and it was disrespectful. I don’t think it was called for.”
The third baseman later confirmed that while he had said that to Anderson, he was “just joking” around. “All right, so first inning, I called him ‘Jackie,'” Donaldson said at the time. “[In] 2019, he came out with an interview [and] said that he’s the new Jackie Robinson of baseball. He’s gonna bring back fun to the game. [In] 2019 when I played for [the Atlanta Braves], we actually joked about that on the game.”
He continued: “I don’t know what’s changed — and I’ve said it to him in year’s past. Not in any manner than just joking around for the fact that he called himself Jackie Robinson. If something has changed from that, my meaning of that — has not any term trying to be racist by any fact of the matter. It was just off of an interview of what he called himself.”
Donaldson was absent from the Yankees and White Sox double header the following night. Shortly before the suspension was announced, the New York team said that he had been put on the COVID-19 injury list. The Florida native will be required to skip one game and pay an undisclosed amount as the result of his actions. The Yankees and White Sox are not scheduled to play each other again this season.
Keep scrolling to learn more about the incident and Donaldson’s punishment:
According to the Auburn University alum, he called Anderson "Jackie," as a reference to Jackie Robinson. Donaldson also claimed that he has previously used the nickname with the shortstop multiple times over the years and alleged that Anderson was OK with it. Though the White Sox manager slammed his comments as "racist," Donaldson argued that he had no ill intentions when making the joke. Frank Franklin II/AP/Shutterstock
In a May 2019 interview with Sports Illustrated, Anderson talked about his place as a Black man in a sport dominated by white players. "I kind of feel like today’s Jackie Robinson," he said at the time, explaining that he wanted to break the "have-fun barrier" in the same way that the legendary player broke the color barrier. "That’s huge to say. But it’s cool, man, because he changed the game, and I feel like I’m getting to a point to where I need to change the game." Charles Rex Arbogast/AP/Shutterstock
"There is no dispute over what was said on the field," the MLB said in a statement. "Regardless of Mr. Donaldson's intent, the comment he directed toward Mr. Anderson was disrespectful and in poor judgment, particularly when viewed in the context of their prior interactions In addition, Mr. Donaldson’s remark was a contributing factor in a bench-clearing incident between the teams, and warrants discipline." John Minchillo/AP/Shutterstock
Per NBC News, Donaldson has elected to appeal the penalty. While speaking with reporters, he argued that he did not intend to upset or offend Anderson with his comments. Terrance Williams/AP/Shutterstock
One week before the incident, Donaldson and Anderson got into a fight during a previous Yankees/White Sox game, when the shortstop slid into third base and Donaldson pushed him off of the bag. The pair got into a verbal argument and needed to be separated by the third-base umpire to prevent the tussle from escalating. Nam Y Huh/AP/Shutterstock
Yankees player Aaron Judge — who is biracial — reacted to the situation after Donaldson's suspension was announced. “Joke or not, I don’t think it’s the right thing to do there," he told reporters, per the Chicago Sun-Times. "Given the history, especially the series in Chicago and the little bit of beef between Anderson and [Donaldson]." He added: "Anderson is one of the best shortstops in the game and is a big part of MLB and how we can grow the game. [Donaldson] getting a one-game suspension ... I don’t know. He made a mistake, owned up to it and we’ve got to move on." Nick Wass/AP/Shutterstock
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